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🇺🇸Houston, TX, United States·Est. 1912Private

Rice University

Engineering & applied physics

Global rank#169
shortlist
Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
QS66 out of 100
THE72 out of 100
USC81 out of 100
USG60 out of 100
ARWU41 out of 100
CWUR66 out of 100
Niche92 out of 100
Leiden0 out of 100
88.0
aggregate score · 7 sources
QS World University Rankings
2024 edition
151–200
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2024 edition
151–175
US News Best Colleges (National Universities)
2024 edition
#17
US News Best Global Universities
2023–24 edition
301–350
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)
2023 edition
301–400
Center for World University Rankings
2024 edition
201–250
Niche Best Colleges
2024 edition
#10
CWTS Leiden Ranking
2024 edition
Unranked

Ranking history

Real snapshots recorded each time this dataset is refreshed — never backfilled or estimated.

Ranking history over time
DateRankScore
August 3, 2026#16988.0
August 4, 2026#16988.0
August 5, 2026#16988.0
August 6, 2026#16988.0
August 7, 2026#16988.0
August 10, 2026#16988.0
August 15, 2026#16988.0
August 17, 2026#16988.0
August 20, 2026#16988.0

Admissions

Most recently published acceptance rate and enrolled-student score ranges. SAT/ACT and GPA are US-specific admissions measures, so they're only shown where applicable.

Applications / year
33,000
Acceptance rate
8.5%
SAT (25th–75th)
1500–1570
ACT (25th–75th)
34–35
Avg. GPA
3.90

Campus & outcomes

Class size, graduation and freshman retention rates, sticker tuition vs. what students actually pay after aid, how many receive it, post-graduation employment, research output, and a few real, commonly-cited top recruiters. Everything except ratio and enrollment is US-specific or approximate — papers/year and top employers in particular are rounded/illustrative, not exhaustive or precise database exports. Earnings figures and what they imply against cost are in their own section below.

Student : faculty
6:1
Undergrads
4,600
Grad rate (6-yr)
96%
Tuition
$58,128
Avg. net price
$18,000
Employed within 6mo
93%
Papers/year (approx.)
3,000
Classes under 20
70%
Freshman retention
97%
Receiving aid
40%
Where grads work
ExxonMobilGoogleAmazonChevron

Earnings after graduation

Median earnings for this institution's graduates (2024–25 published figures) and what they imply against its cost. US-reported figures — the concept doesn't translate for universities outside the US, which is why they show nothing here.

Early career
$80,000
Median, roughly 0–5 years out
Mid career
$150,000
Median, roughly 10 years out · +88% growth
Cost payback
0.9 yr
Years of early-career median equal to $72,000 of 4-year net cost
Value score 2.1× — one year of mid-career median covers 2.1× the full 4-year net cost+88% early-to-mid career growth

How to read these numbers

  • Medians, not averages, and not your salary. Half of graduates earn less. The spread within a single university is far wider than the gap between most universities.
  • Institution-wide, across all majors. Much of the difference between two universities' figures reflects what their students study — an engineering-heavy institute out-earns a liberal arts college largely through major mix, not teaching quality. Per-major earnings aren't in this dataset; the US federal College Scorecard publishes them for US federal-aid recipients.
  • Geography and selectivity are baked in. Graduates often work near where they studied, so regional cost of living inflates or deflates these figures, and selective intakes would earn well regardless of where they enrolled.
  • Payback is arithmetic, not a plan. It divides 4-year net price by early-career median and ignores aid you personally receive, loan interest, taxes and living costs.

Subject rankings

Real, published QS World University Rankings by Subject positions — unlike Subject strengths below, this is sourced ranking data, not an editorial estimate. Shown only for the subjects this university is ranked in.

Subject strengths

An Analects Proverbs editorial estimate — derived from this university's specialty and overall standing, not pulled from a named subject ranking.

Ranking source comparison
SourceScore
CS83 out of 100
Eng96 out of 100
Business84 out of 100
Medicine82 out of 100
Law78 out of 100
Sciences94 out of 100
Social84 out of 100
Arts78 out of 100
Strongest in
EngineeringNatural SciencesBusiness
Computer Science
Engineering
Business
Medicine
Law & Policy
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Arts & Humanities

Similar universities

Close in overall rank, and weighted toward the same country and type — a starting point for students who like Rice University but want options to compare.

Frequently asked questions

What is Rice University's ranking?

Rice University ranks #169 on Analects Proverbs's combined score of 88.0/100, aggregated across 7 major published rankings.

What is Rice University known for?

Engineering & applied physics. Its strongest subject areas, by our editorial estimate, are Engineering, Natural Sciences, Business.

What is Rice University's acceptance rate?

Rice University's acceptance rate is approximately 8.5%, based on the most recently published admissions cycle.

What SAT or ACT scores does Rice University expect?

Enrolled students typically score in the 1500–1570 range on the SAT, or 34–35 on the ACT (25th–75th percentile, most recent published cycle).

How much does it cost to attend Rice University?

Rice University's published annual tuition is approximately $58,128, though the average net price after institutional aid is closer to $18,000 per year.

What is Rice University's graduation rate?

Rice University's published 6-year graduation rate is approximately 96%.

What do Rice University graduates typically earn?

Early-career graduates report a median starting salary of around $80,000, rising to roughly $150,000 at mid-career.