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Rice University is a private research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1912 and has been consistently ranked among the top 20 universities in USA. Rice is known for its strong undergraduate programmes in arts and sciences, as well as its highly-ranked engineering and business schools.
Rice has an impressive student-faculty ratio of 6:1 and an international enrollment of approximately 3800 students. Rice University acceptance rate is 9.5% which makes it highly selective. Rice students come from all over the United States and the world, and the university is committed to diversity and inclusion. Rice University is classified as an R1: Doctoral University for its high research activities.
Every year the institution receives over $1 billion in research funding and serves as a leader in fields such as engineering, nanotechnology, space science, and biomedicine. Every year the university welcomes thousands of international students through online applications. Candidates are selected based on their eligibility in the English language determined through the scores acquired in the IELTS, TOEFL-iBT, and Duolingo exams. The university admission deadline for international students for the fall semester of the 2024-2025 academic year is January 4, 2024. All interested candidates can directly send their filled application by attaching the required documents before the deadline.
Rice University is popular for its affordable course dynamics offered to international candidates. For the 2023–2024 academic year, undergraduate overseas students at Rice University will pay a tuition charge of $57,210. Moreover, Rice is recognised worldwide for producing a number of Nobel laureates and awarded alumni.
According to the latest ranking reports of US News and World Report, the university has a total undergraduate enrollment of over 4500 undergraduates in the year 2022. According to the latest Rice University ranking patterns, it has been ranked 17th by US News and World Report for 2024. Due to its high ranking, the applicants applying to the university must have a high GPA score to get admission at Rice University.
Rice University is situated in Houston, Texas in the heart of the United States, and sits on a 300-acre campus adjacent to the Houston Museum District and the Texas Medical Center. Rice is also known for its vibrant student life and its commitment to community service. Rice has a wide range of clubs and organisations incorporated inside the university’s campus to ensure a wonderful campus life experience for all international learners.
According to US News and World Report's 2024 "Best Colleges" guidebook, Rice University has been placed 17th among all national universities in the US. Also, it has been ranked 5 in the nation's best values in higher education. Rice is consistently ranked among the top universities in the United States and the world. In 2024, Times Higher Education ranked Rice University 119 globally in its World University Rankings and 18 in the US. In 2024, QS Ranking placed Rice 145 worldwide in its world university rankings. The university has surpassed the University of Florida for its rigorous academic standards and its commitment to undergraduate teaching.
Rice University offers a variety of courses for undergraduate and graduate students. The university offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across seven divisions of study, including architecture, business, engineering, humanities, music, natural sciences, and social sciences, and has defined two broad categories of graduate studies including Research-based programmes and Professional master's programmes. In addition to these traditional academic programmes, Rice also offers a number of interdisciplinary courses such as the Center for Civic Leadership, the Center for Energy and Environment, and the Center for Nanoscale Systems.
Some of the popular majors offered at Rice University include Computer and Information Sciences, General; Psychology, General; Mechanical Engineering; Economics, General; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Sport and Fitness Administration/Management; Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Cognitive Science, and many more. A few of the popular courses at Rice such as Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Material Science, Physical Chemistry, and Condensed Mater Physics are ranked among the top 100 courses in the world by the US News and World Report.
For the 2023–2024 academic year, undergraduate overseas students at Rice University will pay a tuition charge of $57,210 as determined by the university admission authorities. This covers the cost of tuition, required fees, and a conservative estimate for living expenditures, supplies, and books. International students may, however, also need to account for supplemental costs including airfare, health insurance, and visa fees. A 1.5% late fee will be applied to student accounts that are not paid in full by the billing deadline. The general cost of living is thought to be affordable for all international students, even if it is thought to depend on the lifestyle decisions and expenditures of the individual students.
Rice University Living Expenses
A breakdown of the living costs for international students studying at Rice University is tabulated below:
Category | Cost |
Tuition | $57,210 |
Mandatory Fees | $918 |
Living Expenses | $15,900 |
Books | $1,400 |
Personal Expenses | $2,850 |
Total | $78,278 |
Rice University acceptance rate for international students is 9.5%, which suggests a selective amount of international students enrollment every year. The university accepts applications through the Common Application or the Coalition Application. Rice University’s admission process is holistic and the institution considers all aspects of the applicant’s application including academic performance, extracurricular activities, and essays. Candidates interested in numerous courses at the university must submit a completely filled application attaching all required documents as per the university’s admission instructions. Study abroad candidates can visit the official website of the university at rice.edu to get a detailed view of the admission process before applying for admission at Rice University.
Entry Requirements for International Candidates: International applicants seeking admission to Rice University courses must fulfill all the academic entry requirements to get consideration for admission to various undergraduate and graduate programmes. A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale is required for applying as an international candidate. However, most successful applicants have a GPA of 4.0 or higher.
Documents required for admission to Rice University
Overseas applicants seeking admission to Rice University must submit the following documents to demonstrate their eligibility criteria for admission:
Complete Application
Letters of Recommendation - FERPA Waiver
Demonstration of English Language Proficiency
Architecture portfolio for Architecture applicants
International Student Financial Statement
In addition to the general application material required for all applicants, international students applying to Rice University must also submit an international student visa to prove their permanent residence or citizenship status.
Rice University Application Fees: Rice University charges a non-refundable application fee of $75 from all international students seeking admission to numerous undergraduate programmes offered by the university.
Rice University Application Deadlines: The Rice University admission deadline for international students for the fall semester of the 2024-2025 academic year is January 4, 2024. International students can apply to Rice University through either the Common Application or the Coalition Application by attaching the required documents.
International candidates with a non-English academic background must provide evidence of English proficiency to get admission at Rice University. Students can demonstrate their proficiency in English through the following:
Proof of completion of a post-secondary degree
A minimum score of 115 on the Duolingo English Test (DET) for English proficiency
At least a 90 on the iBT TOEFL or iBT Home Edition.
At least 7 on the IELTS.
Rice University offers both merit-based and need-based scholarships for international students. These scholarships are granted based on their academic performance and other factors demonstrated by the students. Rice University scholarships for international candidates are limited and are provided to undergraduate applicants entering the fall semester. Overseas students can apply for various scholarships and grants through their CSS profiles. A few of the scholarships offered for international candidates are as follows:
The Rice President’s Scholarship Programme
The Rice International Scholar Award
Pell Grant
Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG)
The library of Rice University has a huge collection of books, journals, databases and other resourceful materials. Other services of printing, scanning and photocopying are also available inside the library. The library timings are 8 AM to 1 AM from Monday-Thursday, 8 AM to 6 PM on Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM on Saturday and 2 PM to 1 AM on Sunday.
Rice University also offers dining facilities which serve a wide variety of food items in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The university offers dining facilities at Baker Servery, North Servery and Seibel Servery.
Rice University acceptance rate is approximately 9.5%. The university has over 3800 international students enrolled through online applications at Rice. Almost 13% of the total academic portfolio is covered by international students. The university stands out in 4th position for providing a quality lifestyle among international students.