Baylor
Baylor University is a large Baptist university on the banks of the Brazos River in Waco, in the heart of Central Texas — the largest Baptist university in the world, and one with a deep residential tradition. Most first-years live on campus across three tracks: all-freshman First-Year Communities like Penland and Collins, Living-Learning Communities built around a shared interest, and Residential Colleges like Brooks, Teal, and the honors halls Alexander and Memorial. Every hall is air-conditioned, which matters here: mid-August move-in is genuinely hot, often near 100°F, while Waco winters are short and mild.
What to wear in Waco, month by month
The national lists assume everyone needs a winter coat. Here the real questions are heat, sun, and rain — plus clothes for buildings kept ice-cold against it.
| Move-in (mid-Aug) | 74–99°F | Hot and humid Central Texas summer, often flirting with 100°F. The halls are air-conditioned; pack light clothes, sun protection, and a water bottle. |
| Sept–Oct | 60–92°F | Still warm well into fall, easing only slowly. Shorts and light layers for a long, hot early semester. |
| Nov–Dec | 42–68°F | Cooling to mild, with the occasional cold snap toward finals. A jacket and a warmer layer. |
| Jan–Feb | 36–62°F | A mild but changeable Texas winter — pleasant days, an occasional freeze or ice storm. A real coat for the cold snaps. |
| Mar–May | 52–86°F | Warm, green, and stormy, with classic Central Texas spring thunderstorms. A rain jacket and layers. |
What Baylor lets you bring
- Light, breathable clothing and strong sun protection for a hot, humid Central Texas move-in that can push near 100°F
- A refillable water bottle and a fan for the walk between buildings — the rooms themselves are air-conditioned
- One mini fridge OR one MicroFridge per room — decide with your roommate before you both buy
- A light coat and a rain jacket for the mild but stormy Texas winter and spring
- Twin XL bedding (confirm your specific hall)
- UL/ETL power strip with a built-in circuit breaker — not a bare extension cord
- Damage-free wall hangings like Command strips — no nails or screws
- Low-draw LED desk and task lamps
- A fan, a reusable water bottle, and UL-listed electronics
- Open-coil / open-flame cooking: toasters, toaster ovens, air fryers, hot plates, electric grills, sandwich makers
- Candles, incense, wax warmers, and anything with an open flame
- Halogen lamps
- Extension cords without a breaker; outlet splitters and multi-plug adapters
- Space heaters and personal A/C units (unless your school provides/approves them)
- Hoverboards, e-scooters, e-bikes, and other e-mobility devices
- Weapons of any kind — including decorative — and fireworks
- Standalone microwaves in the non-apartment halls — a MicroFridge is the only microwave allowed
- More than one refrigerator unit per room (one mini fridge or one MicroFridge, not both)
- Grills of any kind, open flames, matches, lighters, and flammable fuels
- Mopeds, motorcycles, e-scooters, and hoverboards inside residential communities
- Candles and incense
These come from Baylor's official housing pages and cover the essentials plus the genuinely local rules. Double-check the current official guidance before you buy — policies and renovations change every year.
Getting your room at Baylor
- 01Spring
Submit the first-year housing application
After you deposit, complete Baylor's first-year housing application and rank your community and hall preferences. Housing fills, so apply early — most first-years live on campus.
- 02Late July
Get your room, roommate, and Move2BU slot
Your building, room, roommate, and Move2BU move-in timeslot and route are posted in the MyHousing portal in late July. Your One Bear Place mailbox number posts separately in BearWeb on August 1.
- 03Before arrival
Coordinate one fridge per room
Decide with your roommate on a single mini fridge or a MicroFridge (the only way to have a microwave in the halls). Pack for heat — light clothes, sun protection, and a water bottle.
- 04Aug 19–20
Move2BU
New students move in by assigned timeslot between 8am and noon: Residential College and Living-Learning residents on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, and First-Year Community residents on Thursday, August 20 (early move-in runs August 16–18).
Where you'll live at Baylor
First-year housing at Baylor
Most first-years live on campus, and Baylor sorts housing into three tracks. First-Year Communities are all-freshman halls; Living-Learning Communities group students around a shared interest; and Residential Colleges add live-in faculty, in-hall dining, and a tight-knit culture. You rank your preferences on the first-year housing application. Buildings are single-sex or coed by wing, and all are air-conditioned.
The hub of first-year life — a coed hall of more than 400 at the geographic center of campus, next to the Bill Daniel Student Center and the Penland dining hall.
A large first-year community hall for women, one of the classic all-freshman buildings.
A women's first-year community hall, smaller and close-knit, near the center of campus.
A men's first-year community hall — one of the main all-freshman options for men.
A coed first-year community hall on the Russell side of campus.
The Honors Residential College — men live in Alexander, women in Memorial — home to more than 300 honors students with a strong live-in academic community.
A coed residential college open to any major, with live-in faculty, its own dining hall, and a Gothic, Oxford-style building.
A coed residential college of 350+ students in engineering, computer science, or pre-nursing, with in-hall dining and study spaces.
Home to the Science & Health Living-Learning Community for pre-health students.
Living-Learning halls (Allen houses the LEAD LLC) built around shared interests and leadership, alongside University and Texana Houses for women.
The Baylor move-in checklist
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Bedding6
Bath5
Laundry4
Storage & organization6
Making it livable6
Desk & study4
Electronics6
Cleaning5
Kitchen — within the rules5
Health & meds4
Clothing — see the seasonal guide8
Move-in day go-bag5
Your items
Anything you add saves on this device.
Waco logistics, sorted
How to send a package to a Baylor student
1 Bear Place #[#####]
Waco, TX 76798-[####]
One fridge per room, and the MicroFridge rule
The residential-college tradition — and Waco
Waco & around
Fountain Mall & the Bill Daniel Student Center
The green heart of campus and the student center — dining, the bookstore, and the mail center — with Pat Neff Hall's dome as the landmark backdrop.
McLane Stadium & the Brazos
Baylor's football stadium sits across the Brazos River, where students famously sailgate by boat on game days; the riverwalk connects it to campus.
Magnolia Market & downtown
Chip and Joanna Gaines's Magnolia Market at the Silos and a revived downtown of restaurants and shops, a few minutes from campus.
Austin & Dallas–Fort Worth
Waco sits right between them on I-35 — Austin is about 90 minutes south and the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex about 90 minutes north.
Where to stay near Baylor
Hilton Waco
~5 minA full-service hotel on the Brazos riverfront by the convention center, a short drive or walk from campus — a dependable first choice for families.
Hotel 1928
~5 minMagnolia's boutique hotel in a restored downtown building from Chip and Joanna Gaines — a special-occasion stay near the Silos and campus.
AC Hotel by Marriott Waco Downtown
~5 minA modern hotel in downtown Waco, walkable to restaurants and a few minutes from Baylor.
Baylor gear & gifts
Baylor — links & contacts
- Campus Living & Learning: Visit page
- Mail Center: Visit page