Rice Acceptance Rate and SAT/ACT Scores

Rice University Admission Requirements and Statistics

[updated for 2024-2025 admission data]

How hard is Rice University to get into?

This page provides the latest information on Rice University (Rice)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. Rice's acceptance rate is 8.00% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 32,473 students applied and 2,597 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is very low, which means it is very hard to get into Rice.

To apply to Rice, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

Rice's acceptance rate is the lowest among 79 Texas colleges with competitive admission.
The median SAT score is 1550 and the ACT score is 35 at Rice. Rice's SAT score is the highest among 55 Texas colleges that consider SAT score for admission.
Rice's yield rate is 44.20%, which is significantly lower by 18.52 percentage points (approximately 29.5% lower) compared to similar colleges with acceptance rates between 0% and 10% (average yield: 62.72%). You can compare colleges with similar acceptance rates to Rice at colleges with acceptance rates lower than 10%.

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2024-25, Rice's acceptance rate is 8.00% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 44.20%. 17,033 men and 15,436 women applied to Rice and 1,330 men and 1,267 women students were accepted.

Among them, 587 men and 561 women were enrolled in Rice. You can explore the Rice's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at Rice
	Total	Men	Women	Another Gender	Gender Unknown
Applicants	32,473	17,033	15,436	0	0
Admitted	2,597	1,330	1,267	0	0
Enrolled	1,148	587	561	0	0
Acceptance Rate	8.00%	7.81%	8.21%	-	-
Yield	44.20%	44.14%	44.28%	-	-

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Rice University 2025 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

For the academic year 2025, 546 students (48% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 248 students (22% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at Rice.

The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,550, including 760 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 790 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 770 and the 25th percentile is 740. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 800 and the 25th percentile is 770.

The median ACT composite score is 35, with a 75th percentile score of 35 and a 25th percentile score of 34 at Rice. The median ACT Math score is 35 and the median ACT English score is 35.

How competitive is Rice's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at Rice University are relatively high compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,497, ACT: 34 - private (not-for-profit) research university with very high research activity).

2025 SAT and ACT Scores at Rice
	25^th Percentile	50^th Percentile (Median)	75^th Percentile
SAT Total	1,510	1,550	1,570
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	740	760	770
SAT Math	770	790	800
ACT Composite	34	35	35
ACT Math	33	35	36
ACT English	35	35	36

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Rice University 2025 SAT and ACT Score Chart

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School Record (or Transcript), Recommendations, English Proficiency Test, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at Rice. The english proficiency test is required .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Rice University.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

Rice Admission Requirements
High School GPA	Considered, if submitted
High School Rank	Considered, if submitted
High School Record (or Transcript)	Required
Completion of College Preparatory Program	Considered, if submitted
Recommendations	Required
Formal Demonstration of Competencies	Considered, if submitted
SAT / ACT	Considered, if submitted
English Proficiency Test	Required
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)	Not Considered
Work experience	Considered, if submitted
Personal statement or essay	Required
Legacy status	Not Considered

General Admissions Information

The following provides general admission information for applying to Rice:

Open Admission Policy: No
Undergraduate Application Fees: -
Graduate Application Fees: -
Admission Information: https://admission.rice.edu/
Online Application: https://admission.rice.edu/apply
Calendar System: Semester
Course for High School Students: Not Offered
Credits Accepted: Advanced placement (AP) Credits
Degree Offered: Bachelor, Post-Bachelor Certificate, Master, Post-Master Certificate, Doctoral (Research)

Get Admission Information

What is the acceptance rate at the Rice?

Rice is extremely competitive to get into, with an acceptance rate of 8.00%.

What SAT or ACT scores are required for admission to Rice?

Rice recommends submitting SAT or ACT scores, but they are not strictly required for admission. The average SAT score required for admission to Rice is 1,550, and the average ACT score is 35. Meeting or exceeding these scores will improve your chances of admission.

Does Rice require essays or personal statements?

Yes, Rice requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.

Are recommendation letters required for Rice admission?

Yes, Rice requires applicants to submit a recommendation letter as part of the application.

Is there an application fee?

Rice does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.

Do I need to submit my high school transcript?

Yes, Rice requires applicants to submit high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.

Are there any specific admission requirements for international students?

Yes, Rice requires international applicants to submit an English proficiency test (like TOEFL or IELTS) as part of the application.

What is SAT code and ACT code for Rice?

The institutional SAT code for Rice is 6609 and 4-digit ACT code is 4152.