Rice University Admissions

About Rice University

Rice University is 17th in the most recent U.S. News and World Report’s list of National Universities, and has an intimate connection with NASA. Founded in 1912, what was originally called the Rice Institute now enrolls about 4,000 undergraduate students on its 300-acre urban campus in Houston, Texas. Its admission rate for the Class of 2027 was 7.7 percent across both admissions rounds. 

Before arriving on campus, all incoming freshmen are assigned to one of eleven residential colleges on campus. There are between 300 and 400 students assigned to each residential college. Even though 30 percent of the student population lives off-campus in a given year, off-campus students remain affiliated with their residential college. Varsity athletes at Rice compete across 14 sports (7 men’s teams and 7 women’s) in the NCAA Division 1 for their mascot Sammy the Owl, but unaffiliated students can compete in 27 club sports and 9 intramural sports teams. In addition, students can join one of Rice’s 250 clubs, which range from the Aikido Club to the Rice Oceans Club. 

Undergraduate students at Rice can pursue 50 different majors across 6 divisions of study: the School of Architecture, the School of Engineering, the School of Social Sciences, the School of Humanities, the School of Natural Sciences, and the School of Music. In addition, Rice offers graduate studies in the School of Business, and the School of Continuing Studies. Rice also offers 25 minors, from Naval Science to Politics, Law, and Social Thought. There are three Interdisciplinary Programs students can pursue including Air Force Science, Military Science, and Writing and Communications. Pre-professional programs include pre-med, pre-business, pre-law, and education, and students can earn certificates in Civil Leadership, Engineering Leadership, Language and Intercultural Communication. Rice boasts a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and median class size of 14 students.

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Applying to Rice University

Students applying to Rice can either apply Early Decision or Regular Decision. The Early Decision round, which is due November 1st, is binding, but significantly improves applicants’ odds—last year, Rice admitted 19 percent of applicants in the early round. Students applying Early Decision can apply Early Action to other schools, but must withdraw their applications if they are admitted to Rice in the Early Decision round. Applications for Regular Round are due January 1st and are non-restrictive. 

To apply to Rice, students can either use the Coalition Application, the Common Application, or the QuestBridge Application, for high-achieving low-income candidates. Either way, students will need to send either self-reported or official SAT or ACT scores. Rice superscores standardized tests, which means your highest sections scores across all test dates will be considered. Students can also request on-campus interviews by December 7th, or off-campus interviews by January 3rd. Rice/Baylor Medical Scholars must submit their application by December 1st, and architecture students must submit a portfolio and answer additional questions on their applications. 

Rice University Admissions Wrap Up

Class of 2028
Rice received a record high 2,886 early applications, accepting 422, for a rate of 15 percent.

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