About Rice University

Set in the heart of Houston, Texas on a 300-acre forested campus, Rice University is a comprehensive research university dedicated to producing the next generation of leaders, generating bold research solutions and advancing tomorrow’s thinking. Consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report, Rice is home to over 7,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 80 countries. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, engineering, humanities, music, natural sciences, social sciences and continuing studies and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice at a Glance

• Size: 4,052 undergraduate and 3,484 graduate degree-seeking students
• Selectivity: 24 applicants for each place in the freshman class
• Faculty: 698 full-time and 197 part-time instructional faculty (97 percent of the full-time instructional faculty have a doctorate or terminal degree in their field)
• A focus on teaching: Undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of just under 6 to 1 (median undergraduate class size of 14)
• Research excellence: Approximately $145 million in annual externally funded research expenditures during the 2019-20 academic year
• Rice encourages engagement of undergraduate and graduate students in the creation of new knowledge and technology
• Residential college system: 11 close-knit and diverse communities