Building the future From the cover
Zooming in
The big picture
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To support the university’s growing student population, Rice has also expanded multiple on-campus facilities, including the Cannady Hall for Architecture, which opened in late 2024; the Ralph S. O’Connor Building for Engineering and Science, which opened in 2023; and the Susan and Fayez Saro m Hall, which opened in September. The university also broke ground this year on a new student center complex. A Moody Center Complex for Student Life The building will serve as a dynamic hub for student activities. • Size: 75,000 square feet • Cost: $115 million • Timeline: May 2025-2027 • Features: Large programming pavilion, cafe, meeting rooms, study areas B Susan and Fayez Saro m Hall The building is a new home for the visual arts at Rice University, serving as a gateway into campus and a hub for cross-disciplinary practice. • Size: 83,000 square feet • Cost: $76 million • Timeline: Opened in September • Features: A cinema, performance lab spaces, adaptable classrooms, indoor and outdoor workshops
Rice University has experienced signi cant enrollment growth in the last few years, increasing its average undergraduate student body population by 14.7% since the 2019-20 school year and its graduate program by 20.9%. According to a report by Rice University in early 2025, ve years ago, the campus’s undergraduate population was around 4,000. University o cials said the campus intended to grow its undergraduate program to 4,800 students by 2028. However, due to the recent jump in enrollment, the university extended its growth trajectory to approximately 5,200 undergraduate students by 2028, about a 30% increase since 2020. Rice o cials are also looking to increase the current graduate student population from 4,100 to 4,700 for close to 10,000 overall students by fall 2028. “As we expand access, we are committed to preserving what makes Rice special—the culture of care, a commitment to excellence, a low student-to-faculty ratio and our close- knit community,” Rice University President Reginald DesRoches said in an April news release. The private research institution has also become more competitive, with a university report showing around 11% of applicants were accepted in 2020. In fall 2024, about 8% of applicants were admitted. In the most recent application cycle, a record of 36,700 prospective freshmen applied to the university, surpassing the University of Houston’s 33,000 applicants for the fall 2024 class, according to a UH report.
The Moody Center Complex is being designed by the architecture rm Olson Kundig.
RENDERING COURTESY OLSON KUNDIG
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The building is designed by Diller Sco dio + Renfro, helmed by Rice alumnus Charles Renfro.
RENDERING COURTESY DILLER SCOFIDIO + RENFRO
The Arc, which is slated to open in early 2028, will function as a research space. According to the announcement, Rice will be a lead tenant of the building, occupying almost 30,000 square feet of o ce and lab space for its faculty and students. Rice’s cross-disciplinary research at the Ion District will focus on key elds of study such as energy, arti cial intelligence, data science, robotics and engineering.
More details
Rice University is also extending its o -campus amenities. In September, o cials with the Rice Real Estate Company announced plans to launch a new building in Houston’s Ion District, a technol- ogy park and innovation hub located in Midtown, called The Arc.
Rice University enrollment Rice University o cials project the college will enroll approximately 9,500 students by 2028. Undergraduate
The Arc DesRoches said being a part of the Ion District will allow students and faculty to be at the forefront of breakthrough discoveries and foster partnerships with industry experts. Ion District The Arc
2020-21 4,076 2021-22 4,247 2022-23 4,494 2023-24 4,574 2019-20 3,989 Graduate 2020-21 3,567 2021-22 4,038 2022-23 4,178 2023-24 3,982 2019-20 3,293
Enrollment increased by 14.7%
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Enrollment increased by 20.9%
SOURCES: THE ION DISTRICT, RICE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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SOURCES: RICE UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE TUITION COMPARE COMMUNITY IMPACT
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