WELCOME!

Welcome to the Office of Financial Aid website.  Our goal is to guide you through the financial aid process at Rice University.  We understand that your education is a significant investment for both you and your family.  We hope that this website will ease the process of exploring the different financial aid options available to you.

It is very important that you and your family understand all your choices and carefully consider the resources you can allocate to your education.  Rice University adheres to a strict need-blind admission policy, which means that all admission decisions are made without considering the applicant's ability to meet the cost of education.  Our university was recently named #1 Best Value by the Princeton Review for its high-quality undergraduate education combined with reasonable tuition and fees and generous financial aid. 

Financial aid packages are calculated in the following manner.  First, your financial need is determined by weighing your and your family's income and assets against the cost of attending Rice.  If you are eligible for aid, you are then awarded some amount of Federal and State grants, as well as $1,800 in Federal Work Study and a loan of $2,600.  If your family income is below $60,000, that loan is substituted with Rice grant aid, and the remaining cost of attendance is also met by the university.  If your family's income is above $60,000, your remaining financial need is met by Rice grant aid.  Rice limits to $14,500 the amount you have to borrow over four years.  As a result, U.S. News and World Report regularly recognizes Rice for graduating students with a lower cumulative debt compared to other universities.

Once you decide to enroll at Rice, the financial aid process is ongoing.  Your financial aid status is reviewed annually.  Rice will raise the amount of your aid to meet increases in the cost of attendance not covered by your expected family contribution.

We are excited that you have chosen Rice as a place to study and grow.  We will work with you and your family through your tenure here to help you find ways to finance your education.