Rice University
PA-8: Affordability and Access

Rice University is a need-blind institution and committed to meeting 100 percent of its prospective student’s need. Thus, when students apply for financial aid, if they are eligible, Rice will provide 100 percent of the difference between the student’s estimated family contribution (EFC), and the cost of attending the University. Rice accomplishes this through a combination of grants, loans and Work-Study. The Work-Study program is an opportunity given to low-income students in order to minimize their cost of attendance. More specifically, federal Work-Study is a part-time employment program for students who have demonstrated financial need according to eligibility criteria set forth by the federal government. Students are limited to earning the dollar amount shown on their award letter.

Rice offers a number of programs to prepare students from low-income backgrounds for higher education, most notably Project GRAD and QuestBridge: (1) Project GRAD: Initiated in 2001, Rice University's campus is one of the Houston sites for the Project GRAD Summer Academy. Project GRAD is a school-community collaborative in the Houston Independent School District to improve the instructional quality and culture of at-risk feeder systems of schools. The program serves 64 schools and over 44,000 economically disadvantaged children. The mission of Project GRAD's scholarship program is to increase the graduation and college attendance rates of disadvantaged inner-city students in Houston through summer institutes, teacher and staff training, strong parental involvement, and enhanced curricula. The Rice University Project GRAD Advanced Summer Mathematics Academy is a summer program designed to ensure the success of students in advanced mathematics courses, while exposing them to a selective university atmosphere. Rice faculty and staff offer a three-week Advanced Mathematics Institute, Nanochemistry Institute, and Summer Business Institute during the summer to expose underserved minority students to diverse academic/career paths. To further help support the high school students’ transition to college and put them on footing with more advantaged peers, Rice offers its resources—pioneering research faculty, state-of-the art laboratories and science institutes, and innovative educational and support programs—to the Project GRAD College Institutes. (2) QuestBridge: Rice University is a partner college of QuestBridge, a powerful platform bridging the nation's brightest, under-served youth and leading institutions of higher education and further opportunities. QuestBridge provides a single, internet-based meeting point which links exceptional students with colleges, scholarship providers, enrichment programs employers, and organizations seeking students who have excelled despite obstacles. As a partner of QuestBridge, Rice University aims to increase the percentage of talented low-income students attending the University. Specifically, QuestBridge offers the “College Prep Scholarship” which prepares low-income students for the college admissions process and equips them with practical knowledge on how to gain admission to the nation’s leading colleges and universities.

As previously mentioned, Rice is committed to meeting 100 percent of its prospective student’s financial need. Thus, Rice awards need-based awards to all students who demonstrate this need. Rice accomplishes this through a combination of grants, loans and Work-Study. The following are just a few of the types of scholarship aid that the university provides for low-income students who demonstrate financial need: Grants: (1) Rice Tuition Grant: funding awarded to students with unmet institutional need-based financial aid eligibility after the awards below have been added. Rice ensures that a student's unmet financial need is entirely covered through various financial aid types. (2) Federal or State Grants: grants that are provided by the federal or state governments based on a student’s demonstrated financial need. For example: (a) Pell Grants: For the 2014-2015 aid year, undergraduate students with a federal Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $5157 or less may be eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant. The amount of each grant is determined by the student's EFC. These funds are provided by the federal government and are available to you as long as you qualify. (b) Tuition Equalization Grants (TEGs): Students from Texas may qualify for a Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG). These funds are limited and are awarded to undergraduate students with the highest need on a first-come, first-served basis. Loans: (1) The Direct Subsidized Loan: A need-based loan with a fixed interest rate. The government pays the interest subsidy while the student is enrolled at least half-time. Repayment begins after the 6-month grace period when the student graduates, withdraws, or drops below half-time enrollment. (2) Federal Perkins Loan: The Federal Perkins loan is a campus-based federally subsidized loan program awarded to students with exceptional need who are enrolled at least half-time.

As part of the recruiting process, Rice communicates with parents. Specifically, Rice utilizes a resource offered by the College Board and ACT whereby Universities are able to purchase the names and addresses of students who participated in a test sponsored by one of these organizations. Rice is then able to select parameters, such as test scores, race, and income, so as to receive the names and addresses of a select group of students to recruit. By doing so, Rice is able to specifically target high-scoring, low-income students. These students then receive an email from Rice which informs them that they were found through the College Board search process. It instructs them to fill out a form on Rice’s website in order to find more information and receive email updates from Rice’s mailing list. The form specifically asks for parent’s email address, which Rice then uses to contact parents directly. This is just one way that Rice is able to directly guide parents through the higher education application process and experience.

Rice participates in a number of targeted outreach initiatives to recruit students from low-income backgrounds: (1) VISION: VISION is a program in which students who are academically talented and ethnically diverse explore the opportunities available at Rice. Many of these students are often low-income, and are selectively chosen to experience Rice firsthand. These students attend classes, meet professors, tour campus facilities, and have dinner with Rice faculty and alumni. (2) Seeking Opportunities at Rice (S.O.A.R): S.O.A.R is a fly-in program hosted by the Office of Admission. S.O.A.R. is an invitation-only program offered to a select number of prospective students. During the program, students will gain insight into Rice through a variety of activities, including staying on campus with current students, attending the Explore Rice prospective student event, attending classes, and interacting with faculty and staff across campus. Rice works with community based organizations such as “A Better Chance” and “QuestBridge” to compile a list of prospective students to invite to attend S.O.A.R. In doing so, Rice ensures that they are targeting students from low-income backgrounds.

Because Rice University automatically meets 100 percent of its prospective student’s need, there is no need for other admissions policies or programs.

Because Rice University automatically meets 100 percent of its prospective student’s need, there is no need for other financial aid policies or programs.

(1) Rice Children’s Campus: Operated by the Center for Early Childhood Education, the Rice Children’s Campus is one of Houston’s premier early learning facilities serving the children of Rice University faculty, staff and students, age birth through five. Located on the west end of Rice University Campus, the Children’s Campus is committed to providing the best possible educational experiences for the children in its care and offers a rich curriculum grounded in the work of Maria Montessori. (2) YMCA-Texas Medical Center: Rice community members who are benefits-eligible faculty, benefits-eligible staff, graduate students, or undergraduate students will have no child care application fees, and Rice has five child care slots reserved at the center. Just let the YMCA staff know that you are a Rice community member, and the application fee should be waived.

The percentage of entering students that are low-income: 14% for 13-14 The graduation/success rate for low-income students: 91% for the 2007 FTFT graduating within 6 years The percentage of student financial need met, on average: 68%, this reflects an average need based packaged ($38,942) divided by the Cost of Attendance ($57188) for 13-14 The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt: 72% for the 2007 FTFT graduating within 6 years. 28% borrowed during their time at Rice.