How to Get Into Rice University: Acceptance Rate and Strategies

Houston, Texas, is home to one of the nation’s finest private research institutions—Rice University. No matter how you measure Rice’s performance, this school of roughly 4,500 undergraduates comes out shining bright. The university is consistently ranked in the top 20 among all universities and is known for its exceptional undergraduate engineering program. This well-resourced school also boasts a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and resides near the top of any list ranking quality of academic instruction and quality of campus life. Excited to apply to Rice yet? Well, join the club. This year, the school received 32,000+ applications and the Rice University acceptance rate has been in the single digits for several years. Back in 2007-08, the school received just 8,800 applicants and accepted 25%. Given this turn toward increased selectivity over the past decade, you’ll need every advantage you can get. Toward that aim, this blog will cover the following:

• Rice University acceptance rate – Class of 2029 (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
• Rice University ED acceptance rate – Class of 2029
• SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted Rice University applicants
• Admissions trends from the Class of 2028
• The demographics of current undergraduates
• Yield rate
• How Rice University’s admissions officers evaluate candidates
• Tips for applying to Rice University
• Rice Essay Prompts and Tips
• How to assess whether applying to Rice University is even worth the $75 application fee (for you)

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Where is Rice University?

This is one famous university whose name doesn’t give away its location. Rice University is located in Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the United States. The 300-acre campus is situated near the Texas Medical Center and Houston Museum District. While it is an urban campus, students will enjoy the verdant, tree-lined nature of the space.

Is Rice University an Ivy League school?

While highly prestigious and selective, Rice University is not among the eight Ivy League Schools.

Rice University Acceptance Rate – Class of 2029

Creating the Class of 2029, Rice accepted 2,852 out of 36,777 applicants (an all-time high). This gives Rice University an acceptance rate of 7.8%. (While this rate is low, it’s higher than the previous year.)

Recent Rice acceptance rates are as follows:

Rice University Early Decision Acceptance Rate – Class of 2029

Those who are serious about attending Rice should definitely consider applying via binding early decision. For the Class of 2029, 22% of admitted freshman class was comprised of ED admits.

This year, 649 members of the Class of 2029 were admitted via ED (and QuestBridge). The acceptance rates for Rice’s ED I (and QuestBridge) and ED II cycle were 13.2% and 6%, respectively.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Rice?

An impressive 89% of Class of 2028 enrollees hailed from the top 10% of their graduating class, while 96% earned a place in the top quarter.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Rice?

Rice prefers applicants to submit test scores (more on that below). For the enrolled Class of 2028, about 70% of enrolled students chose to submit them.

Of that bunch, the mid-50% SAT range was 1510-1560 and the mid-50% ACT range was 34-35.

Admissions Trends & Notes

• Rice is in the process of expanding its undergraduate enrollment as well as on-campus housing options, which could lead to higher future acceptance rates.
• Rice recently introduced a business major, which may have led to an uptick in applications.
• There was a 13% increase in overall applications for the Class of 2029.
• Both the overall acceptance rate and the ED acceptance rate held steady.

Who Actually Gets Into Rice University?

Let’s look at the demographics of the Rice University Class of 2028:

• 38% of students are from Texas.
• 49% of the students are from other U.S. states and territories.
• 14% are international students.

As at any highly selective university, competition is toughest for those hailing from states with endless streams of qualified applicants (the entire Northeast & the West Coast). If you come from a less populated state like Alaska, North Dakota, or Montana, your location is more likely to provide a boost to your admissions chances. That being said, Rice University does like to have a substantial percentage of students from the Lone Star State.

Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of members of the Class of 2027 was as follows (based on Federal definitions of race)

• Asian American: 29%
• Hispanic: 16.7%
• Black or African American: 5.8%
• White: 25.6%
• Multiracial: 6%

The breakdown by gender of the Class of 2027:

• Male: 51%
• Female: 49%

One might think that women would enjoy an edge given the disproportionate number of men in STEM disciplines, yet the acceptance rates by gender are almost identical.

Yield Rate

Rice University’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted—is 44%, slightly lower than the previous year. For comparison, many other top private universities have higher yield rates, such as Northwestern, Duke, and Vanderbilt University.

How the University Rates Applicants

There are nine factors that Rice University ranks as being “very important” to their admissions process: rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores (test-optional currently), the essays, recommendations, extracurricular activities, character/personal qualities, and talent/ability. “Considered” items are: an interview, first-generation status, geographical residence, state residency, volunteer work, paid work, and the level of an applicant’s interest in Rice.

In the admissions office’s own words:

“Rice does not view offers of admission as entitlements based on grades and test scores. Our admission process combines an examination of academic ability with a flexible assessment of an applicant’s talents, experiences, and potential, including potential diversity contributions; it precludes any quick formula for admitting a given applicant or for giving preference to one particular set of qualifications without reference to the class as a whole.”

They also factor in the adversity one has faced in life and strive to create a class that is diverse across socioeconomic and racial lines. Further, they look “beyond indicators of academic competence” looking for “other qualities among applicants, such as creativity, motivation, artistic talent, and leadership potential.”

Tips for Applying

If you plan on joining the 36,000+ Owl hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• Although Rice will remain test-optional for the upcoming cycle, they do recommend that first-year and transfer students submit standardized test scores alongside their application.
• Rice University expects to see evidence of advanced coursework in high school. Taking multiple advanced classes, particularly within your area of academic interest is a must.
• You must apply to one of the six academic schools on your application. Each has different admissions requirements and standards. If your application is denied, you cannot be reconsidered for a second-choice school.
• Rice University does offer optional virtual interviews. They do “recommend an admission interview for freshman applicants as an excellent opportunity to showcase academic and personal successes while learning more about Rice.”
• Rice University weighs “demonstrated interest” in the admissions process. Therefore, you will be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, etc.
• Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the supplemental essays required by Rice. In the 2025-26 cycle, they are as follows:

All applicants must answer:

1. Please explain why you wish to study in the academic areas you selected. (150 word limit)
2. Based upon your exploration of Rice University, what elements of the Rice experience appeal to you? (150 word limit)
3. In keeping with Rice’s long-standing tradition (known as “The Box”), please share an image of something that appeals to you.

Required – Applicants to School of Business, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences, or Social Sciences

Please respond to one of the following prompts to explore how you will contribute to the Rice community (500 words):

For detailed advice on how to address each essay prompt, visit our blog entitled: Rice University: Supplemental Essay Prompts and Tips.

Should I Apply to Rice?

With an acceptance rate of below 10% in recent years, Rice is a school that is looking for students who are at (or above) the 98th percentile on standardized tests and who placed toward the very top of their high school class. Applicants are expected to have earned all “A”s in an AP-heavy curriculum.

Rice University Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts

If Rice University is your aim, make sure to also have a rock-solid backup plan. All students need to make sure that they formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of “target” and “safety” schools. You’ll definitely want to get your counselor’s input during this process.

Looking for additional resources? Consider checking out the following:

• Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
• What is Demonstrated Interest?
• Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
• College Fair Advice for High School Students
• How to Complete the Common App Activities List
• Common App Essay Prompts
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas
• Should I Complete Optional College Essays?