Academics

When do the classes start/end at Rice University?

An overview of important dates, including semester and class beginning and end dates, can be found at parents.rice.edu/important-dates. The full academic calendar is available at registrar.rice.edu/calendars.

What degrees/majors are available at Rice University?

Rice offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across seven divisions of study, including architecture, business, engineering, humanities, music, natural sciences and social sciences, with multiple opportunities for research and collaboration. For more information, visit the Majors, Minors and Programs page.

What academic resources are available to students at Rice University?

The Office of Student Success Initiatives is dedicated to providing students with advising, support and connections to campus resources. Their goal is to assist students in developing strategies to help them both inside and outside of the classroom. For more information, please visit success.rice.edu.

Can I view my student's grades or educational records?

A student’s consent is required for the disclosure or publication of any information that is a) personally identifiable and b) a part of the educational record. However, certain exceptions to this general rule, both in types of information that can be disclosed and in access to that information, are allowed by the regulations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). For more information, visit registrar.rice.edu/ferpa.

For other questions and more information about Rice academics, please visit rice.edu/academics.

Campus Life

Where do students live on campus?

Unlike many universities, Rice doesn’t have sororities or fraternities, nor is there an honors college or an athletic dorm. Instead, we randomly sort our new students into one of 11 residential colleges. Each student is randomly assigned and stays in the same college throughout their undergraduate years. Thanks to the diversity of our student body, this creates a rich tapestry of traditions, culture, and, most importantly, community, within each college.

Why does Rice use the residential college system?

The residential college experience conveys the rich flavor of academic life at Rice and allows students to combine their usual studies with an array of social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, innovative college-designed courses, and an active role in student government. For more information, visit the Residential Colleges Overview page.

What are the residential college magisters?

College Magisters are tenured faculty members who live, with their families, in houses adjacent to each college. Magisters are a supportive resource for students and oversee all aspects of student life. They encourage broad cultural and intellectual pursuits, ensure the effectiveness of the college's self-governance, and care for their students' well-being. College Magisters serve as advisors and confidants; promote responsible student government; encourage student-faculty interaction in the college through cultural and educational programs, social events, and other activities; and help students understand the university's broad curriculum and vast experiential learning opportunities. For more information, visit the Residential College Personnel page.

Does my student need to move out over Winter or Summer breaks?

All residential colleges are closed during Winter Recess and Summer Break. Students are allowed to leave their personal belongings in their room during the Winter Recess, but will need to move out all their belongings during Summer Break.

What are Rice’s on-campus food/dining options?

For information on Rice’s on-campus dining options, including hours, locations, menus and student meal plan options, please visit dining.rice.edu.

How can students get involved on campus?

For information on how Rice students can get involved on campus, including events, student clubs and leadership opportunities, visit the Student Activities page.

What fitness and recreation resources are available on campus?

The Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center encourages healthy living across the campus community by championing all facets of holistic well-being. To that end, a wide array of recreational programs and services have been created and are offered in an effort to increase knowledge about and provide opportunities for the development of healthy behavior patterns. For more information, visit recreation.rice.edu.

What health and wellness resources are available for Rice students?

The Student Wellbeing Office serves as a primary prevention program to address the occurrence of wellbeing and mental health concerns for undergraduate and graduate students at Rice University. The Office provide services on Wellbeing Advising, Case Management, Program and Education Outreach. Wellbeing staff members are trained mental health professionals who can help students to address a wide range of wellbeing issues such as stress management, relationship concerns, identity issues, post-hospitalization management, medical withdrawal and readmission, and navigating other resources on campus. For more information, visit wellbeing.rice.edu.

For other questions and more information about Rice campus life, visit rice.edu/campus-life.

Commencement

When/Where is Rice University’s commencement ceremony?

For dates, location and other information about upcoming Rice University commencement ceremonies, please visit commencement.rice.edu.

Do parents and families of degree candidates need a ticket to attend the commencement ceremony?

Rice University’s commencement ceremonies are private, ticketed events. A ticket is required for entry to both the Tudor Fieldhouse and Rice Stadium ceremonies. Tickets must be claimed and distributed by the degree candidate. For more information, visit the Information for Degree Candidates page.

What is the attire for Commencement?

Guests at Rice Commencement will wear a broad range of attire from casual to formal. Particularly for Spring Commencement, which takes place outdoors, we encourage you to dress comfortably and prepare for any weather conditions.

How can friends or family members who cannot attend Commencement in person watch online?

Commencement will be broadcast over the internet for family members and friends who are not able to attend the ceremony. The links will go live 20 minutes before scheduled start times. They also appear on the Commencement website the day of the event.

For other questions and more information about Rice University Commencement, please visit commencement.rice.edu.

Events

Are there any events for Rice parents and families?

Rice University offers an array of events for parents and families. For a list of upcoming events that are tailored for parents and families, like New Student Send-Offs or Families Weekend, as well as broader Rice community events that welcome parents and families, please visit parents.rice.edu/events.

When is Rice Families Weekend?

Rice Families Weekend occurs each fall. For the latest event dates and information, please visit the Families Weekend page.

When is Rice New Families Orientation?

Rice New Families Orientation occurs each year around mid-to-late August during O-Week. For the latest event dates and information, please visit the New Families Orientation page.

What/When is O-Week?

Orientation Week, better known at Rice as “O-Week,” is a week of activities designed to ease the transition to university life by introducing students and families to campus resources, providing opportunities to meet other first-year students and offering strategies to enhance the college experience. It occurs each year before the fall semester begins. For the latest dates and information, please visit the O-Week page.

Where can I park when visiting campus or attending on-campus events?

Information about parking on campus can be found at parking.rice.edu.

Where can I find a map of the Rice University campus?

Maps of the Rice University campus can be found at rice.edu/campus-maps.

For other questions and more information about Rice events for parents and families, please visit parents.rice.edu/events. The full Rice University events calendar can be found at events.rice.edu.

Financial Aid

How much does it cost to attend Rice University?

Information about the cost to attend Rice University can be found at financialaid.rice.edu/cost-attendance.

Does Rice offer financial aid or scholarships?

Yes, Rice offers both need-based and merit-based financial aid. For more information, please visit financialaid.rice.edu.

How do students apply for financial aid at Rice?

For information about applying for financial aid at Rice, please visit financialaid.rice.edu/apply-aid.

What is the Rice Investment?

We’ve taken a bold step toward making education affordable with our signature financial aid program, The Rice Investment. Through a need-based financial aid package, The Rice Investment grants families in the income ranges listed above either awards that cover full tuition, fees, and room and board; full tuition; or half tuition, depending on total income and assets. We also meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for families that do not fall within the listed income ranges. For more information, please visit financialaid.rice.edu/rice-investment.

Is there a separate application for The Rice Investment?

No, there is not a separate application. To be considered for The Rice Investment, students must complete the standard financial aid application requirements for need-based aid. For more information, please visit financialaid.rice.edu/rice-investment.

For other questions and more information about financial aid and scholarships, please visit financialaid.rice.edu.

Getting Involved

Are there volunteer opportunities for Rice parents and families?

There are many opportunities for Rice parents and families to volunteer. Explore a range of opportunities, including mentoring students, assisting with recruiting events and many other options at volunteer.rice.edu.

Are there mentorship opportunities for Rice parents and families?

Rice parents and families can find mentorship opportunities through the Center for Career Development’s Owl Career Mentors program, including hosting an externship, participating in career panels and helping with resume reviews and other career-related questions. For more information, please visit the mentorship opportunities page.

Are there opportunities for Rice parents and families to support scholarships or other areas on campus by making a gift?

With their unique perspective on the Rice experience, parents are among the university's strongest advocates. In addition to supporting their own students, many parents also contribute philanthropically to Rice to ensure that Owls have every opportunity to learn and lead, both on campus and beyond. For more information, please visit giving.rice.edu/parents.

Staying Connected

How can parents and families stay informed about the latest Rice news and updates?

Rice parents and families will be kept informed about the latest Rice news and updates through the quarterly Parents and Families Newsletter. All parents should automatically receive the newsletter via email beginning in the first fall of your student’s enrollment. If you are not receiving the newsletter and your student is currently enrolled, please check your email’s spam and junk folders. You can also email alumrec@rice.edu with your name, email, student name and student class year to ensure we have your correct email address.

How can I connect with other Rice parents and families?

Rice parents and families can connect with each other via the Rice Parent to Parent Network Facebook group, where parents of current Rice undergraduate students can learn about, share and enjoy some of the many things happening at the university.

I am a new Rice parent. How do we receive New Student Newsletters and information?

Congratulations on your student's acceptance, and welcome to the Rice community! Once your student is committed to Rice, they will be prompted to fill out their parent contact information in their Esther account. this should add you to the parent email distribution list. If you have any questions about parent information ahead of your students first semester or are having difficulty receiving these emails, you can contact oweek@rice.edu.

The Rice Portal

What is the Rice Portal?

The Rice Portal gives alumni, parents and friends access to a variety of online resources to connect with each other and engage with the university. Accessing the Rice Portal requires account registration. Formerly known as Alumni Online Services, all users were asked to create new accounts when the Rice Portal system launched in 2018.

To sign up for your Rice Portal account, visit riceconnect.rice.edu. Please allow 3-5 business days for your account to be activated.

Who has access to the Rice Portal?

All members of the Rice community, including parents, are welcome to create a user account. The content that each user will see will vary, depending on the user’s relationship to the university.

What can parents do in the Rice Portal?

Most Rice Portal users will be able to:

• Stay in touch with the Rice community by updating your contact information and communication preferences. Please note: Updating your contact email address does not automatically update the email address used to access the Rice Portal.
• Expedite your giving and your event registration.
• Navigate to other Rice resources, such as the Rice Parents & Families website.

Some users will have access to additional content depending on their relationship to the university.

How do I access the Rice Portal?

If you already have a Rice Portal account, you can access it at riceconnect.rice.edu. To sign up for your Rice Portal account, visit riceconnect.rice.edu/login and click “New User Registration.” Please allow 3-5 business days for account activation. Users receive a “Welcome to the Rice Portal” email as confirmation of account activation once their relationship to the university is verified. If you do not receive confirmation, please contact us.

We recommend that students and new alumni use a personal, more permanent, email address, not their Rice student address when registering for the Rice Portal. This is because Rice student email addresses expire approximately six months after graduation.

I receive communications from Rice all the time, does that mean I have a Rice Portal account?

No. Contact information for alumni and friends of the university is in OwlConnect, Rice University’s advancement system, which was launched in 2018 and is powered by Blackbaud CRM. Constituents must sign up for Rice Portal access to edit limited details within their database record like contact, spousal or employment information.

I’ve signed up for events or have donated to the university, does that mean I have a Rice Portal account?

No. Rice Portal accounts require registration at riceconnect.rice.edu and remain provisional until verified by our department. Verified users receive a “Welcome to the Rice Portal” email as confirmation of activation.

I signed up for an account — when can I access the Portal?

New users will be given provisional access to the Rice Portal upon registering for an account. Full access will not be granted until that request is processed and the new user’s relationship to the university is verified. Once given full access, users can view and update personal contact information and communication preferences.

How do I change or reset my Rice Portal password?

To reset your Rice Portal password, simply visit riceconnect.rice.edu and click "reset password" under the login button. Please note: You will need to add your Rice Portal email address here (if different than your username). You will then be sent a link to your Rice Portal email address to start the password reset process.

Password requirements:

• Minimum of 12 characters long
• Cannot contain a space or hyphen
• Must contain at least three of the following:
  • Capital letter
  • Lowercase letter
  • Number
  • Special character ( ! @ # $ , % ^ & * _ ) - Warning: The pound symbol (£) is not recognized and should not be used.
• Smart detection will reject versions of previously used passwords and commonly used passwords.

Also, you may need to wait up to 15 minutes after resetting your password to be able to successfully log in. If you're having trouble logging in immediately after resetting your password, please wait 15 minutes and try again.

Please note: your Rice Portal login might be different than your primary email address on file. If you are still experiencing trouble resetting your password, please contact us.

How often do I need to change my Rice Portal password?

Starting in 2022, you will need to reset your password every year. Length and character requirements will be listed when you go to change your password. You will also not be allowed to use any of your previous six passwords.

Also, you may need to wait up to 15 minutes after resetting your password to be able to successfully log in. If you're having trouble logging in immediately after resetting your password, please wait 15 minutes and try again.

I've tried to reset my Rice Portal password and it's not working. What should I do?

If you're having trouble resetting your Rice Portal password, ensure you are using the correct Rice Portal email address, which might be different from your primary email.

Due to Rice Portal security settings, your password reset must also include the following:

• Minimum length of 12 characters
• Must contain one uppercase and one lowercase letter
• Must contain at least one numeric character and one special character (such as $, #, %, *)
• Cannot include your name, username or organization name

We have also found that new passwords fail if they are an iteration of your last six passwords.

Please try again to reset your password with a unique password that meets the above criteria. Also, you may need to wait up to 15 minutes after resetting your password to be able to successfully log in. If you're having trouble logging in immediately after resetting your password, please wait 15 minutes and try again.

If you are still having trouble accessing your account, please contact us.

When resetting my password, the login prompt screen says Blackbaud Internet Solutions. What is this?

Blackbaud Internet Solutions is Rice’s content management system that hosts the Rice Portal. After resetting your password, you will be led to a login page for BlackBaud Internet Solutions. Simply log in using your Rice Portal credentials. You can log onto the Rice Portal and Blackbaud interchangeably.

The Rice Portal says that my browser is not supported. What should I do?

The Rice Portal does not support Internet Explorer. Any other browsers should work. If you are not using Internet Explorer and are still experiencing trouble, please contact us.

More questions about your Rice Portal?

Watch this video to learn how to access key features like the directory, class notes and profile updates, plus get troubleshooting tips to make the most of your portal experience.