Private nonprofit · University
Rice University
Houston, Texas · Large city
- 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.
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
More selective than 99% · #1 most selective of 77 in Texas
Higher than 99%
Higher than 98% · #3 of 87 in Texas
Higher than 95%
Higher than 95% · #7 of 94 in Texas
Cheaper than 79% · #28 cheapest of 88 in Texas
Lower than 96%
Lower than 94%
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
- Undergraduate4,77653%
- Graduate4,17247%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Houston-Port, TX US station (7.6 mi from campus).
What Rice University graduates study — and earn
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 →
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois · Large city · 6 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 7,569
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 1554
- GPA
- 5.0
- Earnings
- $92k
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 2 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 7,208
- Admission
- 6%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1549
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $92k
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland · Large city · 3 mi to Baltimore
- Students
- 5,693
- Admission
- 6%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $88k
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts · Fringe town · 28 mi to Albany
- Students
- 2,076
- Admission
- 8%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1533
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $89k
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine · Fringe town · 23 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,873
- Admission
- 7%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $83k
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 3 mi to Boston
- Students
- 7,601
- Admission
- 4%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1553
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $102k
Colleges near Rice University
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX · Private nonprofit · Graduate
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX · Public · Bachelor's · 334 students
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Houston, TX · Public · Bachelor's · 465 students
University of St Thomas
Houston, TX · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,220 students
Houston City College
Houston, TX · Public · Associate · 40,503 students
Texas Southern University
Houston, TX · Public · Bachelor's · 6,844 students
College of Health Care Professions
Houston, TX · Private for-profit · Certificate · 631 students
Vet Tech Institute of Houston
Houston, TX · Private for-profit · Associate · 200 students
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.















