Private nonprofit · University

Rice University

Houston, Texas · Large city

#1 most selective in Texas#3 graduation rate in Texas
8.0%
Admit rate
$13,370
Avg net price
95%
Graduation rate
$89,718
Median earnings

Rice University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Houston, Texas (large city setting), enrolling 4,776 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 4,776 undergradsLarge cityHighly selective · 8% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · American Athletic ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Rice University's admitted students.

Admit rate
8.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1510–1570
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Rice University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Rice University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Houston, Texas

Houston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States. However, the land then remained largely uninhabited from the late 1700s until settlement in the 1830s. Located in the American South, Houston is a diverse city with a large and growing international community. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
4 miles to Houston, TX
To the ocean
20 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to William P. Hobby (HOU) · major hub

How Rice University compares

Selectivity8.0%

More selective than 99% · #1 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1553

Higher than 99%

Graduation rate95%

Higher than 98% · #3 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention97%

Higher than 95%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$89,718

Higher than 95% · #7 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$13,370

Cheaper than 79% · #28 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$11,000

Lower than 96%

Student–faculty ratio6 : 1

Lower than 94%

Undergraduate enrollment4,776

Larger than 77%

Percentiles compare Rice University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Texas.

Rice University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

8,948students
  • Undergraduate4,77653%
  • Graduate4,17247%

Undergraduates by gender

4,776undergrads
  • Women2,15845%
  • Men2,61855%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White26%
  • Black7.9%
  • Hispanic17%
  • Asian29%
  • Other or multiracial21%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,776
Graduate enrollment
4,172
Student–faculty ratio
6 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
17%
First-generation students
14%
Students over 25
0%
Median family income
$65,041
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$166,086
Endowment
$7,931,811,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,121 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas35%
  • Other U.S. states48%
  • International16%

A national draw — only 35% of first-years come from Texas; 48% arrive from other states.

16% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
8.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1510–1570
SAT average
1553
SAT reading
740–770
SAT math
770–800
ACT composite
34–35
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$64,144
Room & board
$18,100
Books & supplies
$1,440
Total cost of attendance
$79,788
Average net price
$13,370

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
95%
Graduated on time (4 years)
87%
First-year retention
97%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$79,751
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$89,718
Median debt at graduation
$11,000
Students with federal loans
6%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
84%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
87%
First-generation
84%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,477
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
73%
Housing charge (year)
$10,400
Meal plan (year)
$5,500
Application fee
$75
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
American Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
485 (286 men · 199 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)185
Football123
Baseball42
Basketball31
Soccer31
Swimming and Diving (combined)27
Tennis20
Volleyball16
Golf10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
10.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
80
Property offenses (2022–2024)
188

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (8,961 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

89reported offenses a year
27 violent a year63 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
50
Fondling
13
Rape
12
Burglary
12
Robbery
1.0
Murder
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Arson
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$5,827
$30–48k
$563
$48–75k
$3,217
$75–110k
$17,755
$110k+
$48,466

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$13,259

$3,217/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

57%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$51,409
average award, among those who get one

Rice University discounts heavily: 57% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $51,409. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,201 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$89,718
Typical debt at graduation
$11,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
12%
Out-earn a HS grad
78%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$78,456
Men
$107,410

Men out-earn women by $28,954 (37%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
94°F
Winter low
44°F
Annual rain
54.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.07.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Houston-Port, TX US station (7.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Rice University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Rice University side by side →

Colleges near Rice University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.