Special Populations Resources & Information

Non-Traditional

We understand that some applicants have a non-standard high school experience or chose to postpone pursuing undergraduate education for a variety of reasons. This may include joining the workforce, taking a gap year(s) for religious endeavors or self-discovery, caring for personal health or family, etc. Rice welcomes all students to apply, regardless of the path taken before or after high school.

Our admission process is highly selective and an applicant's ability to academically succeed at Rice is a significant part of our evaluation. We also want to assure you that we practice holistic review so we will consider your accomplishments and strengths based on your specific context and the opportunities that you have been afforded.

Please consider the following:

• Determine if you are a first year or transfer applicant and follow the appropriate requirements and deadlines.
• Utilize the application to share more about your chosen path
• We will be evaluating your academic abilities based on your most recent academic coursework. If you have been out of school for more than two years, you may want to consider taking some college coursework and applying as a transfer student.

Early Graduates

Students who have chosen to accelerate their high school education and graduate in less than 4 years will be reviewed with all other first year applicants. In the application, we expect students who are graduating early to explain their reasons for choosing that path.

Please consider the following:

• Choosing to graduate early does not give a student an advantage in the admission review process.
• We will still look to see how you have maximized the academic and extracurricular opportunities available to you. We do not encourage students to graduate early at the expense of taking rigorous coursework or engaging in sustained activities.
• If a student will be less than 17 years old at the start of college, their age will be considered as a part of our holistic review.

Visiting Students

Visiting Undergraduate Students (Academic Year)

Current undergraduate students interested in taking courses for credit at Rice to be applied toward their undergraduate degree at another school can apply for admission as a visiting student during the academic year. Applicants should have a clear vision of the courses they want to take and often have already worked with members of the Rice community. Visiting students attend Rice as full-time students for an entire academic year (two semesters) and are members of one of the residential colleges during their stay. Visiting students are not registered as candidates for a Rice degree. Students who have earned fewer than 12 credit hours (one semester) of completed college work are not eligible to apply. Students under the visiting student program who wish to transfer must leave Rice for at least one semester prior to applying for transfer admission.

If you are interested in becoming a visiting student, please contact the Office of Admission for more information.

Visiting Undergraduate Students (Summer)

The process for students interested in taking courses for credit during the summer at Rice is managed by the Office of the Registrar. Learn more about how to apply at https://visitingstudents.rice.edu/.

Military/Veteran

Rice welcomes and provides assistance to support both military and military dependents during the admission and financial aid process. When preparing your application, first determine if you are a first year or transfer applicant and follow the appropriate requirements and deadlines.

Additional resources can be found here:

• Rice’s Veterans Education Benefits page (for programs such as the Hazelwood Act or the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill)
• Rice’s Veteran Affairs Representative is Alicia Bradley who can be reached at 713-348-8034 or abrad@rice.edu.
• Financial Aid for Veterans at Rice
• Rice’s Disability Resource Center can be reached at 713-348-5841 or adarice@rice.edu.

Athletes

To learn more about how to play on a Division I Athletics team at Rice, please visit the Rice Owls Athletics page. You can also contact Athletics at 713-348-6957 or email riceathletics@rice.edu.

Home School

Rice welcomes applications from students who have been homeschooled. Homeschooled students have the same application requirements and review process as all first year applicants, and are expected to complete the same curriculum requirements as students from traditional high schools. To ensure our evaluation process is fully informed, each homeschooled applicant is encouraged to provide clear, detailed documentation of their curriculum, assessment tools and learning experiences. You are welcome to submit a curriculum description and list of educational texts and materials used.

Letters of Recommendation

Rice requires all applicants, including those who have been homeschooled, to submit the School Report (Counselor Letter of Recommendation) and two Teacher Letters of Recommendation. Of the three required letters of recommendation, at least two must be completed by someone not related to the student.

Transcripts

We understand that your transcript may look different than those from a traditional high school. However, please note that your transcript must include a full list of courses by grade level and performance indicators (such as letter grades or GPA).

If you have completed coursework at one or more traditional high schools, colleges, or universities, you are required to submit an official transcript from each institution.

DACA/Undocumented

Rice University welcomes all applicants, and considers candidates for undergraduate admission without regard to nationality or citizenship, including undocumented students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status at the time of admission and those without DACA status who have studied in the U.S. for a minimum of 5 years, who have or will graduate from a U.S. high school and who have lived in the U.S. for an extended period of time.

Undocumented students who have been granted DACA status at the time of admission and undocumented students who do not hold DACA status but have or will graduate from a U.S. high school and who have lived in the U.S. for an extended period of time are considered domestic students. For domestic students, Rice University practices need-blind admissions and meets the full demonstrated financial need of admitted students through a combination of scholarship awards, work study and available loans.

For more information, please visit the DACA page.

Rice University welcomes applications from students who are under Temporary Protected Status. Students who have obtained Temporary Protected Status are considered international candidates for admission and financial aid consideration. More information regarding Rice admission and financial aid policies for international students may be found here.

US Asylee/Refugee

Rice University welcomes applications from students who have been granted U.S. Asylee/Refugee status. Students who have obtained the U.S. Asylee/Refugee status are considered domestic candidates for admission and financial aid consideration. Rice University practices need-blind admission and meets the full demonstrated financial need of admitted domestic students through a combination of scholarship awards and work study.

Temporary Protected Status

Rice University welcomes applications from students who are under Temporary Protected Status. Students who have obtained Temporary Protected Status are considered international candidates for admission and financial aid consideration. More information regarding Rice admission and financial aid policies for international students may be found here.

ROTC

The Rice Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps or NROTC unit was established in 1941. To date, this proud program has commissioned over 965 young men and women into the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. The unit consists of students from Rice University, Texas Southern University, and the University of Houston. The unit is part of the NROTC Houston Consortium along with a companion unit located at Prairie View A&M University. Visit the Rice Naval ROTC page for more information about the NROTC scholarship and program.

Visit the Air Force ROTC page & Army ROTC page for more information about these programs offered in collaboration with University of Houston.

FAQS

Please view here.