Financial Information

The expenses of educating Baylor University students are controlled as much as possible while responding to demands for effective operations, consideration for the general welfare of students, and continued support of the quality of the educational experience.

Most seminary students receive scholarship assistance. In addition, students may apply for loans and the Federal Work-Study Program through the Student Financial Services Office.

Due to continually increasing operating costs, Baylor University reserves the right to change tuition, fees, deposits, and room and meal rates without notice to prospective students.

Fiscal Year 2024/25

Tuition

Expense/Fee Amount
Regular tuition, per semester hour $690.00

Fees

Expense/Fee Amount
Audit fee, per course 410.00
Commencement charges:
Master’s cap/gown/hood, purchase, no return
 137.50
Doctoral gown/hood/tam, rental
 82.90 (roughly - please visit https://herff.ly/baylor)
Doctoral gown/hood/tam, purchase
 1,226.10 (roughly - please visit https://herff.ly/baylor)
Duplicate diploma to replace lost original (special order)
 25.00
Credit by Baylor Examination, fee per course 205.00
PRTH 7004 course fee ($50 minimum-charges vary) 50.00
Enrollment Deposit (applied to first semester charges) 150.00
Identification card replacement fee 20.00
Installment plan fee 60.00
Late payment fee 25.00
Parking Permit Fee (See webpage) Varies (https://www.baylor.edu/dps/index.php?id=973217)

Seminary tuition and fee rates are applicable to students solely within a seminary degree program or within seminary dual degree programs (MDiv/MSW, MTS/MSW, MDiv/MM, MDiv/MBA, MDiv/JD, MDiv/MSEd/MAEd). If a student is concurrently enrolled within two degree programs at Baylor University involving a seminary degree program and an undergraduate or graduate degree program then that student’s primary status is designated as undergraduate or graduate and tuition and fee rates specific to undergraduate or graduate status will be changed across all coursework. For example, if a student is within their final semester of an undergraduate program at Baylor University and is admitted to seminary and takes a seminary course, undergraduate tuition and fees will be charged across all coursework to include the seminary course for that particular semester. Additionally, if the student were eligible to receive a seminary scholarship, that award would be restricted to coursework applicable toward the degree and the seminary tuition rate. Once the student’s undergraduate degree is conferred and their primary status becomes seminary, seminary tuition and fee rates would then be applicable.

Payment of Accounts

A student’s registration for a semester is not finalized until all expenses are paid or acceptable payment arrangements are made for the term billed. The complete Payment of Accounts policy can be found at studentpolicies.web.baylor.edu.

For additional information about student billing and payment due dates, please visit onestop.web.baylor.edu. 

Students who are recipients of scholarships from religious institutions, foundations, corporations, individuals, or other organizations outside the University should complete the online Outside Scholarship Report Form at www1.baylor.edu/OSRF for each outside scholarship so that the award can be reflected in the student’s financial aid award package. Organizations should send scholarship checks to:

Baylor University Student Accounts
One Bear Place #97048
Waco, TX 76798-7048

For questions about outside scholarships, contact Outside_Awards@baylor.edu.

If you have questions about tuition, fees, or your student bill, visit the Student Financial Services website at onestop.web.baylor.edu or call (254) 710-2311.

Financial Obligations

Students are individually responsible for their financial obligations to Baylor University. Charges to the student account are payable when due. Upon graduation or University Withdrawal, unpaid student account balances are subject to referral to a collection agency and disclosure to credit bureaus.

Cancellations, Drops, and University Withdrawals

Term Types

Fall and Spring Semesters

The information in this section is described using fall and spring semester term calendars.

Trimester and Summer Terms

The information in this section is described using fall and spring semester term calendars but is also relevant to Trimester and Summer calendars using equivalent dates. For dates, deadlines, and other pertinent details to those terms, please see the “Academic Calendar” section for their respective dates.

Definitions of Cancellations, Drops, and University Withdrawals

  • Cancellation – Cancelling (removing) all classes prior to the 1st day of classes.
  • Drop – Dropping one or more, but not all, classes from a student’s schedule from the 1st day classes through the 50th class day in a semester (or equivalent).
    • Drops from the 1st class day through the 12th class day in a semester (or equivalent) are removed from the student’s transcript.
    • Drops after the 12th class through the 50th class in a semester (or equivalent) will result in a “W” (Withdrawal) notation for the class(es) on the student’s transcript.
    • A drop after the 50th class day in a semester (or equivalent) is not allowed except by appeal to the student’s academic dean.

  • University Withdrawal – Officially discontinuing all classes for which a student is registered on or after the 1st day of classes through the 50th class day in a semester (or equivalent). A university withdrawal after the 50th class day in a semester (or equivalent) is not allowed except by appeal to latewithdraw@baylor.edu.

Cancellations

Cancellation describes when a student has decided not to attend a semester (or equivalent) and drops all their classes for that semester (or equivalent) prior to the 1st class day. Cancelling classes is not allowed on the 1st day of classes and thereafter. See the “Academic Calendar” section for deadlines. All classes must be cancelled in BearWeb prior to 1st class day. For a quicker reversal of other fees (Parking Permits, Meal Plans, Health Insurance, etc.) and other information about refunds, contact Student Accounts to ensure account activity is correct.

Academic Effects of Cancellations

  • Cancelled classes do not appear on the official academic transcript.

Financial Effects of Cancellations

  • Requests for the cancellation of related fees and refunds must be made at www.baylor.edu/sfs/contactus.
  • Cancellation requests must be received prior to the 1st class day of the term. For cancellations, all tuition, fees, and meal plans will be refunded at 100 percent.

Dropping Classes

Dropping one or more, but not all, classes from a student’s schedule through the 50th class day of the semester. (To discontinue all classes from the term, see University Withdrawal.) See “Academic Calendar” for deadlines for all terms.

A student has the option to drop a class prior to or during a semester (or equivalent). Prior to dropping a class, a student should review, “Before you Drop a Course.” mesa.web.baylor.edu/current-students/schedule-changes/your-drop-course

Academic Effects of Drops

  • Through the 50th class day, drops can be processed in BearWeb. Beginning on the 13th class day of the semester (or equivalent), the student must obtain Advisor approval notation to drop in BearWeb.

    • A drop through the 12th class day of the semester (or equivalent) results in the course being removed from the official academic transcript.

    • From the 13th and through the 50th class day (or equivalent), a drop in one or more classes requires a professional advisor approval and results in a “W” notation on the official academic transcript. There are no drops after the 50th class day during the semesters (or equivalent) except by appeal to the student’s academic dean.

    • Failure to drop a class will result in the instructor posting the grade the student has earned at the end of the term (i.e., an “F”).

    • Prior to dropping a class, a student is expected to attend class regularly.

    • A student dropping a nursing class for any reason will be dropped from all corequisite classes that are linked to the class.

Financial Effects of Drops

An extensive refund schedule for all terms can be found at www.baylor.edu/sfs/droprefunds.

Changes in the number of enrolled hours can affect financial aid eligibility. A student should contact the Baylor One Stop for information about how dropping a class might affect his or her financial aid award package.

University Withdrawal

University Withdrawal describes officially discontinuing participation in all classes for which a student is registered on or after the 1st class day of the term. A student cannot withdraw from the university after the 50th class day of a semester (or equivalent). Beginning the 1st class day of each term, a student will not be able to drop all courses from their class schedule on BearWeb, but they will be able to submit a University Withdrawal Form.

Students who want to understand fully the implications of this action should reach out to their Academic Advisor.

To withdraw officially from the University, a student must submit the online Withdrawal Form. Students who are unable to use the electronic form, by exception, can declare their intent to withdraw verbally by calling their designated official per the list below.

Program Designated Official
Main Campus (Waco) Office of the Registrar (254)710-1181
BSN (Dallas) Associate Dean

A student who withdraws prior to the 12th class day in their first semester (or equivalent) at the University will be subject to readmission to the University for future semesters.  Please contact your admissions office.

While Baylor University is not an attendance-taking institution, upon confirmation by a student’s instructors of non-attendance, the University reserves the right to cancel or withdraw the student for that term with an effective date matching the last known date of academic attendance or engagement.

Withdrawal Conversation

For a nursing student on the Dallas campus, an exit conversation with their Associate Dean is required immediately after submitting a University Withdrawal.

Program Exit Conversation
Main Campus (Waco) Not Required
Nursing (Dallas) Required

Academic Effects of a University Withdrawal

  • The University Withdrawal effective date is established by the date on which a student submits the mandatory University Withdrawal Form (or in exceptional cases declares their official intent to withdraw to their designated official verbally).

  • For students on the Waco campuses, it is recommended that you reach out to your Academic Advisor to discuss the academic effects of a University Withdrawal.

  • When a student withdraws from the University, the assigned “W” is based upon the effective date of the University Withdrawal. Please see the “Academic Calendar” section for the respective dates.

  • The required University Withdrawal Form and additional information is available online at https://registrar.web.baylor.edu.

  • Any other procedure will lead to failure in all classes for which the student is registered. Under no circumstances does notification to instructors or dropping classes constitute an official University Withdrawal.

Financial Effects of a University Withdrawal

  • If the student fails to submit the University Withdrawal Form or contact the Center for Academic Success and Engagement and simply stops attending, then the following policies apply:

    • Tuition, fees, meal plans and other applicable charges will not be adjusted on the student’s account.

    • Financial aid credits, however, may be reversed as required by federal regulations.

    • Refunds of tuition, fees, or other charges are applied to any outstanding balance owed to the University.

    • Any credit balance remaining after all processing is complete will be sent by direct deposit (if bank account is designated in BearWeb) or mailed to the student at his/her home address listed in BearWeb.

    • Refunds of tuition and required fees (Chapel Fee, Laboratory/Course Fees, Administrative Fee and Applied Music Fee) are based on the effective University Withdrawal date and are prorated on a per diem scale based on the total number of calendar days in that payment period.

    • To obtain a calendar schedule of refund percentages, please visit the Student Financial Services website www.baylor.edu/sfs/contactus or call 254-710-2311.

    • Unless specifically noted, other fees are considered non-refundable.

    • Unused Dining Dollars are refunded upon University Withdrawal.

    • Meal plan refunds are calculated pro rata based on the University Withdrawal effective date.

    An administrative charge equal to one week of the meal charge for the student’s respective meal plan will be assessed.

    • Block meal plans are not prorated and will not be credited upon withdrawal.

    • A student receiving scholarships or other financial aid should contact the Baylor One Stop office to discuss the financial implications of a University Withdrawal.

    • Financial aid recipients are not eligible for a refund until all of the financial aid programs are reimbursed in accordance with federal, state, and University requirements. To obtain information about the return of financial aid funds, contact the Baylor One Stop at www.baylor.edu/sfs/contactus or at 254-710-2611.

    • A student residing in campus housing must contact the Campus Living & Learning office to obtain information about any applicable housing adjustments and penalties. Campus Living & Learning can be reached at Living@baylor.edu or by calling 254-710-3642. Additional information is available online at https://www.baylor.edu/cll/. A student must follow the proper check-out procedure outlined in the Guide to Community Living and must vacate campus housing within 48 hours of the University Withdrawal effective date.

Students Called for Active Military Duty

An enrolled student who withdraws as a result of being called into active military duty (reserves or National Guard) may choose to:

  • receive a refund of tuition and fees paid toward the current term, or
  • be given full credit of tuition and fees paid toward the current term to apply toward future term’s charges for enrollment, or
  • if late enough in the term, request an “incomplete” so that the remainder of the work could be completed at a later date and receive no refund or credit of tuition and fees.

Board charges are refunded on a pro rata basis on the date of the student’s withdrawal. Room charges are refunded on a pro rata basis based on the date a student officially vacates on-campus housing.

Students having federal/state financial aid will be withdrawn according to the published withdrawal policy. Any refund or credit for a student being called into active military duty who has such financial aid will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If the student has met the academic requirements for the term, a grade will be assigned and no tuition refund or credit will be granted.

Appeals for Exception to University Withdrawal and Return Policy

Students are not permitted to withdraw after the 50th class day of the semester or the last day for a University Withdrawal in any other term. It is critical that students follow these deadlines. Exceptions to this policy may be granted when extraordinary circumstances (e.g., medical or health emergencies) have impacted academic performance, have limited the ability to submit a timely withdrawal request, or make recording a grade of “Incomplete” inappropriate. Consideration of a subsequent appeal for exception to this policy, regardless of the outcome of the first, would be extraordinarily unlikely. Further information about requesting this exception may be found at: https://registrar.web.baylor.edu/enrollment-registration/university-withdrawal/late-withdrawal-exception. The deadline for submitting a withdrawal exception must be made no later than the day before the next term begins.

A student receiving an approved appeal for an exception to the University Withdrawal deadline may not re-enroll during the subsequent full semester. For example, if the student seeks the withdrawal exception at the end of the spring semester, he or she will not be eligible to return until the following spring semester. The student must apply for reactivation when he or she is prepared to re-enroll. Procedures for reactivation may be found at: https://www.baylor.edu/registrar/studentreactivation, and further detail about returning after a withdrawal exception may be found at: https://registrar.web.baylor.edu/enrollment-registration/university-withdrawal/late-withdrawal-exception.

Dropping an Audited Class

A student who drops an audited class by the fifth (5th) class day (fall/spring) is eligible for a full refund.  No refund for an audited class is given after the fifth (5th) class day.  Full refunds also apply to a student who drops an audited class by the third (3rd) class day for the full summer session, by the second (2nd) class day for the summer I and II, and the first (1st) class day for the Minimester.  No refunds are given after the designated class drop date.

Right to Withhold Transcripts and/or Block Registration

Baylor University may withhold the issuance of a transcript record and/or block the registration of any current or prior student if the student has certain outstanding obligations to the University.  Please see https://www.baylor.edu/risk/doc.php/342480.pdf for the complete transcript and registration hold policy.