Hi all. Daughter has been accepted RD. I don’t see in the Rice Aid site after login nor on FAFSA on how to apply for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans…to pay for the gulf, I mean gap. Know where that process kicks off from?
There are only few top schools with undergrad business programs so rankings are usually reflection on graduate program. If you don’t like UT or not sure about business major then take Economics and add a business minor or Statistics or Computer Science as second major.
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My daughter is also graduating this year. Owl days were a wonderful experience for her and sold her on Rice. I will never forget seeing the campus for the first time when we attended owl days. She had never even been to Texas before
Hi everyone,
My son is planning to study mechanical engineering major, Rice is his first choice , he’s very happy to get in.
Now is the difficult decision between Rice an UF because of the cost. UF is pretty much free , but Rice is around $50k/yrs
I am willing to get my saving and equity from the house to help my son to pay for his education at Rice, but I am worry about the tuition is going to increase year by year and he might not get aid for sophomore year and so on…
Is there any parent here who have kid in second or third year at Rice experience with this matter.
I am torn in between two schools . My son is very happy and really wants to go to Rice.
Please help me , I would appreciate all your opinion 
While Rice is a great school, you should not put yourself in financial peril to send your son to Rice. Rice tuition has gone up by about 3 Percent each year that my daughter been there. I expect the tuition will continue to increase at about the same rate. She is about to enter her junior year.
Not a parent, but an alum who majored in mechanical engineering at Rice. At face value, it’s tough to justify going to Rice over a place that would basically be free, unless you’re given a ton of non-loan aid for Rice. Generally, with an engineering degree from anywhere, your son will be able to find a job somewhere, and that’s one of the primary goals associated with going to college. In my opinion, unless you’re going to the top of the top schools (e.g., MIT, Stanford), most of your opportunities will be around the area at which you graduated. I’m not saying your son be forced to stay in Houston if he goes to Rice, but a lot of people do end up staying in the area, or in Texas in general, simply because it’s easier for companies to recruit more locally. Also, a lot of the recruitment at Rice is in consulting or oil/gas. It may be too early to decide, but if your son is highly interested in one of these areas, then Rice could definitely open some doors.
The other factor to consider when justifying the price tag of Rice is the college experience. Rice does have the #1 best quality of life and #2 happiest students for some good reasons, namely the small student body, the residential college system, and the beautiful campus. UF is a humongous public school; basically a town in itself, and would definitely have a different atmosphere than Rice. I won’t be able tell you whether or not that college experience is worth going to Rice over UF, but it is definitely something to consider.
As a final thought, keep in mind that Rice’s mechanical engineering major is one of the most popular majors at Rice. A few years ago, the mechanical engineering department was shorthanded and classes were over-enrolled, professors were overloaded, labs were understaffed, etc. Quite disappointing for a good school. I believe the department has been getting better, but be aware that not everything may be caught up yet with the popularity of the major. Also, I think the mechanical engineering curriculum at Rice is a bit more theoretical heavy than practical heavy. That is, a lot of coursework revolves around deriving equations and concepts, rather than applying equations and concepts. That could be something else to consider based on if your son is interested in lab research vs. computer-aided design, for example.
@Houston1021 .Thank you very much for your advice. I know my son has studied very hard to get in one of the top and dream school, so I want to do my best for him to get the best education he deserves To be honest, I am an immigrant, never have a chance to go to college, and now my son has made me so proud . He was very happy when visited Rice, and wanted to go there badly !
I don’t want to say no to my son, but as the same time, like you said, I should not put myself in financial peril , tuition increase and no aid would be a problem for me in the next 3 year. I have couple weeks to make the choice.
To answer your first question. I do not believe rice is a switch and bait school. If you receive financial aid or a scholarship of some kind expect to receive equivalent every year
@ChiGuy123 , @robotrainbow Thank you for your posts and advices
This annual raise in tuition is pretty standard for most private colleges. Rice doesn’t end or lower merit scholarships, those are guaranteed for 4 years. Like any other college, need based aid is dependent upon your need. If your income goes down, it goes up or if income goes up then your EFC goes up and aid goes down.
If you can swing it with savings, income, being frugal, selling some asset or getting a part time job then it’s okay to let him live his dream. If you have to take heavy debt or sell primary residence then not a good idea.
Here is an article from the Rice Thresher about the most recent tuition increase. http://www.ricethresher.org/article/2019/03/cost-of-undergraduate-attendance-to-increase-3-1-percent-next-academic-year
Way back when, Rice used to be free. Then they had a policy that whatever tuition was for your freshman year stayed fixed for 4 years. That policy ended… the year before my DS started (so his freshman class was the first that got hit with tuition increases every year).
Welcome to the Rice Class of 2023 parents. There is a great Facebook group for Rice parents, but the school does not open up admission into the group until the student enrolls. You will receive an invite to the Facebook parent group in late summer. In the meantime, the veteran Rice parents here will try to answer questions, etc.
@Houston1021 Looking for info about “O Week” activities for parents. Trying to make reservations for drop off. Thank you!
@juststaycool - Last year, we arrived in Houston on Friday, did errands on Saturday, and dropped our daughter off on Sunday morning (we are not local, but I know others drove to Houston on Sunday morning). Drop off times are typically in the morning - each residential college handles it differently, but your student will be assigned a time. There will be lots of current students there to help unload the car and get the stuff to the rooms. It is actually pretty amazing! There will be a lunch in the residential college, then the students will then be whisked away by their O-week group leaders. There will be a parent meeting; later on, the president speaks to the parents in the big gym. Parents are requested to leave campus on Sunday afternoon, and can’t return to campus during the week. The students are fully immersed in their O-week experiences and kept very busy during the week.
There is no time on Sunday to go shopping or anything like that, but I recommend taking the minimalist approach and bringing just the basics. After O-week is over, there will be time for Target runs (there is a free shuttle service every weekend to Target) and Amazon orders if the student feels that they need something that they did not bring.
Hope this helps!
Drop off day is 8/18/19 this year. The first day of classes is 8/26. O Week is the week after drop off day. As @Faulkner1897 says, O Week is for the students only. Rice schedules separate tracks of speakers and activities for the parents and students on drop off day. The parents move their kids into the dorm at the preassigned time, have lunch with their student in the residential college servery, then say their goodbyes. The students are then whisked off by their O Week advisors into a flurry of activity. The parents can attend the parent track activities or leave when they are ready. President Leebron and the deans have a program in Tudor Field House for the parents, and there are programs for the parents in various academic buildings, the student center, etc. You could fly out or drive home late Sunday afternoon or Sunday night. There are no activities on campus for parents after Sunday afternoon. The parents are not allowed to attend the matriculation ceremony that happens the evening of move in day.
Unless you are local or within easy driving distance, you should make a reservation at a hotel near Rice for the Saturday night and possibly the Friday night before drop off day. Some of the move in times are pretty early in the morning on Sunday. Early move in is better as it is not as hot then. Prepare to be hot, sweaty, and tired after move in. Dress for comfort, not appearance. Shorts and t-shirts, especially Rice shirts, are fine. Your Owl will get a t-shirt to wear when they check in and pick up their keys at their residential college. The residential college assignments and roommate matches usually come out mid summer.
Unless you are driving in, you may want to rent a car, or plan to take Uber etc. on your shopping trips. Many parents that are flying in preorder things to be picked up at a nearby Target or Bed Bath and Beyond. During O Week, the O Week advisors will take the kids in their group to Target, etc. if they need to pick up anything. There is also a Rice shuttle that runs to Target, a grocery store, and to the Rice Village on the weekends.
Here is a link to the academic calendar. https://registrar.rice.edu/calendars
It seems like it was just last year we dropped our son off right before OWeek. Then suddenly he was one of the kids running it. Now, it’s all going to be over.
Congratulations to the new Owls and their parents! You have an incredible 4 years ahead of you.
Thank you for the information about O-Week. It will be here before we know it!
Congrats to all of you!! Just be prepared when they walk the parents one way, to a big auditorium, and walk your kids another way. 
After incredible four years, I promise you, Rice will surpass every expectation!
On Saturday my daughter walked throuh the Sallyport not only with two degrees, an employment contract with an international company and skills of a world class education but most important with lots of wonderful friends.
Your child is admitted to Rice’s Class of 2023? CONGRATULATIONS, you better start dancing!!! 
Rice University’s 106th Commencement: “A Magical Experience”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pInIfODpDy0