Quad
Rice UniversityHouston, TX · Private nonprofit

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Computer and Information Sciences, General (15% of graduates). 6 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 95% of colleges. 84% of faculty are full-time. Spends $47,816 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

1,352 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 40% of graduates; 55 programs in 21 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Computer and Information Sciences, General 11.010115% 197
    Graduates in this field earn $182,443 4 years out
  2. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01019.5% 129
  3. Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 52.13996.6% 89
  4. Mechanical Engineering 14.19015.5% 74
    Graduates in this field earn $108,970 4 years out
  5. Psychology, General 42.01014.1% 56

Fastest-growing field: Computer science, 5.4% → 15% of graduates since 2014–15 (197 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Computer and Information Sciences, General$182,443 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $131,154

    4 years after completion$182,443
    National median: $92,374Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $149,400(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $12,373 · 285 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$136,656 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $96,751

    4 years after completion$136,656
    National median: $100,647Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 64 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Economics$129,575 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $78,814

    4 years after completion$129,575
    National median: $82,686Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $102,778(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $11,644 · 163 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Biomedical/Medical Engineering$121,099 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $88,307

    4 years after completion$121,099
    National median: $93,451Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 63 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Chemical Engineering$113,605 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $87,830

    4 years after completion$113,605
    National median: $98,158Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $107,239(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $13,178 · 54 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college6 to 1
6 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 95% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

62%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 10% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–928125%
10–1941637%
20–2916815%
30–39898%
40–49646%
50–99898%
100+252%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Accelerated program
  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • English as a Second Language
  • Honors program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Student-designed major
  • Teacher certification
  • Study abroad
  • Undergraduate research

Requires coursework in English composition, humanities, intensive writing, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty84%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$166,082

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.

Instruction spending per student$47,816
$47,816
← Lessmore than 98% of 1,199More →
Endowment per student$870,958
$870,958
← Lessmore than 98% of 1,065More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Rice University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2024;Rice University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)