Rice University is a major research university that grows more prestigious and highly selective with each admissions cycle. Many hopeful students across the country try to get into Rice each year, but only a few succeed. For example, for admission to the Rice Class of 2028, only 8% of undergraduate applicants wound up with a letter of acceptance, a rate comparable to many of the top schools in the world! What has Rice’s response been to this growing popularity? In a move that some may view as strong leadership while others may interpret as opportunistic, Rice has seized the moment by making increasing the university’s size a major plank of its Vision for the Second Century, Second Decade (V2C2) Initiative. 

In a 2016 press release, Rice leadership shared the following updates on the progress of this campaign: 

We must increase the size of the university to realize more fully our ambition as an institution of national and international distinction that attracts the very best students and researchers from around the globe.

Rice has not only increased the size, but also the diversity, of our student body. We grew from about 2,900 to about 3,800 undergraduates and increased graduate student enrollment by a similar amount for a total of about 6,600 students. Rice is now a community where there is no majority demographic group. Our annual undergraduate applicant pool has more than doubled in the past 10 years with a shift in the admittance rate from 24 percent in 2006 to 15 percent for the class that entered in fall 2016.

Does the enrollment data back up these grandiose assertions? Let’s find out:

Percent Change in Rice University Class Size, 2008 – 2024

Rice University Graduating Class	Total Undergraduate Class Size	Total Graduate Class Size	Total Class Size	Percent Change in Undergraduate Class Size from Prior Year
Class of 2028	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2027	4574	3982	8556	1.78%
Class of 2026	4494	4178	8672	5.82%
Class of 2025	4247	4038	8285	4.20%
Class of 2024	4076	3567	7643	2.18%
Class of 2023	3989	3293	7282	-0.08%
Class of 2022	3992	3132	7124	-0.22%
Class of 2021	4001	3021	7022	2.77%
Class of 2020	3893	2962	6855	-0.43%
Class of 2019	3910	2809	6719	-0.41%
Class of 2018	3926	2695	6621	-0.98%
Class of 2017	3965	2663	6628	3.04%
Class of 2016	3848	2636	6484	2.48%
Class of 2015	3755	2469	6224	6.40%
Class of 2014	3529	2350	5879	6.33%
Class of 2013	3319	2344	5663	5.23%
Class of 2012	3154	2302	5456	N/A

Before 2012, Rice University did indeed experience breathtaking growth in its undergraduate student body. However, and perhaps counterintuitively, Rice’s growth stagnated when the V2C2 initiative honed in on campus size. From 2012 to 2019, Rice’s undergraduate class size declined yearly or remained roughly the same. In fact, only 24 additional undergraduates could be found on campus in 2019 compared to 2012! No wonder class size has become such a big issue on campus!

Since 2019, Rice has primarily made up for these losses with an average annual growth rate of 3.49%. Not bad! Overall, between the Class of 2012 and the Class of 2027, 1,420 additional undergraduate slots were introduced into the student body, bolstered by new residential spaces — Duncan and McMurty Colleges. Well done, Rice!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With Rice Acceptance

Despite their increased carrying capacity, admissions officers at Rice have not used this growth to raise the acceptance rate, which underscores the increasing difficulty that the average student faces when applying to this elite university.

Fortunately, Ivy Coach’s team of former elite college admissions officers knows how to help students make it past the watchful eyes of Rice admissions officers and onto this ever-expanding campus. If you would like our help optimizing your child’s odds of admission to Rice with a highly competitive singular hook, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.