Rice University: Ranking, Courses, Fees, Admission 2023 & Scholarships

Why study at Rice University?

Rice University is a private university in Houston, Texas which was founded in 1912. In the fall of 2021, 1551 international students secured admission to graduate programs at Rice University, with 58% in Engineering and 15% in Natural Sciences. International students represents 25% of the total student body of Rice University. The majority of international students at Rice University are from Asian Countries, with China and India topping the list with 803 and 209 students respectively.

Ranked among the top 100 universities in the world according to QS Global Rankings, 2022, Rice University is an internationally diversified institute. For admission to the graduate courses at Rice University, students need a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (~83-86%). Supporting documents required for admission includes English proficiency test scores, multiple LOR, GMAT score of around 665 (for specific graduate programs) among others.

Check: Rice University Student Reviews

The average tuition fees for international students are around 43 lakhs and 41 lakhs respectively for undergraduate and graduate programs at Rice University. The cost of living ranges around 11-12 lakhs INR for international students. Rice University offers need-based scholarships of an average 37.51 lakhs to international students on a case-by-case basis and compensates for the high tuition cost.

Likes:

Increasing International Students: Over the last decade, PhD level international students have increased by 35%, while the MBA international students have increased by 26% and Masters level international students by an astounding 250%.
Unique Housing system: Rice University's housing system is one of its most striking features. Students are divided into eleven dorm colleges, each with its own dining halls and public areas, unlike other universities with a fraternity/sorority house system.
Near to the City: The distance between Rice University and Houston is around 6 km, and the journey time is approximately 22 minutes by tram or by bus in 35 minutes.

Dislikes:

High Acceptance Rate: In 2021, a total of 29,544 students applied for admission to Rice University out of which only 2,802 got accepted, which brings the acceptance rate to just 9%.
Limited housing: There is limited housing at the university which is allotted through a lottery system, the students may have to move off-campus.

Table of Contents

Rice University Rankings
Rice University Campus
2.1 Rice University Accommodation
Rice University Courses
Rice University Admissions
Rice University Cost of Attendance
Rice University Scholarships
Rice University Notable Alumni
Rice University Placements
Rice University FAQs

Rice University Rankings

Ranked among the top 100 universities according to various agencies, Rice University is one of the leading higher educational institutes in the world. Following are some of the latest rankings of the university:

#100 in QS World University Rankings, 2023
#23 in US Universities by QS Ranking, 2022
#17 in National Universities by US News & World Report, 2022
#5 in Best Value Schoolsby US News & World Report, 2022
#16 in Most Innovative Schoolsby US News & World Report, 2022
#351 in World University Rankings 2022 by Times Higher Education
#115 in US College Rankings 2022 by Times Higher Education

Following are the subject-specific ranking comparison of Rice University with few other universities according to QS Rankings, 2022:

Program	Rice University	University of Southern California	Ohio State University
Chemical Engineering	#92	#201	#94
Physics & Astronomy	#92	#151	#82
Statistics and Operational Research	#101	#51	#101
Philosophy	#101	#32	-
Chemistry	#109	#151	#151
Mathematics	#138	#97	#103

Also explore the following comparisons:

Rice University vs University of Michigan	Rice University vs UT Austin
Rice University vs MIT	Rice University vs UCLA

Rice University Campus

The campus of Rice University is equipped with various amenities provided for the students. Common rooms, libraries, student lounge, research labs etc. are available on the campus.

The university has 11 clubs for students and they are divided into Academic/Honorary, Cultural/International, Environmental and Sustainability, Political, Recreational/Sport, Religious/Spiritual, Service, Social Justice, Social/Special Interest, STEM, and Visual/Performing Arts.
Various events are organized every year for students which include leadership development opportunities in the form of lunch and lead sessions, base camp workshops, the impact rice retreat, summit leadership symposium, and additional club development programs.
Sports activities like sailing, rugby, volleyball, and soccer are played by students at the campus, and events around them are organized every year.
West servery, Seibel servery, Baker college kitchen, South servery, North servery, and Public dining are some of the options that students can use for a hearty meal.
Apart from this, students can also visit nearby cafes and restaurants around the campus. Students can use shuttle and cab services for local travel around the campus area.

Rice University Accommodation

To provide students with home-like comfort, Rice University has developed both on-campus and off-campus accommodation for students in USA. With their comfort and preference, students can accommodate any of the two.

Each student living at on-campus is part of 11 residential colleges. All the residences are gender-neutral and provide basic facilities. 75% of the students are accommodated in on-campus housing for their first year. The housing plan also comes with dining costs together to promote students to spend more time on campus. The cost for room and meal options is as follows.

Room and Board	Semester (INR)	Annual (INR)
Room	3.76 lakhs	7.53 lakhs
Meal Option 1	1.75 lakhs	3.50 lakhs
Meal Option 2	0.57 lakhs	1.14 lakhs

Also Check: Best Student Cities in USA

Rice University Programs

The programs offered by the Rice university include more than 50 undergraduate majors and over 50 master's programs. International students are offered with course across 8 schools. Students enjoy multiple opportunities for research and collaboration at the campus.

Rice University Admission Process

Rice University allows international students who meet certain deadlines, complete the basic requirements, and provide the required documents. The application process for Rice University involves various steps:

Application Portal: Coalition application or Common application
Application Fee: Undergraduate: 75 USD (~5,945 INR), graduate: 85 USD (~6,730 INR)
Undergraduate Admission Requirements:

Transcripts
GPA of 3.2/4.0 (~86-87%) or above
Financial statement (Explanation of cost planning with available funds below 70,000 USD)
2 teacher Letter of Recommendation
1 counsellor LOR
English proficiency test score
- TOEFL iBT: 100
- IELTS: 7.0
- Duolingo: 115
Interview

Note: There are several course-specfic requirements like portfolio. Students need to check the course-specific requirements before applying to the selected program.

Graduate Admission Requirements:

Academic transcripts
GPA of 3.0 on 4.0 scale (~Grade B or 83-86%)
Early Decision agreement
International student financial statement
Architecture portfolio( for architecture students only)
GRE/GMAT score (Avg GMAT score: 665)
Resume
Essays
SOP
LOR (Course-specific)
Work experience
Extracurricular activities
English Proficiency Test scores
- TOEFL iBT: 90
- Duolingo: 120
- IELTS: 7.0

Rice University Cost of Attendance

Students willing to take admitted to Rice University will be required to pay fees for different categories. Tuition fees might vary from course to course, mentioned below is the estimated cost of attendance for undergraduate and graduate programs at Rice University:

Fee	Cost in INR Per Year
Tuition	Undergraduate: 42.87 lakhs
Tuition	Gradute: 41.29 lakhs
Fees	0.65 lakhs
Room and Board	Undergraduate: 11.88 lakhs
Room and Board	Graduate: 11.45 lakhs
Books	1.03 lakhs
Personal Expenses	2.13 lakhs

Also Check: Part-time jobs in USA.

Rice University Scholarships

Rice University provides merit-based scholarships for international students. Students are not required to file separate applications for it as the university takes the application into consideration during the admission process. Almost 90% of the graduates receive either merit scholarships or tuition fee waivers. Mentioned below are the scholarship and financial aid requirements:

Students are required to mention this during the admission process if they want to apply for financial aid.
An explanation letter explaining how the student will cover the cost of attendance if the sum assured is $70,000.
The financial proof and bank statements are required to be submitted by the students for further evaluation.
The university uses a CSS profile and verifies financial aid to be provided.

Discussed below is the detail of help offered by the university based on family annual income:

Family Income Range (USD)	Financial Grants
65,000 or below	Full tuition, fees, room and board
65,000-130,000	Full tuition
130,000-200,000	Half tuition

Also check: International student scholarship in the US

Rice University Alumni Network

With a wide range of alumni, Rice University is entitled to provide students with the best opportunities even after graduation. Becoming an alumnus of the university comes with various benefits. The university focuses on providing students an atmosphere to cherish even after graduation. Mentioned below are some of the alumni benefits:

Various alumni events like a virtual book club, alumni game night, etc.
Career counseling and workshops
Providing a network with other alumni
Virtual Engagement

Notable Alumni

Brian Armstrong- Founder and CEO of Coinbase
George R. Brown-Founder of Brown and Root
Thomas H. Cruikshank- Former chairman and CEO of Halliburton
L. John Doerr- Venture capitalist at Kleiner, Perkins
Charles Duncan- Former president of Coca-Cola
Mark Dankberg- Co-founder and CEO, ViaSat
Mark Durcan- CEO of Micron Technology
Lynn Elsenhans- Chairman and CEO of Sunoco
Kevin Harvey- Founding member and general partner at Benchmark, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm

Also Check: Student Reviews of Rice University

Rice University Placements

Every year placement drives are organized at the campus to provide students recruitment by top companies. The average salary of the Rice University graduates is 86,000 USD per annum. Mentioned below are the average salary of Rice University’s graduates according to their degrees:

Rice University MBA graduates has achieved 97% offer rate in 2021. All the international students completing their MBA from RIce University secured at least 1 job within 3 months of graduation. Students secured average starting salary of 131,000 USD per annum. Top employers hiring Rice MBA graduates include Amazon, Accenture Strategy, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Google, Capital One, Tesla, Dell, Deloitte and several others.

Also Check: High Paying jobs in USA

Students after graduating from Rice University are leaders of the future. With various research programs, career counseling, and active participation in student clubs, students develop skills that are required in day-to-day corporate needs. Apart from this, the university makes sure to provide students with holistic development keeping in mind the future projections.