Admit rate has ranged 54%–97% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Wayland Baptist University, a small Christian university in Plainview, Texas, offers a faith-infused education with a practical bent—think business degrees and criminal justice programs rather than ivory-tower theory. With a 56% acceptance rate and SAT scores hovering around 1120, it’s accessible but retains a tight-knit, mentorship-driven culture where professors know students by name. Just don’t expect rah-rah football weekends: this is a commuter-heavy campus where nearly half the students live off-site, and the 21% six-year graduation rate hints at the challenges of serving a population balancing work, family, and school.
Admission requirements
Test-blind — scores not considered
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
2,041
In-state tuition
$23,782
Out-of-state tuition
$23,782
Top Major
Business (32%)
Acceptance Rate
56%
6-Year Grad Rate
19%
On-Campus Housing
53%
Student-Faculty Ratio
11:1
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$51,838
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.5×
Median debt at graduation
$23,106
Graduation rate
19%
First-year retention
45%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
46%
Pell (lower-income) share
74%
First-generation share
45%
Endowment / student
$59,800
Financial health
3.0 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Business Administration, Management and Operations$44,021
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$35,060
Criminal Justice and Corrections$27,488
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
1
Per 1,000 students
0.49
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
93
Summer high
92°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
12.9"
Annual snow
6.1"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Low
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
27
Scholarly works
202
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
1.9%
Bottom → top quintile
14%
From bottom quintile
14%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Wayland Baptist University?
Wayland Baptist University's acceptance rate is approximately 56% (Plainview, TX), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
How much does Wayland Baptist University cost?
At Wayland Baptist University, the average net price (after aid) is about $20,590 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Wayland Baptist University?
Wayland Baptist University enrolls approximately 2,041 undergraduate students.
Where is Wayland Baptist University located?
Wayland Baptist University is located in Plainview, TX.
Admissions
Wayland Baptist’s admissions process leans toward accessibility, with a 56% acceptance rate and middle-of-the-road test score benchmarks (SAT range: 953–1128; ACT: 16–21). Scoring above 1000 on the SAT or 21 on the ACT nearly guarantees admission, per PrepScholar. The university prioritizes retention—aiming to keep 54% of first-year students enrolled for their sophomore year—but doesn’t publish a Common Data Set (CDS)A standardized report most colleges publish each year with admissions, test-score, and financial-aid figures, making schools easier to compare., leaving gaps in transparency around factors like waitlist stats or LegacyAn applicant whose parent (or sometimes other close relative) attended the college. Some schools give a small edge to legacy applicants. preferences. International applicants need translated transcripts and a passport copy, but there’s no mention of TOEFL requirements.
Wayland’s academic offerings skew toward practical, career-ready programs, with business administration (32% of majors) and criminal justice (11%) dominating. The university touts a liberal arts core but shines in applied fields: a lets students convert vocational credits into degrees, and new 2025 programs like a BBA in Marketing cater to job-market demands. With and one doctoral option, Wayland serves working adults—but its lack of STEM prominence (just 3% of undergrads study biology) and a thin 19% six-year graduation rate suggest academic support may be uneven.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
This is a commuter campus with a church-camp vibe: 47% of students live off-site, and the Instagram-ready “vibrant city of San Antonio” tagline is misleading (the main campus is in rural Plainview). What it lacks in Greek life or big sports culture, it makes up for with mentorship-heavy faculty—humanities professors are praised for “fostering intellectual growth” with small classes. Niche reviews call the community “close-knit,” but the 53% on-campus housing rate reflects limited dorm space. Don’t expect tailgates; do expect Bible studies and service projects.
Wayland’s 19% six-year graduation rate (per Research.com) lands it in the bottom 5% nationally, though it aims for 32%. Pell Grant recipients fare slightly better (14%). Alumni earn $36,427 median income one year post-graduation—below the national average but plausible for West Texas. The low completion rates hint at challenges serving non-traditional students; the school’s own goal of retaining 54% of freshmen suggests it knows attrition is a struggle. For context: only 21% graduate in six years, per U.S. News, making persistence the exception, not the norm.
At $20,222 net price (after aid), Wayland undercuts many private schools, with 81.5% of students receiving financial aid averaging $17,658. The Net priceWhat a family actually pays after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price — usually far less than the published cost. calculator hints at flexibility for working adults, breaking costs into monthly payments. Scholarships and grants are emphasized over loans, but the aid packages likely include federal options—the FAFSA is mandatory. One red flag: the graduation rate suggests many may take on debt without degrees. For context, the median alumni income ($36k) is only 1.8x the net price.
Wayland is unapologetically niche: a low-cost, faith-based option where students can cobble together vocational credits into a degree (via the Applied Science program) or earn a marketable BBA without cutthroat competition. The 11:1 student-faculty ratio means mentorship is real, not rhetorical—but the trade-off is a no-frills campus and grim graduation stats. Ideal for: devout Texans seeking career-focused degrees, adult learners with prior credits, or those who’d flounder at a giant state school. Not for: STEM aspirants, party-seekers, or anyone allergic to small-town life.
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