Admission FAQs

If you would like to visit with a particular graduate program, contact the department's Graduate Program Director (GPD) to schedule an appointment. You can see a list of Graduate School programs on our Degrees and Programs page. Please note that Truett Seminary and Baylor Law School conduct their own admissions independent of the Graduate School.
If you would like a general campus tour, please contact us at GraduateAdmissions@baylor.edu or 254-710-3588 to set up a campus visit. You can find general campus visit information here: Visit Resources.

Baylor has a growing number of professional online programs. Click here for the most up-to-date list of available programs.

Contact the Baylor Help Desk at 254-710-4357 or helpdesk@baylor.edu. The Help Desk operates 8 AM - 5 PM CST, Monday through Friday.

The 2 most common solutions to application fee payment errors are browser-related issues (Google Chrome works best) and a mis-match on the billing address entered at payment versus the one on record with the credit card company. If the problem continues, please call us at 254-710-3588, 8 AM - 5PM CST Monday through Friday.

Any questions or problems with your online application (except for password reset) should be emailed to GraduateAdmissions@baylor.edu or call us at 254-710-3588. Please include the entire error message, a screen shot of the error message and/or the steps you were doing when the error occurred. Please be sure to include your full name and the email address used in your application. These "clues" will help us resolve your problem more quickly. For password issues, contact the Baylor Help Desk at 254-710-4357. For payment problems, please be sure you are using Google Chrome as your browser.

Please contact the department you are applying to in order to confirm their final application deadline and whether they review late applications. Deadlines vary by program. Some departments have very strict deadlines, while others admit on a rolling basis. You can also find deadlines on our Degrees & Programs page.
Online applications must be submitted by 10:59 PM Central Standard Time in order to be considered received on that date.

Baylor University Graduate School charges a $50 application fee that is required. Programs using a professional organization's common application system (CAS) will have additional costs from the CAS. The $50 Baylor fee is waived for active or retired U.S. military and McNair Scholars.

At the graduate level, financial aid from Baylor University is awarded by each department, generally in the form of tuition remission or a stipend, and often related to a Graduate Assistantship with specific duties. Some non-academic departments may offer Graduate Assistant positions. For specific information regarding eligibility and opportunities for an assistantship, contact the Graduate Program Director of the program to which you are applying.

See Tuition & Fees on the Baylor University Student Financial Services page for the most up-to-date information. The Cost of Attendance link will give you estimates that include housing, dining plans, and other personal expenses.

For options such as federal loans, private loans, and work-study, go to the Baylor Student Financial Services web page, contact the Student Financial Aid office online, or by phone at 254-710-2611 [toll free 1-800-BAYLOR-U, option 8, 2]. A popular website for searching for external funding sources is UCLA GRAPES

The CEEB code for Baylor University is 6032. For more information on testing, see our Submitting Test Scores page.

Your prospective Graduate Program Director can tell you what the department you are interested in applying to considers to be a competitive GRE score. There is not a minimum score that must be obtained.

Some programs do not require the GRE / GMAT, or prefer one over the other. Confirm with your program what tests they prefer. You can also see a list at the Graduate School Testing Information page.

All international applicants must take the TOEFL/IELTS unless qualified for an English proficiency waiver. See here for more information. U.S. citizens (including Puerto Rico) do not need to take any English proficiency exams.

Yes. However, your application is not complete and cannot be officially reviewed until we receive the test score reports.
If your scores will be arriving past the submission deadline, you may contact your prospective program director to find out if their program is willing to review an incomplete application.

Electronically, send to Grad_Transcripts@baylor.edu.
Paper copies can be sent by mail to:
Baylor University
Graduate Admissions
One Bear Place #97264
Waco, TX 76798-7264.

Yes, please request that Baylor's Office of the Registrar send a transcript to Baylor Graduate Admissions. You can order online or call 254-710-1181 or email Registrar@baylor.edu.

In some countries a three-year bachelor's and a two-year master's from recognized institutions are equivalent to a U.S. Bachelor's degree. World Education Services can provide a credential evaluation that compares international degrees to their U.S. equivalency.
More Information: https://www.wes.org/

Please check with the department to which you applied to find out their expected decision release date. Each department has a different timeline for reviewing applications and making admission decisions.

Confirm with your Graduate Program Director or admissions counselor.
Some professional programs have a seat deposit requirement, which typically must be paid within 5 business days of the offer in order to guarantee your spot.
Some programs are flexible, but appreciate an answer as quickly as possible, in order to progress with future plans, or, in the event you decline Baylor's offer, to open up spots for other candidates.
For fall applications, Baylor University is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), which means that Baylor abides by the CGS Resolution "Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants," which gives you until April 15 to make your decision. If you are matriculating in the summer term, your program may request a decision prior to April 15.

1) We strongly suggest discussing with the Graduate Program Director how to strengthen your application.
2) Submit a new online application, paying a new application fee.
3) Submit any new or relevant updated materials (letters of recommendation, transcripts, test scores, etc.).
4) If there are items from your declined application that you wish to use for your new application, please send an email to GraduateAdmissions@baylor.edu after you have submitted a new application. The email should include your full name, degree and program you are applying to, the enrollment semester, and a detailed description of the items you would like us to re-use. Please keep in mind that materials are only held for two years, and then they are destroyed.

First, please contact the Graduate Program Director in your preferred area of study and discuss the possibility of taking courses as a non-degree seeking student. Following their approval, please apply for admission and choose Non-degree seeking as your program.

You can apply as a "transfer of credit" applicant. To do this, submit a Transfer of Credit application, a $25 non-refundable application fee, and a letter of good standing from the home institution's Registrar. Also, a Baylor Health Form must be completed and submitted to Baylor Health Services. To obtain the Transfer of Credit Application, please contact the Graduate Admissions office at GraduateAdmissions@baylor.edu. If admitted you will have transient status with Baylor University, which is non-degree status.

All incoming students must go through the regular application process. If offered admission, a transferring student can file a Graduate School Petition requesting that courses previously taken at another institution be accepted for Baylor University credit. This petition requires the approval of the Graduate Program Director, who also decides how the transfer credits are assigned (whether they are equivalent to BU courses, whether they count toward degree requirements, etc.). In addition, The Graduate School policies on Transfer Credit as listed in the current Graduate Catalog must be followed. This includes: course work must carry a grade of "B" or better (BU does not accept P/F or certificates of completion); course work must be from an accredited university and appear on a graduate transcript; course work must have been taken within 5 years of matriculation; and credits toward extension, workshops, thesis or dissertation hours are not transferable. We strongly recommend that you contact the Graduate Program Director to discuss how previous work would transfer before beginning an application.

You can apply using the online application and selecting the non-degree option. The application requirements are the same for non-degree applicants and degree-seeking applicants.

If your application is incomplete or currently being reviewed, and you would like to change the degree and/or program you are applying to, please send an email to Graduate Admissions. Please tell us your full name, the semester you are applying to, the degree and program your application was originally for, and the degree and program to which you'd like to change your application.

1) Find out if the program you applied to enrolls new students in the semester to which you'd like to defer.
2) Send an email to GraduateAdmissions@baylor.edu and detail your full name, the degree and program to which you are applying, the semester your application was for originally, and the semester to which you'd like to defer.
3) If applicable, send any final or updated transcripts to Graduate Admissions.
It is important to note that you can only defer two times or up to 1 year, whichever comes first, or you have to reapply.

Paper documents including transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation, and resumes will be held for two years, after which point they will be destroyed. Electronic records are also stored for two years.