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Baylor University

700 S University Parks Dr, Waco, TX

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Baylor University, chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas, is the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education in the state, predating Texas statehood itself by several months and giving it a historical claim that no other Texas university can match. As the world's largest Baptist university, Baylor maintains an explicitly Christian mission woven into its academic and campus culture, a religious identity that's central to how the university markets itself relative to the state's large secular public flagships and distinguishes it within Texas's private-university landscape. Baylor Law School is one of the oldest law schools west of the Mississippi River, and the university's business school and pre-med programs have built strong regional reputations, drawing students specifically seeking a faith-based alternative to Texas's larger research universities. The university's Bears athletic program, particularly a men's basketball national championship in 2021 and a long-competitive football program, has raised Baylor's national athletic profile considerably in recent decades, adding to a university identity historically built more around its religious mission and legal and medical programs than around sports.

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