page_title: Baylor University
section_title: Rankings
hierarchical_section_title: Baylor University / Academics / Rankings
caption_attribution_description: English: Baylor University School of Law after night on the banks of the Brazos River.
context_page_description: Baylor University, or simply Baylor, is a private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered under a different name in 1845, by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Now operating under a different charter, Baylor is the oldest continuously operating universities in Texas and one of the first educational institutions west of the Mississippi River in the United States. Upon the banks of the Brazos River next to I-35, between the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Austin, the university's 1,000-acre campus is Earth's largest Baptist University. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
  Baylor University's athletic teams, known as the Bears, participate in 19 intercollegiate sports. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference in the NCAA Division I.
context_section_description: In the 2020 "Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News & World Report, Baylor was ranked tied for 79th in the "national universities" category, tied at 20th for "Best Undergraduate Teaching", tied at 42nd for "Most Innovative", and 75th for "Best Value".  On the graduate level, the Baylor Law School was tied for 48th, and Baylor's Hankamer School of Business is ranked 57th best in the U.S.
  Baylor University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
caption: Baylor Law School on the Brazos River
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