Rice University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Austin, Texas · Public · Selective · CDS 2024-2025
Rice University is a public university in Austin, Texas that admits about 29% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $19,678 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Biology, General, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 89% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 3.3 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Rice University is a public institution located in Austin, Texas with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Rice University admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 29%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1380 and an ACT composite around 30. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,678 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Rice University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What parents should know about Rice University right now
Rice University is a small, residential research university in Houston with a strong undergraduate focus. For fall 2024, Rice admitted 2,597 students out of 32,473 applicants for an 8 percent admit rate, enrolled 1,148 freshmen, and reported a middle-50 percent SAT range of 1510 to 1560 and ACT range of 34 to 35. Rice is need-blind for domestic applicants and runs The Rice Investment, one of the most generous public-facing aid programs in the country. Under current policy, families with incomes below $75,000 pay no tuition, fees, or room and board; families between $75,000 and $140,000 pay no tuition; and families between $140,000 and $200,000 receive at least half-tuition grants. Rice budgeted approximately $160 million in grant aid for fiscal 2025, and 82 percent of Rice students graduate debt-free. Rice has an unusual residential college system that guarantees freshman housing plus two additional years and gives each student a built-in faculty and peer community; a new residential college, Chao College, is scheduled to open in fall 2026. The university offers 40 undergraduate degree programs across eight schools, including engineering, music, and architecture, with a $1.09 billion FY2025 operating budget and a $8.07 billion endowment. The Ion innovation district near campus continues to expand career and internship pipelines in Houston's medical and energy sectors.
What GPA does my child need for Rice University?
Admitted students at Rice University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Rice University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 610–760, with an EBRW midpoint near 675. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | — |
| 50th percentile | 1380 |
| 75th percentile | — |
| % submitting SAT | % |
| 25th percentile | 27 |
| 50th percentile | 30 |
| 75th percentile | 33 |
| % submitting ACT | % |
- • Tests required: Standardized test scores are part of the standard application package.
- • Policy detail: Required
How much does Rice University actually cost?
Published tuition is $11,678 for in-state students and $42,778 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $14,136 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $19,678 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 25% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $11,688 |
| Out-of-state tuition | $44,908 |
| Room and board | $14,828 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $19,678 |
| Application fee | $75 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Rice University
| Regular deadline | 12/1 |
| Notification date | February 15 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
Will my child graduate from Rice University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Rice University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Rice University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Biology, General, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Psychology, General. Across all programs, Rice University confers roughly 3,530 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Biology, General program report a median income of about $65,785 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Biology, General | 671 | $65,785 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 506 | $79,337 |
| Psychology, General | 461 | $55,701 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 456 | $132,436 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 407 | $116,432 |
| Mathematics | 358 | $86,814 |
| Economics | 340 | $97,244 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 331 | $73,667 |
Is Rice University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Rice University disclosed 143 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 3.3 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 20 violent offenses and 34 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Rice University?
About 18% of undergraduates at Rice University live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 13% of men join a fraternity and 18% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Texas parents ask about
- University of Texas at Austin63% acceptance
- Texas A&M University-College Station8% acceptance
- Southern Methodist University89% acceptance
- Baylor University85% acceptance
- Texas Christian University71% acceptance
- University of Houston97% acceptance
- Texas State University88% acceptance
- University of North Texas100% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Rice University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Rice University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Rice University
What GPA do I need for Rice University?
Admitted students at Rice University typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Rice University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 610–760, with an EBRW midpoint near 675. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–33.
How much does Rice University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Rice University after grants and scholarships is $19,678 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Rice University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Rice University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Rice University?
Rice University accepts about 29% of applicants out of roughly 72,885 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is Rice University test-optional?
No. Rice University requires SAT or ACT scores as part of a standard application.
What is the graduation rate at Rice University?
About 89% of students at Rice University graduate within six years. 97% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Is Rice University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Rice University is a public institution located in Austin, Texas.
What are the most popular majors at Rice University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Rice University by annual graduates are Biology, General, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication and Psychology, General. The school awards about 3,530 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Rice University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Rice University reported 143 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 3.3 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Rice University?
At Rice University, 18% of undergraduates live on campus, 13% of men are in fraternities, 18% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Rice University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.