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Rice University

Rice University is a private nonprofit university in a large city in the Houston, TX metro with 4,574 students and a 8% acceptance rate.

Houston, Texas · Private nonprofit · City, large · 4,574 students · R1 research university

NCAA Division I · American Athletic Conference

Admission rate

8%

of applicants admitted

SAT average

1,553

combined, admitted students

ACT, middle half

34–36

25th to 75th percentile

Average net price

$13,370

per year, after grants

Graduation rate

95%

within 6 years

Freshman retention

98%

return for sophomore year

Median earnings

$89,718

10 years after entry

Students

4,574

total enrollment

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS) · data snapshot October 2, 2026 · Updated October 2, 2026

First-year deadlines, 2026–27

PlanDeadlineDecision by
Early decision
Apply early, hear early, and you must enroll if admitted. Binding.		November 1, 2026
Early decision II
A second, later early decision round. Also binding.		January 4, 2027
Regular decision
The standard deadline, with answers in spring. Not binding.		January 4, 2027April 1, 2027

Plans are listed in calendar order. What the plans mean

Source: admission.rice.edu · checked September 30, 2026

What families actually pay

Average yearly net price after grants, all students, by family income

$0–30,000$5,827
$30,001–48,000$563
$48,001–75,000$3,217
$75,001–110,000$17,755
Over $110,000$48,466

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard · data snapshot October 2, 2026

AP credit

Most-taken exams, lowest score that earns credit
ExamMin scoreRice University courseCredits
Calculus AB4MATH 105 AP/OTH CREDIT CALCULUS I3 credits
Calculus BC4MATH 105 AP/OTH CREDIT CALCULUS I3 credits
Biology4BIOS 101 AP/OTH CREDIT INTRO BIOLOGY I3 credits
Chemistry4CHEM 111 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY I3 credits
English Language and Composition4ENGL 121 AP/OTH CREDIT IN ENGLISH3 credits
English Literature and Composition4ENGL 122 AP/OTH CREDIT IN ENGLISH3 credits
United States History4HIST 105 AP/OTH CREDIT U.S. HISTORY3 credits
Psychology4PSYC 100 AP/OTH CREDIT IN PSYCHOLOGY3 credits
Show all 33 exams and every score level
ExamMin scoreCourseCredits
Calculus AB4MATH 105 AP/OTH CREDIT CALCULUS I3 credits
Calculus BC4MATH 105 AP/OTH CREDIT CALCULUS I3 credits
Calculus BC4MATH 106 AP/OTH CREDIT CALCULUS II3 credits
Biology4BIOS 101 AP/OTH CREDIT INTRO BIOLOGY I3 credits
Biology4BIOS 102 AP/OTH CREDIT INTRO BIOLOGY II3 credits
Chemistry4CHEM 111 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY I3 credits
Chemistry4CHEM 112 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY II3 credits
Chemistry4CHEM 113 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB I1 credit
Chemistry4CHEM 114 AP/OTH CREDIT IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB II1 credit
English Language and Composition4ENGL 121 AP/OTH CREDIT IN ENGLISH3 credits
English Literature and Composition4ENGL 122 AP/OTH CREDIT IN ENGLISH3 credits
United States History4HIST 105 AP/OTH CREDIT U.S. HISTORY3 credits
Psychology4PSYC 100 AP/OTH CREDIT IN PSYCHOLOGY3 credits
Statistics4STAT 180 AP/OTH CREDIT IN STATISTICS4 credits
Computer Science A4COMP 105 AP/OTH CREDIT COMPUTER SCIENCE3 credits
Macroeconomics4ECON 113 AP/OTH CREDIT MACROECONOMICS3 credits
Microeconomics4ECON 111 AP/OTH CREDIT MICROECONOMICS3 credits
World History: Modern4HIST 107 AP/OTH CREDIT WORLD HISTORY3 credits
Environmental Science4CEVE 100 AP/OTH CREDIT ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE3 credits
European History4HIST 103 AP/OTH CREDIT EUROPEAN HISTORY3 credits
Spanish Language and Culture4SPAN 222 AP/OTH CREDIT SPANISH LANGUAGE3 credits
Computer Science Principles4COMP 105 AP/OTH CREDIT COMPUTER SCIENCE3 credits
Art History4HART 100 AP/OTH CREDIT IN ART HISTORY3 credits
Music Theory4MUSI 107 AP/OTH CREDIT FUNDAMENTALS OF MUSIC3 credits
CALCULUS BC (AB) Subscore4MATH 105 AP/OTH CREDIT CALCULUS I3 credits
Chinese Language and Culture4CHIN 222 AP/OTH CREDIT CHINESE LANGUAGE3 credits
Comparative Government and Politics4POLI 112 AP/OTH CREDIT COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT3 credits
French Language and Culture4FREN 222 AP/OTH CREDIT FRENCH LANGUAGE3 credits
GOVERNMENT and POLITICS: UNITED STATES4POLI 110 AP/OTH CREDIT AMERICAN GOVERNMENT3 credits
German Language and Culture4GERM 222 AP/OTH CREDIT GERMAN LANGUAGE3 credits
Italian Language and Culture4ITAL 222 AP/OTH CREDIT ITALIAN LANGUAGE3 credits
Japanese Language and Culture4JAPA 222 AP/OTH CREDIT JAPANESE LANGUAGE3 credits
Latin4LATI 104 AP/OTH CREDIT ELEMENTARY LATIN3 credits
PHYSICS 1: ALGEBRA-BASED4PHYS 141 CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS I3 credits
PHYSICS 2: ALGEBRA-BASED4PHYS 142 CONCEPTS IN PHYSICS II3 credits
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism4PHYS 102 ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM (W/LAB) 4 DIII
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism4PHYS 104 ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM DISCUSSION 0 DIII
Physics C: Mechanics4PHYS 101 MECHANICS (WITH LAB) 4 DIII
Physics C: Mechanics4PHYS 103 MECHANICS DISCUSSION 0 DIII
Spanish Literature and Culture4SPAN 225 AP/OTH CREDIT INTERMEDIATE SPANISH3 credits

Source: rice.app.box.com · checked September 26, 2026

Biggest majors

MajorGraduates
Computer and Information Sciences163
Biology/Biological Sciences106
Mechanical Engineering60
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other53
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering43
Psychology38
Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology37
Cognitive Science32
Show the other 47 majors
Neuroscience31
Health and Wellness26
Chemistry26
Statistics26
Public Policy Analysis25
Mathematics25
Political Science and Government24
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics24
Economics24
Sport and Fitness Administration/Management24
Architecture22
Chemical Engineering22
Electrical and Electronics Engineering20
Electrical and Computer Engineering16
Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology16
Stringed Instruments15
English Language and Literature14
Physics14
Civil Engineering14
Computational and Applied Mathematics13
Visual and Performing Arts13
Operations Research11
Nanotechnology10
Philosophy10
History10
Sociology9
Linguistics8
Anthropology6
Environmental Science5
Art History, Criticism and Conservation4
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other3
Astrophysics3
Music Theory and Composition3
Latin American Studies2
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics2
Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology2
Geology/Earth Science2
Keyboard Instruments2
Voice and Opera2
Woodwind Instruments2
Asian Studies/Civilization1
Women's Studies1
French Language and Literature1
Religion/Religious Studies1
Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods1
Music1
Brass Instruments1

Bachelor’s graduates, first major, most recent year · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, IPEDS · data snapshot October 2, 2026

Ranked programs

Where Rice University ranks in the top 25 on our top-programs lists, best rank first. How we rank programs

Show the other 11 ranked programs

Sports and campus life

Men’s varsity · NCAA Division I, American Athletic Conference

Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)

Women’s varsity · NCAA Division I, American Athletic Conference

Basketball, Soccer, Swimming and Diving (combined), Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Volleyball

ROTC

Air Force, Navy

Faith groups

Cru, Hillel, InterVarsity, Newman Connection

Also

Study abroad

Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education athletics data (EADA), valormovement.com · checked September 4, 2026 · data snapshot October 2, 2026

The place

Setting

City, large

Federal locale classification

Metro area

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

7,796,182 people

Big-city metro (1 million+)

Yes

More about the place

Nearest airport

William P Hobby (HOU)

Nearest hub airport

William P Hobby (HOU)

Walkability

EPA walkability index 12.2 of 20

Elevation

46 ft

Time zone

Central

January low

44°F

July high

93°F

Annual snowfall

0.0 in

Days at 90°F or higher

109 per year

One-bedroom fair market rent

$1,880 per month

Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS locale), U.S. Census metro estimates, NOAA climate normals, HUD fair market rents, EPA walkability · data snapshot October 2, 2026

Colleges nearby

Straight-line distance between campuses

Similar colleges

Private nonprofit, city campus, NCAA Division I, similar size