What SAT or ACT score do you need for Baylor?

As of November 2026: Baylor University is test-optional for the 2027-2028 application process, and the middle half of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT scored 1210 to 1400. On the ACT, that middle half scored 27 to 32.

Baylor does not require a test score, but the score bands, the admit rate and the cost all tell a family when a score helps.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

Baylor is test-optional for 2027-2028. Baylor's own admissions page says students are not required to submit standardized test scores for the 2027-2028 application process.

The middle SAT band is 1210 to 1400. That is the middle half of enrolled first-years in the fall 2023 class who sent an SAT. On the ACT, the middle half scored 27 to 32.

Baylor admitted 51 percent of applicants. For fall 2023, Baylor admitted 20,265 of its 39,735 applicants. A strong score is one more way for a student to stand out in a pool that size.

Does Baylor require the SAT or ACT?

Baylor's testing policy, in its own words, for the term it names.

College	Policy	Applies to	In the college's words	Source
Baylor University	optional	2027-2028 application process	Students are not required to submit standardized test scores for admission.	Source

Optional means Baylor reads a score if one is sent, and a student may apply without one.

Baylor: score bands, who sends a score, how many get in, what it costs

Score bands describe enrolled first-years in the fall 2023 class who sent that test. Prices are for a full year.

Measure	Value
applicants, fall 2023	39,735
admits, fall 2023	20,265
admit rate, percent	51
SAT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	1,210
SAT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	1,400
ACT 25th percentile, enrolled submitters	27
ACT 75th percentile, enrolled submitters	32
share of enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, percent	31
share who sent an ACT, percent	19
application fee, dollars	0
full price of a year, dollars	74,226
average net price after aid, dollars	41,104

The bands cover only enrolled first-years who sent a score, not every student in the class.

Does Baylor require the SAT or ACT?

No, Baylor does not require the SAT or ACT for the 2027-2028 application process. Baylor's admissions page puts it plainly: "Students are not required to submit standardized test scores for admission."

Yes, Baylor is test-optional for the 2027-2028 application process. That means Baylor reads a score if your child sends one. Your child can also apply with no score at all.

Test-optional does not mean test-blind, though. A score that is sent gets read. So the real question for your family is not whether a score is required. It is whether your child's score will help.

What SAT score do enrolled first-years carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years at Baylor who sent an SAT scored between 1210 and 1400. These are students in the fall 2023 class, the latest federal numbers.

A quarter of those students scored below 1210, and a quarter scored above 1400. So 1210 is not a floor and 1400 is not a ceiling. They mark the middle of the group.

Keep in mind who is in this group. These are students who enrolled and chose to send an SAT. It is not every student who applied, and it is not every student who got in. We tell families to read the band as a picture of the middle of the class, never as a cutoff.

What ACT score do they carry?

The middle half of enrolled first-years at Baylor who sent an ACT scored between 27 and 32. Like the SAT band, this comes from the fall 2023 class.

A quarter of the students who sent an ACT scored below 27, and a quarter scored above 32. The same rule applies here as on the SAT. The band shows the middle of the enrolled students who sent that test.

Some students do better on the ACT than on the SAT, and some do better on the SAT. Baylor reads either one. That is why we have our students try both tests before they pick.

How many send a score?

In the fall 2023 class, 31 percent of enrolled first-years at Baylor sent an SAT and 19 percent sent an ACT. Those are the students the score bands describe.

A student may send both tests, so we read each share on its own. We do not add them together.

What these shares tell a parent is simple. Plenty of students at Baylor enrolled without sending a given test. A score is a choice your family makes, and the bands show what the students who made that choice brought with them.

Should my child send a score to Baylor?

Our rule for Baylor is this: if your child's score sits inside or above the 1210 to 1400 SAT band, or the 27 to 32 ACT band, send it. If the score sits below the band, think hard before sending it.

At a selective test-optional college, we tell families it is nearly always good to have a score, because a strong score bolsters the odds of getting in and most merit scholarships are keyed to one. That is our advice, not Baylor's policy.

So we tell families to test first and decide later. A student with no score has nothing to decide. A student with a score inside the band has a real choice to make, and a strong one in hand.

How hard is it to get in?

Baylor admitted 20,265 of its 39,735 applicants for fall 2023, an admit rate of 51 percent. That is a large pool, and many strong students apply.

In our experience, students put their best case forward when they bring strong grades in hard classes and a score inside or above the band. Neither one stands in for the other.

We tell families not to read the admit rate as a promise in either direction. It describes the whole pool. Your child's own record and score are what count for your child.

What does it cost to apply and attend?

Baylor's application fee is $0. That makes the first step easy.

The full price of a year at Baylor is $74,226. The average net price after aid is $41,104. Your own family's price can land above or below that average.

We see that most merit scholarships are keyed to a score. So a strong score can matter for what your family pays, not just for getting in. That is one more reason we tell families to have a score ready, even at a test-optional college.

What to do this month?

This month, have your child sit a full-length mock SAT and a full-length mock ACT, both free at Test Prep Gurus. Then compare each result with Baylor's bands: 1210 to 1400 on the SAT and 27 to 32 on the ACT.

If the result already sits inside or above the band, plan for a test date that counts and keep the score strong. If it sits below, plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before a test date that counts. Our students prepare for the whole test every sitting, not just one section, so each score is a full picture of what they can do.

You can sign up for the free mock SAT and free mock ACT at https://www.prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step, or call us at 949.229.5359. We will help you read the results and pick the test that fits your child.

Questions parents ask

Is Baylor test-optional?
Yes, Baylor is test-optional for the 2027-2028 application process.

Does Baylor require an SAT or ACT score?
No, Baylor does not require the SAT or ACT for the 2027-2028 application process.

What SAT score do Baylor first-years have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years at Baylor who sent an SAT scored between 1210 and 1400.

What ACT score do Baylor first-years have?
The middle half of enrolled first-years at Baylor who sent an ACT scored between 27 and 32.

What if my child's score is below Baylor's band?
If the score sits below the band, think hard before sending it.

Does it cost anything to apply to Baylor?
Baylor's application fee is $0.

Ready to plan the next test date? Free mock SAT and free mock ACT at Test Prep Gurus, then a plan built on the result: prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step or 949.229.5359.

Method and sources: The testing policy comes from Baylor's own admissions page and applies to the 2027-2028 application process. The SAT and ACT bands describe enrolled first-years in the fall 2023 class who sent that test, from the latest federal data, so they do not cover students who enrolled without a score. Applicants, admits and the admit rate come from the same federal data, and prices come from the College Scorecard.