The residential college system lies at the core of the Rice undergraduate experience. All new students are assigned to one of nine residential units, or colleges, and each college houses approximately 250 students. Your college is your "home base" during your time at Rice. The colleges serve not only as residence halls, but each college functions as a self-supporting community, boasting its own student government, budget, sports teams, and dining facilities. Colleges also have recreational lounges, libraries, computer labs, laundry rooms and outdoor courtyards for sports and entertainment. Assignments to colleges are random, and as a result, the colleges are very diverse and egalitarian institutions.
In addition to the residential college system, Rice also supports over 200 student clubs and organizations. Student groups range from community service organizations to performing arts, political interest groups, religious organizations, and hobby-oriented clubs.
Every undergraduate at Rice is given a Passport to Houston which provides free, unlimited use of the METRORail and bus system, free access to the Museum of Fine Arts, the Houston Zoo, and many other entertainment and cultural venues in Houston. Rice’s campus is located just a mile from downtown Houston and the Theater District, and the campus is literally across the street from the Museum District, the Texas Medical Center, and the Rice Village shopping center, home to over 400 shops and restaurants.
Learn about the issues that are important to Rice students, and get a sense of the unique character of campus life by checking out Rice’s student newspaper The Rice Thresher.
Princeton Review's 2009 Best 371 College Rankings:
