Rice University Outcomes: $110K Median Earnings (2026)

How much do Rice University graduates earn?

The reported median is $110,080 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $41,830 per year.

Azimuth ranks Rice University #8 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $10,748 more than expects for similar students, a level in the 85th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,012. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $736.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $7,840. Four years after completion, completers at the university earn a median of $110,080, in the 98th percentile.

That figure runs above the peer median of $68,250 by $41,830 among comparable institutions (same type and size).

The earnings scenarios at Rice University span from a downside of $50,766 to an upside of $150,199 four years after completion. That spread reflects the variation in outcomes across the university's nine programs with published earnings data.

The highest-earning programs sit at the upper end of that range. Graduates from Computer and Information Sciences earn a median of $182,443, while Electrical Engineering completers reach $136,656 and Economics completers reach $129,575.

An estimated 35.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

Median earnings · four years after completion: $110,080
Rank for difference from expectations: 85th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

Rice University reported median: $110,080
Peer schools comparable schools · $41,830 below Rice University: $68,250
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $10,748 below Rice University: $99,332

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How many Rice University first-year students return?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

Returned the following fall: 96.8%

Source: Rice University Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention.

How could earnings differ from the median?

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

Lower estimate: $50,766
Median · reported: $110,080
Higher estimate: $150,199

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do Rice University graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

Rice University graduates’ reported earnings are $10,748 above that expectation, the 85th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Rice University caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

Which fields at Rice University report the highest earnings?

The highest-earning programs at Rice University are concentrated in engineering and computing, and the largest program is also the best-paid one. Computer and Information Sciences awards 121 degrees a year, and its graduates earn a median of $182,443 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #4 nationally in its field. Engineering fields show strong but more varied returns.

Electrical Engineering graduates earn $136,656 from 49 degrees awarded. Mechanical Engineering graduates earn $108,970 from 60 degrees awarded, and Azimuth ranks it #13 in its field.

Away from engineering, Economics is the third-largest program with published earnings at 75 degrees awarded and median earnings of $129,575. Azimuth ranks it #21 nationally and #1 in Texas.

Kinesiology and Physical Education awards 104 degrees and ranks #1 nationally, with earnings of $87,404.

Engineering leads the degree profile at Rice University, accounting for 15.8% of degrees awarded, ahead of Social Sciences at 12.2% and Biological Sciences at 11.3%. Azimuth ranks 6 programs nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions, with earnings data across 9 fields.

Kinesiology and Physical Education ranks #1 nationally in its field, with 104 degrees awarded and median earnings of $87,404 four years after completion. Computer and Information Sciences is the largest program at 121 degrees a year and also the highest-earning; completers earn $182,443 and it ranks #4 nationally.

Chemical Engineering ranks #10 nationally, with 25 degrees awarded and median earnings of $113,605. Mechanical Engineering sits at #13 nationally, with 60 degrees and earnings of $108,970.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $50,766, a typical outcome of $110,080, and an upside of $150,199. The spread reflects the range of fields at the university: among the largest programs, Computer and Information Sciences reaches $182,443 four years after completion, while Kinesiology and Physical Education sits at $87,404.

Four years after completion, Rice University graduates earn a median of $110,080, a figure that sits in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort includes 646 completers, and graduates earn about $10,748 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical return of $110,080, with a lower-bound outcome of $50,766 and an upper-bound outcome of $150,199. An estimated 35.8% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a share derived from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

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.