Cost & financial aid brief
Rice University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Rice University cost after financial aid?
The sticker-to-net gap is substantial: the published cost of $79,788 (an average across living arrangements) falls to an average net price of $13,370 for aid recipients, an offset of $66,418. Aid covers about 83% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The pricing structure across income bands shows the largest discounts concentrated on families with lower incomes. The lowest band (under $30,000) averages $5,827, while the highest band (over $110,000) averages $48,466, a spread of $42,639.
The middle-low band dips to $563, reflecting a pattern where aid nearly eliminates the net price for qualifying families before rising through the upper bands.
The published cost of attendance at Rice University is $79,788 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #112 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $5,827, for those earning $30,001 to $48,000 it is $563, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $3,217, for those earning $75,001 to $110,000 it is $17,755, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $48,466. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $42,639.
Aid covers about 83% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,370, which is $14,001 below the median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $11,000 in federal student loans. That is $13,199 below the peer median of $24,199 at comparable institutions.
About 63.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $35,338 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $125 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
The median federal student debt for Rice University completers is $11,000. This level is below the comparable-institution median of $24,199 by $13,199.
63.5% of federal aid recipients use federal loans. Parent borrowers represent a separate population; their median Parent PLUS loan is $35,338.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported borrowing figures for graduates: 12% borrowed from any source, averaging $26,491 in cumulative principal per borrower. Of those graduates, 11% held federal loans averaging $13,368, including 2% who also carried private loans averaging $61,502.
Four years after completion, the median earnings for Rice University graduates reach $110,080, a figure in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,748 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Azimuth's earnings scenarios for the university's program mix set the typical earnings level at $110,080, with a downside scenario of $50,766 and an upside scenario of $150,199. Among borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $11,000, a balance that is below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The resulting monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $125.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $35,338. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $125.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $35,338
- Estimated parent payment
- $449/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 26.5% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 11.9% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.7% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $11,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $35,338
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $125/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $449/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $574/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $110,080, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
1.7% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.