10-yr median earnings
$89,718
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Houston, Texas
Rice University
Rice University is a private nonprofit institution in Houston, Texas. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $89,718
- 10-yr median earnings
- 8.0%
- Acceptance rate
- $13,370
- Avg net price / yr
- 95.2%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Rice University pairs top-5% former-student earnings with a highly selective admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 2%
- former-student earnings, US
- 8.0%
- acceptance rate
- 95.2%
- 150%-time completion
- +12%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Large
Carnegie: R1
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Rice University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
A
College Value Score
87/100
Rice University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$89,718
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price C+
$13,370
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A+
95.2%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt B-
$11,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
90.7%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A+
97.4%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$13,370
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
95.2%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 95.2%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Rice University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Rice University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Rice University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$89,718 Top 2% higher than 98% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Rice University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $89,718 | #105 of 5103 | 98th |
| Average net price | $13,370 | #1778 of 5020 | 65th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 95.2% | #69 of 4858 | 99th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,776 | #779 of 5462 | 86th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
4,776
Undergraduate enrollment
8.0%
Acceptance rate
1,553
SAT average
95.2%
150%-time completion
$89,718
10-yr median earnings
97.4%
First-year retention
How Rice University ranks in Texas
State rank among 324 reporting Texas colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Rice University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $89,718 | #7 of 324 | 98th |
| Average net price | $13,370 | #116 of 340 | 66th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 95.2% | #4 of 324 | 99th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,776 | #59 of 366 | 84th |
Highest former-student earnings in Texas
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Coast University-Texas | $102,672 | $53,020 |
| 2 | University of North Texas Health Science Center | $93,615 | - |
| 3 | The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston | $92,961 | - |
| 4 | Chamberlain University-Texas | $92,405 | $32,209 |
| 5 | Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center | $92,348 | - |
| 6 | The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | $90,232 | - |
| 7 | Rice UniversityThis school | $89,718 | $13,370 |
| 8 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | $88,757 | - |
| 9 | The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | $82,206 | - |
| 10 | Denver College of Nursing-Houston | $81,809 | - |
| 11 | Covenant School of Nursing and Allied Health | $78,724 | - |
| 12 | Southern Methodist University | $78,354 | $40,892 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 8.0% |
| SAT Average | 1,553 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 770 – 800 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 740 – 770 |
| ACT Average | 35 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 34 – 35 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Rice University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k $5,827
$0 – $30k
$5,827 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k $563
$30k – $48k
$563 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k $3,217
$48k – $75k
$3,217 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$48,466 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Rice University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $64,144 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $64,144 |
| Average Net Price | $13,370 |
17.0%
Pell Grant Rate
6.5%
Federal Loan Rate
$11,000
Median Debt
$117/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Rice University swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $12,640 to $21,024 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -24.4%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.
Lowest year
$12,640
Highest year
$21,024
Most recent (2023)
$12,640
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $16,7302023 · $12,640
Over the same years, enrollment went +16.4% (3,920 → 4,562 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
45.2%
Female
14.5%
First Generation
Outcomes
97.4%
Retention Rate
$79,751
Median Earnings (6yr)
79.8%
Earning Over $25K
90.7%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 95.2% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 97.4% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $79,751 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $89,718 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 79.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 90.7% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $11,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $117/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 21 | 930 | $114,941 | $182,443 | $11,947 |
| Master's | 7 | 165 | $120,826 | $201,796 | $34,000 |
Top programs at Rice University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$201,796 median earnings
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$182,443 median earnings
- Electrical, Electronics, a…
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$136,656 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$129,575 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$124,073 median earnings
- Biomedical/Medical Enginee…
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
$121,099 median earnings
- International Relations an…
International Relations and National Security Studies
$116,551 median earnings
- Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
$113,605 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's | 3 | $201,796 | $41,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's | 121 | $182,443 | $12,373 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's | 49 | $136,656 | - |
| Economics | Bachelor's | 75 | $129,575 | $11,644 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's | - | $124,073 | - |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Bachelor's | 34 | $121,099 | - |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Master's | 25 | $116,551 | - |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's | 25 | $113,605 | $13,178 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Master's | 33 | $110,932 | - |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's | 60 | $108,970 | $15,375 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's | 37 | $87,804 | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's | 104 | $87,404 | $10,000 |
| Cognitive Science | Bachelor's | 48 | $66,913 | $13,000 |
| Music | Master's | 85 | $50,777 | $27,000 |
| Architecture | Master's | 0 | - | - |
Nearby Schools
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Rice University? ▼
Rice University is a private nonprofit institution in Houston, Texas. The acceptance rate is 8.0%. The average SAT score is 1,553. Undergraduate enrollment is 4,776 students.
How much do Rice University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Rice University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $89,718 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $79,751.
How much does Rice University cost? ▼
The average net price at Rice University is $13,370. In-state tuition is $64,144 and out-of-state tuition is $64,144. Median student debt at graduation is $11,000.
What is the graduation rate at Rice University? ▼
Rice University has a 95.2% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 97.4%.
Is Rice University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Rice University is $11,000, while former students earn a median of $89,718 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 12% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 90.7% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $117.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Rice University
- Compare Rice University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in Texas side by side.Browse Texas
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.