Certain general regulations are listed in this catalog for the guidance of students.  Good citizenship is promoted in the University community by careful observance of all regulations.

Student Classification

The classification of students is determined as follows:

Classification

Classification	Requirements
Freshman	Completion of fewer than 30 semester hours.
Sophomore	Completion of 30 semester hours.
Junior	Completion of 60 semester hours.
Senior	Completion of 90 semester hours.
Postbaccalaureate or Postgraduate	Any person holding a bachelor’s degree who is taking work not to be credited toward a graduate degree or for graduate credit. An applicant seeking admission to Baylor as a postbaccalaureate student may seek a second degree only if it is a different degree with a different major from the applicant’s first degree and major.
Graduate	Any person holding a bachelor’s degree who has been admitted to the Graduate School, who has enrolled in a Graduate Program, and who is taking coursework to be credited toward a graduate degree.
Special	Any person who has been permitted to enroll in a course or courses but who either has not qualified, by reason of not having met all entrance requirements, or who does not wish to qualify for credit leading toward a degree.

General Expectations of Baylor Students

Baylor University is governed by a predominantly Baptist Board of Regents and is operated within the Christian-oriented aims and ideals of Baptists. The University is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas, a cooperative association of autonomous Texas Baptist churches. We expect that each Baylor student will conduct himself or herself in accordance with Christian principles as commonly perceived by Texas Baptists. Personal misconduct either on or off the campus by anyone connected with Baylor detracts from the Christian witness Baylor strives to present to the world and hinders full accomplishment of the mission of the University.

Under the Student Conduct Code, all Baylor students are expected to obey the laws of the United States, the state of Texas, and municipalities, or, if studying abroad, the laws of other countries. Students are also expected to obey the rules, regulations, and policies established by Baylor University. These expectations apply to all persons taking courses at or through the University, either full-time or part-time, pursuing undergraduate, graduate, or professional studies. Persons who are not officially enrolled for a particular term at the University but who have a continuing relationship with the University or who have been notified of their acceptance for admission, including admission into any Baylor University Pre-College Program, may also be held to these standards. Persons who submit falsified information or omit required information on any document for admission to the University or University programs will also be held to these standards.

Each student is responsible for learning about and adhering to the Baylor University Student Conduct Code. The Division of Student Life attempts to ensure that the Student Conduct Code is communicated to all students through various means. However, the student is responsible to the University for his or her conduct that violates University policies. This code and its procedures apply from the time that a person is notified of his or her acceptance for admission to the University, including admission into any Baylor University Pre-College Program, through his or her receipt of a diploma or other credential. Moreover, should a student witness a violation of University policies on the part of other students, the student is responsible for reporting that violation to an appropriate University official (e.g., Judicial Affairs administrators, Office of Academic Integrity administrator, Campus Living & Learning staff, Baylor University Police Department, etc.).

Eligibility for Participation in Student Activities

Students desiring to participate in student activities as a member or officer of a student organization or to represent the University in any manner must meet the following requirements:

1. Students are required to be registered for and maintain a minimum of twelve (12) semester hours both at the time of election/selection and during the term of office or membership at Baylor University.  Only graduating seniors needing fewer than twelve (12) hours for graduation are exempt from this requirement.  Baylor students with fewer than twelve (12) semester hours due to an officially recognized (through an academic department) internship or practicum experience may request an exception to this policy from the Director for Student Activities.
2. First-semester students, are prohibited from joining organizations which utilize a new member education process.
3. Baylor University employs a deferred recruitment philosophy for first-year students participating in recruitment, rush, intake processes, new member processes, and/or to be initiated.  Requirements for all students wishing to participate in recruitment, rush, intake processes, new member processes, and/or to be initiated include: a) completing a minimum of 12 earned semester hours in residence at Baylor University, b) having and maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.67, c) having and maintaining a minimum current grade point average of 2.00.  New Transfer students may participate in recruitment, rush, intake processes, pledging, new member education and/or be initiated.  A student is classified as a transfer if he/she has attended a college during a fall or spring semester after high school graduation, obtained a minimum of 24 transfer hours and a 3.00 cumulative grade point average on all transferable hours.  If the only college work completed is dual credit, an entering student is not considered a transfer student.
4. Once enrolled at Baylor, a student will always be evaluated on his or her Baylor academic record in order to determine academic eligibility for active membership.  Students must have and maintain a cumulative minimum grade point average of 2.33 and a current minimum grade point average of 2.0 in order to maintain active membership.
5. In order to hold a leadership position in an organization, a student must have and maintain a cumulative minimum grade point average 2.67 and a current minimum grade point average of 2.0.  Leadership positions include any and all membership roles in an organization (executive officers, minor officers, committee chairs, etc.).  Organizations may have higher academic standards than Baylor's.
6. A student may use the summer semester to raise a current grade point average by taking twelve (12) or more semester hours at Baylor or the cumulative grade point average by taking fewer than twelve (12) semester hours at Baylor.
7. Students are not eligible to affiliate with a local or national collegiate social/service sorority or fraternity unless the organization is recognized by the University and adheres to University policies.  The University will not recognize a local chapter of any group that includes students from other schools.
8. Eligibility for participation in intercollegiate athletics is governed by the Big 12 Conference and National Collegiate Athletic Association regulations and not the preceding requirements.

Graduate students may participate in Baylor University student organizations as long as the organization’s constitution and/or bylaws do not prevent graduate student membership.  Graduate students wishing to join an organization must be full-time students as defined by the Graduate School.  A graduate student may participate as either a student member of a student organization or as a secondary advisor if he/she serves as a graduate apprentice/assistant and satisfies advisor requirements.  Advisor requirements maintain the graduate apprentice/assistant has fully completed all undergraduate requirements, works within the university department for which they sponsored student organization maintains a formal relationship, and has fully completed all of the appropriate training as required by the Department of Student Activities.  Graduate apprentices/assistants may attend off-campus and overnight events as a representative of the University, but may not approve online event registration requests or t-shirt or product requests, etc. for student organizations.  Further, graduate students may participate as either student members of a student organization or as a secondary advisor but not both at the same time.

Email Communication to Students

Baylor University may send official University correspondence to a student via e-mail, using the e-mail address assigned by Baylor.  Each Baylor student is personally responsible for checking his or her e-mail on a regular and recurring basis for receipt of official University correspondence.

Change of Address and Telephone Number

It is frequently a matter of great importance to students for University officials to be able to locate them quickly.  For this reason, students are asked to file a notice of change of student local or student home address and telephone number with the University promptly, and not later than ten days thereafter in any case.  Address changes may be made through BearWeb. For assistance, contact the Office of the Registrar at registrar@baylor.edu or (254) 710-1181.  Failure to receive University notices because of an incorrect address provided by the student will not relieve the student of responsibility for responding to the notice.  Nursing students enrolled on the Dallas campus are requested to report a change of address in the Office for Student Services on the first floor of the Harry W. Bass Memorial Educational Center.

Campus Safety

Baylor considers personal safety on campus a top priority.  Residence halls enforce a locked door policy and residents must swipe their student IDs at main entrances to gain access to their building.

The Baylor Police Department provides additional 24-hour security with car and bike patrols and works in close alliance with the Waco Police Department to create a safe environment for the university community.  Eighty-seven emergency call boxes are located on campus with direct access to BPD, which has a staff of forty-nine, including thirty-nine commissioned police officers and ten non-commissioned.

Security Officers work with BPD and after-hour personnel to ensure the safety and security of our campus.  For more information about the Baylor Police Department, visit http://www.baylor.edu/dps.

Baylor’s Crime Prevention and Security Report is provided annually to all students and is available at http://www.baylor.edu/dps.