Applications to Rice reach all-time high

By Andrew Grottkau     1/22/19 3:59pm

Undergraduate applications to Rice University in 2018 increased by roughly 30 percent over 2017, according to a press release from the university. 

In total, 27,068 prospective students applied to join the matriculating class of 2019, setting a new record for applications according to the press release. The previous record of 20,826 was set the year before.

According to Yvonne Romero da Silva, the Vice President for Enrollment, part of this increase can likely be attributed to the announcement of the Rice Investment. Even so, she said the size of the applicant pool surpassed her expectations. 

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“This is more than we imagined, more than we anticipated,” Romero da Silva said in the press release. “I am absolutely thrilled with the growing interest in Rice.”

University president David Leebron said he felt the increase in applications was a sign of the success of the Rice Investment. 

“The announcement of our plan to increase both the generosity and clarity of our financial aid, which was already among the most generous, effectively conveyed that a Rice education is affordable for students from lower and middle income families,” Leebron said in the press release. 

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