Rice University
Rice publishes 8.0% (Fall 2025 entering class). Early Decision applicants got in at 11%; everyone else at 7.4%.
- Acceptance rate
- 8%
- College Scorecard, latest cycle
- SAT middle 50%
- 1510–1570
- Section 25th–75th, summed
- ACT middle 50%
- 34–35
- Avg. HS GPA
- Not published
- Test policy
- Test-Optional
- 2026-27
- Regular deadline
- Jan 4, 2027
More detail: SAT and ACT requirements · Majors and earnings · What they look for · Merit and financial aid · AP credit
Acceptance rate
What Rice's 8.0% is made of
The published rate averages groups with very different odds. These are the splits Rice reports itself.
By application round
Fall 2025 entering class (Rice CDS 2025-26, Tab C1)
Read the full decomposition →Early Decision advantage
11% of 5,748 ED applicants were admitted (647), against 7.4% for everyone else.
Fall 2025 entering class (Rice CDS 2025-26, Tab C1 & C21) · as of August 2026
See where Rice ranks →Part of Real Acceptance Rates, our series decomposing published rates from each school's own Common Data Set.
Testing
Test-Optional for 2026-27
- Policy
Rice's official first-year applicant page states Rice 'recommends' but does not require SAT/ACT submission; applicants without scores receive full consideration. No future required-testing change found.
- SAT middle 50%
- 1510–1570sum of section 25th–75th percentiles
- ACT middle 50%
- 34–35
- Average HS GPA
- Not published by the school
Applying
Deadlines, essays and AI policy
- Early deadlines
- Nov 1, 2026 (ED1); Jan 4, 2027 (ED2)
- Regular decision
- Jan 4, 2027Source
- Supplemental essays
- 3 required
Three required short essays: 150 words on interest in chosen academic area(s), 150 words on what appeals about the Rice experience, and 500 words choosing one of two prompts about contributing to the Rice community (residential college system or diverse perspectives). Applicants also submit a non-evaluative visual element called 'The Box.'
- AI use in essays
No Official Policy
We reviewed Rice's admissions FAQ (which covers essays, testing, and materials), apply overview, and first-year applicant pages — no AI section anywhere.
Full cycle calendar: Application Deadlines.
At a glance
Size and cost
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 4,776
- Tuition (out-of-state)
- $64,144
- Category
- Elite Private
- Admissions site
- www.rice.edu
Dewey Smart
Dewey students who got into Rice
Mentors
Mentors who got into Rice
Our mentors who go to Rice, or just graduated from it.
Sources
- Rice test policy (2026-27)
- Rice admissions pages
- Rice admissions pages
- Acceptance rate, test-score percentiles, enrollment and tuition: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, pulled 2026-09-14.
Test policy and deadlines last verified 2026-08-17.
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