Rice offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across seven academic schools of study, including architecture, business, engineering, humanities, music, natural sciences, and social sciences. All applicants must specify which one of our seven academic schools is their primary intended area of study. In addition, applicants will be asked to indicate up to three specific academic areas of interest (majors, minors, pre-professional tracks). Our academic schools are looking for different strengths and qualities in applicants. Students should choose the school that most accurately reflects their intended area(s) of academic interest.
Rice seeks through its admission policies to bring bright and promising students to the university from a range of socioeconomic, cultural, geographic, and other backgrounds. We celebrate the diverse experiences of prospective students who will contribute to our community of scholars. We seek to empower the varied voices of multifaceted students so that they may be heard. In so doing, we endeavor to craft a residential community that fosters creative, intercultural interactions among students, where prejudices of all sorts are confronted fairly and dispelled. We aim to enroll a class of students that is multidimensional in ability, ideology, background, achievement and/or lived racial experience. Such diversity is critical in solving the most perplexing, challenging problems already known, and those we have not yet encountered.
Through holistic evaluation review we evaluate the breadth of students' accomplishments, interests and contributions to their communities within the context of their life experiences. We consider a variety of factors including the rigor of a student's coursework, academic performance, extracurricular activities and achievements, essays, and articulated knowledge about the Rice community. We are careful not to emphasize any single academic metric, such as class rank, grade point average, or test scores. We evaluate each student within the context of their school and personal environment and consider what opportunities they have had access to as well as the challenges that they may have faced. We value the breadth of socioeconomic, cultural, geographic, racial or ethnic, educational and other perspectives that each student brings to the table. More information about Rice’s admission philosophy can be found here.
First-year applicants are those who will complete high school by the end of the current academic year.
Domestic vs. International
Domestic applicants are those who hold one of the following citizenship or residency statuses:
International applicants are foreign nationals applying to Rice. Foreign nationals are students living outside the U.S. or living in the U.S. who hold, a valid F-1, J-1, H-1, H-4, etc. visa/ status, as well as those pending Permanent Residency status. Rice's international student designation is based on residency or citizenship status rather than where a student lives and studies.
Rice offers three first-year application decision plans: Early Decision, Regular Decision, and QuestBridge National College Match.
Early Decision I & II Plan
Early Decision is a binding decision plan designed for students who have selected Rice as their first choice. Students may initiate applications to other colleges under nonbinding plans but must withdraw those applications if admitted to Rice. Students who apply Early Decision I must submit their materials by November 1 and students who apply Early Decision II must submit their materials by January 4. Admission decisions will be released by mid-December for Early Decision I and by mid-February for Early Decision II. For more information, visit the Decision Plan section of the First Year Domestic Applicants page or the First Year International Applicants page.
Regular Decision Plan
Regular Decision is a non-binding decision plan. For more information, visit the Decision Plan section of the First Year Domestic Applicants page or the First Year International Applicants page.
QuestBridge National College Match
Rice is one of the original QuestBridge university and college partners (starting in 2004), and we have a proven commitment to providing access to low-income students. Programs Rice supports include the College Prep Conferences and the National College Match program. For more information about applying to Rice through QuestBridge, please visit Rice University's QuestBridge page or contact us directly at admission@rice.edu.
A list of the most current application requirements, fees and deadlines can be found on the First Year Domestic Applicants page, First Year International Applicants page or Transfer Applicants page.
Applicants interested in Shepherd School of Music must submit additional materials depending on their area of study. For more information, please visit the Shepherd School of Music Admission page.
Applicants interested in the School of Architecture must submit a portfolio of creative work. Portfolios should be uploaded via your Rice Admission Student Portal. The portfolio should demonstrate creative potential and is not expected to be architectural in focus. The School of Architecture does not accept CDs or DVDs. For more information, we encourage you to visit the School of Architecture Admission page.
Applicants interested in pursuing a major in the department of Art under the School of Humanities may submit a portfolio of creative work. If you would like to submit a portfolio, it should be uploaded via your Rice Admission Student Portal. Note: Submissions exceeding the specifications listed below will not be accepted.
The portfolio should demonstrate creative potential and is not expected to be professional in quality. It may include examples of sketches, paintings, photography, models, etc. The Department of Art does not accept CDs or DVDs, but can access URLs to Vimeo or social media pages provided within the portfolio.
Official Transcripts
Official high school/secondary school transcripts must include grades from 9 th through 11 th grade as well as courses being taken in the 12 th grade. Early Decision applicants are encouraged to submit first marking period grades, when they become available. Regular Decision applicants are required to submit mid-year grades from 12 th grade, when they become available.
Applicants studying in an international exam-based curriculum, must submit:
Course Requirements
Rice seeks students who demonstrate intellectual vitality through their course selection and their grade performance. Most applicants will challenge themselves by taking advantage of the rigorous coursework available to them. At a minimum, students must complete the following.
| Subject | Units |
|---|---|
| Subject Area | Number of Credits |
| English | 4 |
| Social Studies | 2 |
| Mathematics | 3 |
| Laboratory Science (e.g. biology, chemistry, physics) | 2 |
| A foreign language | 2 |
| Additional credits in any of the categories above | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
Rice recommends first-year and transfer student applicants to undergraduate degree-seeking programs to submit SAT or ACT test scores, if available. Students who are unable to submit test scores or prefer not to submit test scores will be given full consideration in the admission selection process.
Standardized tests have long served to provide an external benchmark of college-readiness that provides meaningful information about a student’s preparedness for the rigors of a Rice education. As is consistent with our holistic review, test scores are one factor of many that are considered in the admission process.
Applicants whose first language is not English are required to demonstrate English proficiency in one of two ways:
To be considered official, all scores must be sent directly from the testing organization. Rice's TOEFL code is 6609. For more information visit the First Year International Applicants page.
Candidates must submit letters of recommendation from their counselor and two teachers.
Counselor Letter of Recommendation
The counselor letter of recommendation serves to highlight the accomplishments of a student within the context of their high school. The letter must come from an applicant’s assigned school counselor, college counselor, principal, or headmaster.
Teacher Letters of Recommendation
The two teacher recommendations serve to highlight the applicant’s academic strengths and contributions in the classroom. Both of these recommendations should be from teachers of core academic subjects, and ideally one recommendation should relate to the applicant's intended area of study. Though not a requirement, we would prefer letters from teachers who have taught the student for a full course.
Supplemental Letters of Recommendation
The required counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations provide the Admission Committee with all the information we need to make an informed admission decision. However, if someone has unique and personal knowledge about an applicant's accomplishments or talents, the applicant may have that individual submit a supplemental recommendation.
We recommend an interview for first-year applicants, though they are optional and not guaranteed. Interviews are a great way to articulate one's knowledge about Rice and an excellent opportunity to showcase academic and personal successes while learning more about the campus experience. For more information, visit the First Year Domestic Applicant page or the First Year International Applicant page.
Need-Based Financial Aid for Domestic Students
We know that one of the biggest factors in determining the right school is affordability. Because we believe talent deserves opportunity, Rice offers need-blind admission to domestic students. This means we do not consider finances when we review the application. Additionally, Rice meets 100 percent of demonstrated need – without loans – for those who are eligible for the Rice Investment, one of the most notable financial aid programs in the country. For more information about need-based financial aid and The Rice Investment, please visit our Office of Financial Aid website. See also Tuition, Fees and Expenses.
Need-Based Financial Aid for International Students
Rice considers international applicants on a need-aware basis, and offers need-based financial aid to a limited number of international first year applicants. This means when the Admission Committee evaluates international applications, the amount of financial aid a family might need is taken into consideration. Students who wish to be considered for financial aid must indicate their intention to apply for financial aid on the admission application. International students admitted without a request for financial aid cannot apply for financial aid in subsequent years. Rice uses the CSS Profile for international students applying for financial aid. For more information, visit the Office of Financial Aid page.
Merit-based Scholarships
The Office of Admission offers merit-based scholarships to incoming first-year students who distinguish themselves academically and personally among our highly competitive group of admitted students. These scholarships are based solely on merit and financial need is not taken into consideration. There is no separate application or interview required; the Admission Committee automatically considers all admitted students, both domestic and international, on the basis of the student’s application for admission. About 20% of admitted students are offered a merit scholarship each year. Students awarded a merit-based scholarship will be notified at the time of admission.
All international applicants living outside the U.S. or in the U.S. must complete the International Student Financial Statement and supply the appropriate supporting documentation. International applicants not requesting financial aid must demonstrate the ability to finance their education at Rice. Those requesting financial aid must provide information about their family's financial status.
To complete the required Financial Statement, applicants will need to do the following:
All supporting financial documentation must be in English and converted to U.S. dollars.
The International Student Financial Statement can be found on the Rice Admission Student Portal once the application is submitted. An application will not be complete until the financial statement and all required documentation are submitted.
Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
Rice University awards transfer credit for the Advanced Placement (AP) Program, which enables high school students to earn transfer credit for college-level courses taken in high school upon completion of AP examinations with a score of 4 or 5. For more information about the AP transfer credit process, please visit the Advanced Placement (AP) Credit page.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams
Rice University awards transfer credit for International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations for students who hold the International Baccalaureate Diploma and have obtained a score of 6 or 7 on higher level exams. For more information about the IB transfer credit process, please visit the International Baccalaureate (IB) Credit page.
International Exams
Students who complete various international exams with a grade of A or B may receive transfer credit. These exams include A-Levels, the Abitur, CAPE, CEGEP (Science Option), Italian Maturita, and Swiss Federal Maturity Certificate. For more information about the international exams transfer credit process, please visit the International Exam Credit page.
Credit by Departmental Exam
In specific situations, Rice University awards transfer credit for approved Credit by Departmental Exam arrangements. For more information about the credit by departmental exam transfer credit process, please visit the Credit by Departmental Exam page.
Transfer/Dual Credit
The Office of the Registrar evaluates courses taken at other regionally accredited colleges or universities (or their foreign equivalent) that are appropriate to the Rice curriculum for potential transfer credit.
Admission to Rice is competitive, successful applicants generally have taken 20 or more college preparatory courses in high school, many at the college level. Transfer credit will not be awarded for courses included on a student’s high school transcript and used to satisfy high school graduation requirements, i.e. dual credit courses. Only those students who have more than 20 college preparatory courses may have the Office of the Registrar consider for Rice credit their college courses taken in high school. For more information about the transfer credit process, please visit the Transfer Credit page.
Students are considered transfer applicants if they have:
If a student has earned 12 or more semester hours of credit since completing high school (or earning an equivalent), they must apply as a transfer. Transfer applicants must complete at least four semesters of course work (equal to 60 semester hours) as a full-time student at Rice to be eligible for a bachelor’s degree. For more information please visit Transfer Credit.
We understand that some applicants have a non-standard high school experience or chose to postpone pursuing undergraduate education for a variety of reasons. This may include joining the military or workforce, taking a gap year(s) for religious endeavors or self-discovery, caring for personal health or family, etc. Rice welcomes all students to apply, regardless of the path taken before or after high school. For more information please visit the Special Populations page.
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