
Baylor University
What Baylor says
Exact quotes from Baylor’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Cancelling classes is not allowed on the 1st day of classes and thereafter.
— catalog.baylor.edu ↗Undergraduate Baylor students who are seeking to return to Baylor but withdrew from or were not enrolled in the fall or spring semester … will need to complete a Returning Student Reactivation Form
— registrar.web.baylor.edu ↗The Reactivation form closes for most students prior to midnight the day before the first class day.
— registrar.web.baylor.edu ↗Undergraduate students must complete the Student Reactivation Process prior to the semester you plan to return.
— registrar.web.baylor.edu ↗Cancellation describes when a student has decided not to attend a semester (or equivalent) and drops all their classes for that semester (or equivalent) prior to the 1st class day.
— catalog.baylor.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- There appears to be no undergraduate leave; you may cancel all spring classes before the first day instead.
- Cancelling a whole term seems to be blocked once classes start on Jan 19, 2027.
- Returning looks like it needs a Returning Student Reactivation Form; ask your registrar or advising office first.
- Reasons accepted: no leave request needed (No reason needed; deciding not to attend is enough, if done before classes start).
- Time away allowed: Reactivation after any term.
- What to file: application to come back.
- Classes start Jan 19.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Hackathon
- Computing for Compassion (Wacode Hackathon) ↗Service-minded tech group. The Baylor Lariat reports it ran the Wacode Hackathon with ACM and Baylor Cyber in April 2026.
Student founder community
- Startup and Innovation Club ↗Incubator-style club for student entrepreneurs, with time to work on ideas, access to professors and links to Waco startups.
Entrepreneurship center
- John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship ↗Hankamer School of Business center. Runs the 1846 Business Incubator, Oso Launch and the New Venture Competition.
Hard-tech team
- Astro at Baylor ↗Rocket engineering and space-tech club with several project teams that enter competitions.
- Society of Automotive Engineers (Baylor Baja) ↗Hands-on design, manufacturing and testing. Open to all majors, no experience needed.
CS club
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ↗Baylor ACM chapter for computing and software. Co-ran the 2026 Wacode Hackathon.
- Bear AI ↗AI club: technical skills, projects and research, faculty and industry links, and ethics discussions.
Why 70
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. Source pages look current for 2026–27. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.