<p>Do all (or nearly all) students finish on time (four years)? Do engineers manage to handle their intense class load in that time? I notice that Rice financial aid stops after 4 years and so this is important if you are relying on FA.</p>
<p>Yes - almost all finish on time, and if they don’t, it’s due to other issues. We do know of one kid who changed majors (Electrical Engineering to music comp.) who took 5 years to finish, but he was in no hurry and had no financial aid issues. Architect majors take 5 years, but their financial aid covers al 5 years, I believe. My DD changed majors 3 or 4 times, and still had no problem finishing in 4 years. (That was one of the the things we really liked about Rice; the flexibility to move around in departments and make your own major or area of concentration). DS is engineering major, and he will have no problem finishing in 4 years. If you check the engineering websites, you can see what the course schedule looks like. It is more proscribed than some other majors, but totally doable in 4 years. Both our kids knew from the get-go that anything more than 4 years was on their dime! :)</p>
<p>That said, it is becoming more and more common for people to take a fifth year, especially if they have financial aid that covers it.</p>
<p>I know people who triple major and graduate in 4 years. I know tons of single majors who graduate in 3 years.</p>
<p>Rice admin reps say students are almost expected to double major since it’s so easy to complete 2 majors and graduate in 4 years. (almost everyone does double major or multiple minor)</p>
<p>Keep in mind that Coop programs may extend this time. I am hoping that you receive financial aid for 8 semesters and NOT for 4 years. This is a good question for the financial aid folks.</p>
<p>What coop programs?</p>
<p>I know a few seniors who are taking five years…two are double-majoring, one’s a double-major athlete in two pretty much unrelated fields.</p>
<p>anxiousmom: Coop programs in general - where a student does not enroll for a semester and works for a company instead.</p>
<p>I came in with no AP credits, did the major that requires the most credits to finish (Bioengineering at 134 credits). I had to take 17-19 credits a semester to do it, but I graduated on time and now happily working on my PhD in biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt.</p>