Rice University

Rice University is a private school founded in 1912. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,574 (Fall 2023) on a 300-acre campus located in the city. The university operates on a semester-based academic calendar. Rice University is ranked 18th among national universities in the 2025 edition of Best Colleges. Its tuition and fees are $60,709.

Located in the heart of Houston's Museum District, Rice University offers students a vibrant academic life in the fourth largest city in the United States. Rice Café, Valhalla Bar and Willy's Bar are student-run establishments that offer on-campus dining. Before setting foot on campus, all students are assigned to one of 11 residential colleges. The residential colleges provide housing, dining, academic and social activities. The Rice Owls boast 14 varsity NCAA Division I athletic teams and are known for their strong baseball program. Students receive free tickets to all varsity athletic events.

Rice University consists of eight colleges, including the College of Social Sciences, the College of Humanities, and the Wise College of Natural Sciences. Its graduate schools include the highly ranked Jesse H. Jones School of Business and the George R. Brown School of Engineering. Rice also boasts the acclaimed School of Architecture and the Shepherd School of Music. The James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, a nonpartisan think tank at Rice, offers classes, internships, and lectures.In 1917, a private investigator who discovered Rice's stolen owl mascot at Rice's rival, Texas A&M University, sent a message to Rice students a coded message telling them that there was nothing wrong with "Sammy", thus naming the school's mascot.