The Office of Financial Aid at Rice University does not award non-need based loans in the initial award package. Undergraduate and graduate degree seeking students may be eligible for Federal Direct Loans. Eligibility of Federal Direct Loans will vary based on grade level and need-based aid received for undergraduate students; graduate degree seeking student eligibility is based on other aid received and limits set by federal regulation. For additional information please contact the Financial Aid Office at 713-348-4958 or fina@rice.edu.

Federal Direct Loan information may be found in our Direct Loan webpage and StudentAid.gov.

For more information, please visit Visiting and Continuing Education Students. Continuing education students are not eligible for federal, state or need-based institutional aid.

If the student is ineligible for need-based aid, there may be other loan options available to help meet educational expenses. Prior to applying for a private loan, the Department of Education recommends students start with Federal Direct Loans first. Students are required to acknowledge and either accept or forego their federal loan eligibility before we can certify a private loan.

The deadline to request a private loan is the last day of the student’s enrollment. Loan requests received after the last day of classes will not be certified.

Apply for a Private Loan

Federal regulations require all private loan borrowers to review a series of disclosures and complete the applicant self-certification form. The student may obtain a copy of the self-certification form from the private educational loan lender or here. Students will receive a finalized disclosure statement after their master promissory note has been signed confirming the terms and conditions of their loan from the lender.

Private and alternative loan lenders offer a wide selection of educational loans to bridge the gap between expenses and the student's eligibility for other aid. Even though these loans are not part of the federal aid program, it is required that they are included in the calculation of the student's total aid package. Please be advised that the private loan in combination with other accepted financial aid cannot exceed the cost of attendance determined by the Financial Aid Office. Due to the required credit review, the Rice University Financial Aid office cannot guarantee that all students who apply will qualify for loan funds.

A list of private lenders used by Rice University students during the previous academic year may be found by clicking the Rice University ELMSelect tool. Students have the right and the ability to select the educational loan provider of his or her choice and are not obligated to utilize any lender listed on this list.

If you understand and agree with these statements, then click to link to the Rice University ELMSelect tool.