• Application Form
• Application Fee
• Letters of Evaluation
• Transcripts
• GPA requirements
• GRE Scores
• TOEFL and IELTS Requirements
• Additional Requirements

APPLICATION FORMS

A nonrefundable application fee in a check drawn on an U.S. bank or money order (not cash), made payable to Rice University must accompany each application. The fee is forty U.S. dollars (U.S. $40.00) and non-refundable. Please note that, for applications sent by mail (as opposed to those sent electronically), payment by credit card is not accepted.

The application fee is required of all applicants, including foreign students. We recognize that some foreign students may have difficulty with currency exchange. Payment of the fee cannot be deferred until time of enrollment. The application can be processed ONLY when the application fee has been received. The check must be payable through a U.S. bank, which must be noted on the front of the check; we can also accept an international money order. Sometimes an applicant will ask a U.S. friend or relative to submit the fee on his/her behalf; however, be sure that the applicant's name and department are clearly indicated on the front of the check. We cannot accept credit card payment for applications sent by mail (as opposed to those sent electronically). In addition, we do not accept any copies of GRE/TOFEL score reports. WE ONLY ACCEPT OFFICIAL GRE/TOEFL SCORES FROM ETS. Please make arrangements with ETS to send your official scores to Rice University.

Your letters of evaluation should be written by people best qualified to testify to your capacity for graduate work in your area of study. Have your letters sent directly to the department you're applying to, or include them in signed and sealed envelopes with the rest of your application materials when you send the completed package to the department.

Transcripts should be official and in confidential, signed-across-the-seal envelopes provided to you by the registrar of each institution, undergraduate and graduate, which you have attended. If your school will not provide you directly with an official copy of your transcript, then ask them to send it to the department. You may also wish to send an unofficial copy, for temporary use only.

NOTE TO FOREIGN APPLICANTS: The academic records we refer to as transcripts should provide a listing, year-by-year, of all courses taken and the grade or marks received for each one. It is helpful to have the grading scale of the institution and the student's rank in class included when such information is available. Transcripts must bear an official signature in ink of the appropriate official of your institution(s), such as the registrar or recorder of records, and must bear the institutional seal. If your college or university will not provide original official academic documents, exact copies that have been verified as "Certified True Copies" by the appropriate institutional official of each institution that you have attended should be sent. Uncertified photocopies are not acceptable. To be considered, all documents not in English must be accompanied by official English translations. These translations must bear an original ink signature and seal, and translations alone will not be acceptable.

In general, applicants should have at least a 3.0(B) grade point average in their undergraduate work.

Some departments at Rice University require scores on the aptitude portion of the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) or the GMAT(Graduate Management Admissions Test) as an appropriate advanced test; these should be sent directly to the admitting department.

Be sure to take the GRE in time for official scores to reach us by the February 1 deadline. For further information on the GRE and registration forms, please contact the Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6000 USA, telephone (609) 771-7670, or visit the GRE website at http://www.gre.org.

NOTE TO FOREIGN APPLICANTS: We realize that language and cultural differences may affect the GRE scores of foreign students, particularly if the student's native language is not English. This is taken into consideration when such students' applications are evaluated. The scores are nevertheless required and must come directly from the Educational Testing Service.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test is required for any student whose native language is not English, regardless of whether or not you have attended another U.S. institution. The TOEFL is administered through the Educational Testing Service, Box 6151, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6151 USA [telephone (609) 771-7100]. You can also send an e-mail to toefl@ets.org or at a center in your native country.

Students whose native language is not English may also use the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). IELTS is owned, developed and delivered through the partnership of the British Council, IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations. You can get more information about the IELTS at http://www.ielts.org or send an e-mail to ielts@ieltsintl.org

Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL test and should score at least 90 on the internet-based TOEFL, at least 600 on the paper-based TOEFL or score 250 on the computer-based TOEFL. For students who choose to take the IELTS in lieu of TOEFL, the minimum score is 7.

The TOEFL and the IELTS may be waived for an international student who received a degree from a university in which English is the official language of communication.

Each department determines whether applicants have enough preparation to enter a given program, emphasizing the quality of a candidate's preparation rather than a particular academic program completed or credits earned.

Applicants for admission to graduate study must contact the appropriate department for additional admission requirements.

See ALL departments offering Graduate Programs