For the application year 2024, Rice University has an overall acceptance rate of 8%, with 32,473 applicants and 2,597 accepted. The Early Action acceptance rates remain unavailable, while the Regular Decision rate is also 8%, with the same number of applicants and acceptances. In terms of transfer admissions, Rice has a rate of 6.9% this year, accepting 102 out of 1,473 applicants. The waitlist acceptance rate stands at 3.1%, with 122 out of 3,920 offered spots gaining admission. Notably, recent historical acceptance rates show a slight decline from 9.5% in 2021 to the current 8%.

Rice University's overall acceptance rate for the application year 2024 stands at 8.0%, with 32,473 applicants and 2,597 admitted. This marks a slight increase from 7.9% in 2023, when 31,059 applied and 2,447 were accepted. Looking further back, the acceptance rate has generally declined over the years, dropping from 11.1% in 2018 to just 5.7% in 2019, before stabilizing in recent years. These figures indicate a trend of increasing competitiveness among applicants, with the overall acceptance rate decreasing from 16.0% in 2015 to the current 8.0%.
For the application year 2024, Rice University had a wait list acceptance rate of 3.1%, with 3,920 students offered a spot and 122 ultimately accepted. This represents a significant increase compared to the previous year (2023), which saw an acceptance rate of only 0.2% with just 7 out of 3,935 students admitted. The trend over the past few years shows considerable volatility; for instance, the acceptance rate was 5% in 2020 but dropped to 0% in 2022. This variability highlights the unpredictable nature of the wait list process at Rice.
Rice University’s transfer acceptance rate for the application year 2024 is 6.9%, with 1,473 applicants leading to 102 admissions. This marks a significant increase from 4.5% in the prior year (2023) when 1,370 students applied and only 61 were accepted. Historical data shows a volatile trend in acceptance rates, peaking at 12.4% in 2020 and dropping to as low as 3.7% for the application year 2021. Overall, while the acceptance rate has improved recently, competition remains fierce among a growing pool of applicants.
| Race | Applicants |
|---|---|
| Asian American | 29.03% |
| White | 25.54% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 16.65% |
| Black/African American | 7.87% |
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 0.15% |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.06% |