Rice University has been continually investing in and expanding its Early Decision program. In fact, in 2024, the private research university located in Houston, Texas, launched an Early Decision II program and welcomed its first set of admits from this new cohort for the Class of 2029 this fall. Has the inauguration of this second Early Decision program come with an increase in applicants? And how has Rice University’s acceptance rate changed as a result? You’ve come to the right place to find out.

A Look Back at the Rice University Class of 2029

The most recently admitted set of Early applicants for which we have data applied to Rice at the highest levels the college has ever recorded. All told, Rice received 2,970 ED I applications and 2,513 ED II applications, for a grand total of 5,483 Early Decision applications. 13.2% and 6% of these students were accepted, respectively. Having drawn the highest volume of hopeful Owls last year, it comes as no surprise that Rice also recorded a record-low combined Early Decision acceptance rate. This figure clocked in at 9.91%, the first time it’s ever dipped into the single digits.

Rice University Early Decision Statistics 8 Years

in the 2023-2024 cycle, for admission to the Class of 2028, 15.32% of Rice’s 2,886 Early Decision applicants (as ED II had not yet been introduced) earned admission. For the Class of 2027, that number is 16.5%. In other words, the introduction of Early Decision II resulted in a decrease in acceptance rate of over 5 percentage points! Statistically speaking, that’s huge. Rice admissions officers are surely patting themselves on the back for having initiated such an advantageous program.

And for those of you who might not share Ivy Coach’s pragmatic cynicism about college admissions, the reason Rice wants to drive down acceptance rates is twofold: more applicants means more application fees (as colleges are businesses, after all), and lower acceptance rates drive US News Rankings, which, in turn, drives institutional prestige. In other words, ED II is a calculated move that has paid off for Rice and could result in a reshuffling of its college rankings come next year.

Below is a breakdown of Rice’s Early Decision admissions statistics over the last 8 years (from the Class of 2022 through the Class of 2029), excluding the recent Class of 2030:

Rice University Class Year	Number of Early Decision Applications	Number of Early Decision Acceptances	Early Decision (I + II for Class of 2029 Onward) Acceptance Rate
Class of 2030	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published	Not Yet Published
Class of 2029	5,483	543	9.91%
Class of 2028	2,886	442	15.32%
Class of 2027	2,953	486	16.5%
Class of 2026	2,275	511	22.5%
Class of 2025	2,635	478	18.14%
Class of 2024	2,042	440	21.55%
Class of 2023	2,628	408	15.53%
Class of 2022	1,916	371	19.36%

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Moving Forward for Deferred or Rejected Rice University Applicants

First off, congratulations to Ivy Coach’s students who earned admission to the Rice Class of 2030! And if you’re a student who applied Early Decision to Rice and were deferred or rejected for admission, you’re likely anxious to tackle the next steps. But now is the time to think strategically and with objectivity.

That’s where we come in. Reach out today to schedule a complimentary consultation and learn about your next steps. Should you have been deferred, we can review your application and help you craft a persuasive Letter of Continued Interest. If you were rejected, we offer a thorough PostMortem application review to help you understand what went wrong.

Once these steps are finished, our team of former elite college admissions officers will guide you through your Regular Decision applications, helping you identify areas for improvement and develop a stronger strategy to maximize your chances of admission.