<p>Can anybody describe the religious atmosphere at Rice? Is it a central aspect of the university, a solid presence, or is it of no particular influence at all? </p>
<p>Rice has come up on our lists through research, but we don't have any personal experience/background with this school. I've mentioned Rice a few times, and a common response has been to question whether it's a heavily religious-oriented school. </p>
<p>Son is a junior, so this is preliminary research.</p>
<p>Rice does not have an official religious affiliation, and thus no single religion or denomination dominates campus. Thus I wouldn’t say that religion is a central aspect of the university at all. There are, however, various religious student groups (Agape, Rice Hillel, Muslim Student Association, etc.), as well as a chapel on campus.</p>
<p>As for the overall atmosphere, religion doesn’t seem to have a big influence here, since, imo, on the whole people here are not very religiously devout.</p>
<p>Religious organizations are present on campus but not very dominant. There are many people who are members of these groups such as MSA, IV Christian Fellowship, RH and Agape but it isn’t a driving force on campus, nor is it shunned.</p>
<p>Basically, if you want to be part of a religious group, it is there. You can go your time at Rice without ever really interacting with one either. The choice is yours.</p>
<p>Since Rice is in an urban area, it is pretty easy to attend various religious services too. My son has two room mates that regularly attend services, but choose not to belong to any of the religious campus groups.</p>
<p>Thanks, I appreciate the answers, and they are reassuring. We’re not looking for a particular religious influence, but the presence of a variety of religious groups is a good thing.</p>