Tuition, Fees and Expenses

Tuition and fees for all graduate students for academic year 2023-2024:

Tuition & Fees

Graduate Programs     

Part-Time Students

Part-time enrollment refers to enrollment of less than 9 credits during a semester. Students seeking part-time enrollment must obtain approval from the Office of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies. Part-time enrollment tuition is calculated on the per-credit rate. Students not approved for part-time enrollment will be assessed the full-time enrollment tuition charge.

Reduced Tuition Rate

Rates for Students Studying Abroad

Away Status

Graduate students pursuing studies outside of the Houston area (such as an internship, following an advisor to another university but still getting degree from Rice, etc.) for more than 51% of a given semester, must be registered and pay tuition but are not required to pay fees, with the exception of students in the School of Humanities. Humanities students must pay the Humanities GSA Fee.

Course Fees

Courses with additional charges are provided on the Course Schedule. In some cases the associated charges may be in lieu of Rice tuition and/or required fees.

Other Optional Fees

The following charges are separate from the regular fees. Charges due to late registration or course changes made after the deadline are described in the Registration section.

Billing Information

Rice University uses an electronic billing system, commonly referred to as eBILL.  Each month, current term enrolled students will receive an email notification from Rice_Cashier@rice.edu, informing them of a newly published statement, along with instructions on how to view the statement within ESTHER.

Term payments are due in full based on the following schedule.  Students may enroll in a deferred payment plan where the first installment is due on the following schedule:

Late Payments

Student accounts not paid in full (or whose payment plan is not current) by the billing due date will be subject to a 1.5% late fee. Late fees are calculated based on the amount past due. Students experiencing difficulty with paying their balance should contact the Cashier's Office promptly to discuss payment options.

Delinquent Accounts

Rice University reserves the right to block or cancel the registration of any student who fails to pay, when due, any indebtedness to the institution.

Academic credits, transcripts, and diplomas will be withheld until all financial obligations are paid in full.

Tuition Adjustments & Credit Balances

Tuition and Fee Reversal for Withdrawals and Drops

University Withdrawals 

Students officially withdrawing from all courses are eligible for a 100% reversal of tuition and fees through the deadlines listed on the Academic Calendar by semester.

Students officially withdrawing from all courses after the 100% reversal of tuition and fee deadline are eligible for a partial reversal of tuition. Fees are not reversed. Consult the Academic Calendar for specific tuition refund prorations based on the date of withdrawal. 

Dropped Courses

Students dropping individual course(s) after the 100% tuition reversal period will not be eligible for a refund and will remain liable for payment of full tuition and fee charges though certain exceptions may apply, outlined in the Registration Drop/Add section. Non-attendance does not constitute an official course drop or withdrawal. All charges due to Rice University must be paid before refunds or adjustments will be permitted.

In cases of academic or disciplinary suspension, eligibility for tuition refunds and adjustments will depend on the conditions of the suspension and will be entirely at the option of the institution.  Should circumstances beyond the reasonable control of Rice University result in curtailing classes, moving classes online, closing residence facilities, or otherwise withdrawing services that are a normal function of the institution, refunds of any nature will be at the discretion of university administration. 

Financial Aid

In addition to the university's reversal schedule and in accordance with the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, if a student completely withdraws from the university and has utilized Federal Title IV funds (e.g. Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant [SEOG], Academic Competitiveness Grant, National SMART Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Stafford Student Loan, Federal Direct PLUS, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS) during the semester in which they withdraw, the university will observe the federally mandated process in determining what, if any amount of money must be returned to the federal program(s).

The calculation of the return of funds may result in the student owing a balance to the university and/or the Department of Education.

Credit Balance Refunds

Student account credits resulting from excess Federal Financial Aid payments, scholarship payments, and loan payments are automatically refunded by the Cashier’s Office; however, there may be certain circumstances where credits on student accounts occur that may not be automatically refunded. Reversed charges, over payments, tuition waivers, and other varying factors may lead to a credit balance on a student account. 

For those credits not automatically refunded, students may request disbursement of the credit balance through email to cashier@rice.edu.

Credit Balance Refund Delivery

Direct deposit funds are issued to students that are enrolled in Electronic Refunds. For students not enrolled in Electronic Refunds, refund checks are issued and mailed directly from JP Morgan Chase to the student mailing address on record.

Student Financial Responsibility Agreement

Before enrollment for a new semester can occur, students must consent to a Student Financial Responsibility Agreement.