by our College Data Analytics TeamHere’s the full picture on paying for Rice University, including attendance costs, projected four- and two-year degree costs, average net price, debt outcomes, and how aid is distributed across income levels.
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What it costs to attend Rice University works out to about $74,110.00 annually.
Cost is shown below as the full sticker price, the average net price after aid, and the low-income net price.
| Tuition and fees | $64,144.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $9,966.00 |
| Total cost | $74,110.00 |
| That is 126% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $74,110.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$66,418.00 |
| Net price | $7,692.00 |
| That is 77% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $74,110.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$73,961.00 |
| Net price | $149.00 |
| That is 100% below the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with the tuition & fees page and room and board. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by around 6.4% a year, so a full degree will cost more than a single year — the tables below carry that forward. The detailed projections below compare a degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and a no-aid student. Loan figures amortise the projected total over ten years at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% |
| Freshman year | $159.00 | $8,188.00 | $78,889.00 |
| Senior year | $191.00 | $9,876.00 | $95,155.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $698.00 | $36,058.00 | $347,411.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $266.00 | $13,737.00 | $132,351.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $8.00 | $415.00 | $3,998.00 |
| Total amount paid | $965.00 | $49,795.00 | $479,762.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% |
| Freshman year | $159.00 | $8,188.00 | $78,889.00 |
| Senior year | $169.00 | $8,716.00 | $83,976.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $327.00 | $16,904.00 | $162,865.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $125.00 | $6,440.00 | $62,046.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $4.00 | $195.00 | $1,874.00 |
| Total amount paid | $452.00 | $23,344.00 | $224,910.00 |
Read more in the net-price section.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $13,370.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $14,125.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $3,221.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $3,666.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $1,348.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $18,783.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $39,303.00 |
Run your own numbers with the Rice University Net Price Calculator, or get in touch with the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the financial aid breakdown.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of Rice University is $9,716.00, placing the school in the Very Low (<$10k) burden tier.
The percentile spread of debt at graduation is shown below:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,114.00 |
| 25th | $5,784.00 |
| Median (50th) | $9,716.00 |
| 75th | $18,000.00 |
| 90th | $26,763.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $6,500.00 |
| Middle income | $11,192.00 |
| High income | $9,804.00 |
First-generation students frequently graduate with different debt than continuing-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,893.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $10,000.00 |
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. Looking at Pell recipients versus non-recipients tells us how debt is distributed across need.
The median debt difference between Pell-eligible and non-Pell graduates of Rice University amounts to $-1,430.00.
The federal default-rate classification for Rice University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 0.7% |
For context on the loan portfolio, Stafford disbursements at Rice University total $112,130,360.00 across 5,423 disbursements.
Veterans and current servicemembers may be eligible for major federal education benefits such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 131 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $36,112.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the college veterans page.
Numbers only tell part of the story. As you weigh Rice University, keep these questions in mind:
Each page below covers one part of paying for college in more detail:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.