Baptist Colleges
The roots of Baptism date back to the 16th century. The religion is considered a communion of evangelical Protestants, which is a movement within Christianity. An aspect of the religion is a belief in believer's baptism, in which a person is baptized on the basis of his or her expression of faith. In North America there are estimated to be over 35 million Baptists that are represented by over 50 different groups. In the US surveys have shown that about one out of five Christians consider themselves to be Baptist.
Baptist Higher Education Overview
Baptist higher education in the US dates back to 1764 with the founding of Rhode Island College, which later became Brown University (and no longer has Baptist affiliation). During the 1800s many Baptist colleges and universities were founded in the US, with over 30 of these being in the south and border states. Most were started under the direction of state Baptist organizations and with support from local communities. A motivation was the desire of Baptists for an educated clergy. A few of the institutions from that time include Baylor University, Mercer University, Samford University, and Georgetown College. Today Baptist higher education institutions extend across the US in urban, suburban, and rural settings and include major universities with broad areas of research and studies as well as focused, smaller colleges.
| School | City | Students | Highest Degree | Tenure System |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Baptist College | Nashville, TN | 106 | Bachelors | |
| Anderson University | Anderson, SC | 2,064 | Masters | yes |
| Appalachian Bible College | Mount Hope, WV | 286 | Masters | |
| Arkansas Baptist College | Little Rock, AR | 626 | Bachelors | yes |
| Arlington Baptist College | Arlington, TX | 140 | Masters | |
| Baptist Bible College and Graduate School | Springfield, MO | 571 | Masters | yes |
| Baptist Bible College and Seminary | Clarks Summit, PA | 910 | ||
| Baptist Memorial College of Health Sciences | Memphis, TN | 929 | Bachelors | |
| Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary | Jacksonville, TX | 140 | Masters | yes |
| Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond | Richmond, VA | 120 | yes | |
| Baptist University of the Americas | San Antonio, TX | 175 | Bachelors | yes |
| Baylor University | Waco, TX | 14,541 | Doctoral & professional | yes |
| Belmont University | Nashville, TN | 4,991 | yes | |
| Benedict College | Columbia, SC | 2,883 | Bachelors | yes |
| Bethel Seminary of the East | Willow Grove, PA | 115 | Masters | yes |
| Bethel Seminary San Diego | San Diego, CA | 213 | Masters | yes |
| Bethel Seminary-St. Paul | Saint Paul, MN | 776 | yes | |
| Bluefield College | Bluefield, VA | 736 | Bachelors | |
| Boston Baptist College | Boston, MA | 121 | Bachelors | |
| Brewton-Parker College | Mount Vernon, GA | 1,017 | Bachelors | yes |
| Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary | Lansdale, PA | 104 | ||
| Campbell University | Buies Creek, NC | 6,075 | yes | |
| Carson-Newman College | Jefferson City, TN | 2,032 | Masters | yes |
| Cedarville University | Cedarville, OH | 3,066 | Masters | yes |
| Central Baptist College | Conway, AR | 559 | Bachelors | |
| Charleston Southern University | Charleston, SC | 3,200 | Masters | yes |
| Corban College | Salem, OR | 1,031 | Masters | |
| Crossroads Bible College | Indianapolis, IN | 158 | Bachelors | |
| Dallas Baptist University | Dallas, TX | 5,297 | yes | |
| Davis College | Johnson City, NY | 325 | Bachelors | |
| East Texas Baptist University | Marshall, TX | 1,210 | Bachelors | yes |
| Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary | Ankeny, IA | 392 | Masters | |
| Florida Memorial University | Miami Gardens, FL | 1,816 | Masters | yes |
| Georgetown College | Georgetown, KY | 1,856 | Masters | yes |
| Hardin-Simmons University | Abilene, TX | 2,387 | Doctoral & professional | yes |
| Howard Payne University | Brownwood, TX | 1,388 | Masters | yes |
| Jacksonville College-Main Campus | Jacksonville, TX | 274 | Associates | |
| Judson College | Marion, AL | 324 | Bachelors | yes |
| Judson University | Elgin, IL | 1,239 | Masters | yes |
| Keuka College | Keuka Park, NY | 1,613 | Masters | yes |
| Luther Rice University | Lithonia, GA | 941 | ||
| Maple Springs Baptist Bible College and Seminary | Capitol Heights, MD | 159 | ||
| Maranatha Baptist Bible College | Watertown, WI | 857 | Masters | |
| Mars Hill College | Mars Hill, NC | 1,245 | Bachelors | yes |
| Mercer University | Macon, GA | 7,622 | Doctoral & professional | yes |
| Mid-Continent University | Mayfield, KY | 1,636 | Bachelors | yes |
| Missouri Baptist University | Saint Louis, MO | 4,614 | ||
| Morris College | Sumter, SC | 921 | Bachelors | yes |
| Northland International University | Dunbar, WI | 592 | ||
| Oakland City University | Oakland City, IN | 1,733 | ||
| Oklahoma Baptist University | Shawnee, OK | 1,769 | Masters | yes |
| Piedmont Baptist College and Graduate School | Winston Salem, NC | 393 | ||
| Samford University | Birmingham, AL | 4,469 | Doctoral & professional | yes |
| Selma University | Selma, AL | 3,351 | Masters | |
| Shaw University | Raleigh, NC | 2,702 | Masters | |
| Tennessee Temple University | Chattanooga, TN | 716 | ||
| Trinity Baptist College | Jacksonville, FL | 291 | Masters | |
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | Belton, TX | 2,648 | yes | |
| University of the Cumberlands | Williamsburg, KY | 2,553 | yes | |
| Virginia Intermont College | Bristol, VA | 542 | Bachelors | yes |
| Virginia Union University | Richmond, VA | 1,501 | yes | |
| Virginia University of Lynchburg | Lynchburg, VA | 267 | ||
| William Carey University | Hattiesburg, MS | 2,971 | Masters | yes |
| Wingate University | Wingate, NC | 2,128 |