What GPA do you need to get into Rice?

Among 265 applicants who posted a Rice admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 4.00 and the middle half reported 3.94 to 4.00 (218 reported a GPA). Rice sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.

What SAT score do you need for Rice?

Among 265 applicants who posted a Rice admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,560 and the middle half scored 1,530 to 1,570 (183 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 35.

Does applying early help at Rice?

In these posts, 37% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (23 of 62), against 35% in regular decision (124 of 353). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.

What extracurriculars do Rice admits have?

The most common activity types among admitted posters were nonprofit/service (65%), research (47%), athletics (46%), tutoring/teaching (46%). 91% held at least one leadership role and 83% listed a national or international award.

What is the Rice acceptance rate?

The official rate is published by Rice in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.

College admissions data

How to get into Rice

What 265 admitted applicants actually had: their grades, test scores, activities, awards and intended majors, counted from 835 Rice results that students posted for the 2016 to 2026 cycles. Every number below is counted, not estimated.

Applying to Rice? Book a free call with a Specialist to see how your student’s file compares.

Rice admits by the numbers

Median unweighted GPA

4.00

Middle half 3.94 to 4.00

Median SAT

1,560

Middle half 1,530 to 1,570

Median ACT

Middle half 34 to 36

Median weighted GPA

4.61

Middle half 4.40 to 4.80

Results posted: 265 admitted, 363 rejected, 207 waitlisted. People who post results are a self-selected group, so this is not the Rice acceptance rate; the official rate is in Rice’s Common Data Set.

Admitted vs. rejected: grades are not the difference

Median	Admitted	Rejected
Unweighted GPA	4.00	3.90
SAT	1,560	1,520
ACT	35	34

When the rejected applicants’ numbers sit this close to the admitted ones, the decision was made somewhere else in the file: the activities, the essays and the letters. That is where the rest of this page looks.

What Rice admits did outside class

Share of admitted applicants listing at least one activity of each type.

Nonprofit/Service65%
Research47%
Athletics46%
Tutoring/Teaching46%
STEM club/competition43%
Music39%
Internship36%
Work/Job35%

Held a leadership role

91%

Founded something

46%

National or intl. award

83%

Did research

47%

Early vs. regular decision at Rice

Early (62 results)37%
Regular (353 results)35%

Share of posters in each round who were admitted. Early applicants are a different group (often stronger and more certain), so read this as a description of these posts, not as odds.

Intended majors of Rice admits

Engineering17%
Computer Science17%
Economics10%
Political Science9%
Biology6%
Business6%

Who got in

Of the admitted posters, 11% first-generation, 15% low income, 20% underrepresented minority, 8% legacy, 1% recruited athlete and 10% international. Of those who said where they enrolled, 24% chose Rice.

Three recent Rice admits

2026 cycle · RD · Math
Pure math researcher and debate captain who co-leads a voting-access foundation and founded a chess club.
GPA 4.00 UW · ACT 36 · Original post
2026 cycle · RD · Biology
Microbiology researcher who discovered a new virus, with debate captaincy and political canvassing experience.
GPA 4.00 UW · ACT 36 · Original post
2026 cycle · Economics
Debate-focused student with public speaking coaching, nonprofit vocational-school work abroad, and law-related research.
GPA 4.00 UW · SAT 1550 · Original post

Where else Rice admits got in

Rice admissions questions

What GPA do you need to get into Rice?: Among 265 applicants who posted a Rice admission on r/collegeresults, the median unweighted GPA was 4.00 and the middle half reported 3.94 to 4.00 (218 reported a GPA). Rice sets no minimum GPA; these are what admitted posters reported.
What SAT score do you need for Rice?: Among 265 applicants who posted a Rice admission on r/collegeresults, the median SAT was 1,560 and the middle half scored 1,530 to 1,570 (183 reported an SAT). The median ACT was 35.
Does applying early help at Rice?: In these posts, 37% of early applicants who reported a result were admitted (23 of 62), against 35% in regular decision (124 of 353). Early pools differ in who applies, so this is a description, not a promise.
What extracurriculars do Rice admits have?: The most common activity types among admitted posters were nonprofit/service (65%), research (47%), athletics (46%), tutoring/teaching (46%). 91% held at least one leadership role and 83% listed a national or international award.
What is the Rice acceptance rate?: The official rate is published by Rice in its Common Data Set. These pages do not compute one: people who post results are a self-selected group, so the share of admits among them is far higher than the real rate.

Applying to Rice?

A Specialist who got into a school like Rice can read your student’s file against these numbers and say where it stands out and where it doesn’t.

Book a free call

Source: self-reported results posts on r/collegeresults, each linked from our Database, counted across the 2016 to 2026 cycles with transfer applicants excluded. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with Rice. All colleges