Owls on the rise: Forbes ranks Rice in top 10

By Belinda Zhu and Maria Morkas     9/3/24 10:39pm

Rice ranks No. 9 in Forbes’ “America’s Top Colleges,” marking the first time Rice has scored a top 10 ranking on the list. Last year, Rice ranked No. 22 — the university’s rise can be credited in part to graduates’ low student debt, Forbes wrote. Rice received an ‘A financial grade,’ reflecting overall low student debt upon graduation. Earlier this year, Rice was also named one of the 10 new private Ivy League schools.

Forbes cultivates their list of top colleges according to 14 metrics, including alumni salary, debt, graduation rate and academic success. Since 2008, Forbes has ranked U.S. colleges and universities annually, prioritizing student outcomes in their evaluations instead of prestige and admission requirements.

Provost Amy Dittmar said it was valuable to see Rice’s recent financial aid efforts paying off.

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“The Forbes ranking demonstrates that an excellent education and an inclusive education go hand in hand,” Dittmar wrote in an email to the Thresher. “It recognizes Rice’s extensive efforts, including the Rice Investment and other student supports, such as loan-free financial aid, to ensure all deserving students have the opportunity to attend Rice, make the most of their time here and be successful after they graduate.”

Baker College freshman Elie Park said Rice offered her the most generous financial aid package out of all the schools that she was offered admission to.

“Rice has done a really good job of not only targeting the low-income students but also middle-class students,” Park said. “I see a lot of my friends who are from middle-class backgrounds, and they’re not able to go to a lot of these private schools because they don’t have the money to do that, and their school is not offering [financial aid] … Accessibility, for me, was what set my decision in stone because what good is [an acceptance] if you can’t afford it?”

“The ranking reflects the increasing number of alumni who have benefited from the Rice Investment since it debuted in the 2019-20 academic year and from the commitment to loan-free financial aid in 2021-2022,” Dittmar wrote. “In addition to generous financial aid, Rice’s graduates continue to be successful which is reflected by Rice also being on Forbes’ 25 Colleges with the Highest Payoff.”

Will Rice College senior Firas Elkaissi believes that since Rice has been creating support systems for their students, as well as improving the overall quality of the campus experience, this new ranking is well deserved.

“There was a time in my college career when my laptop had gotten some damage to the point where it was unusable, so I reached out to the Access and Opportunity portal, and they were able to pay for a new laptop,” Elkaissi said. “There have also been other times where, for example, I need a course pack or a textbook, and the Access and Opportunity portal has also helped with that. 

“It helps with a wide range of things, from personal expenses to school-related expenses,” Elkaissi continued. “It’s really made things a lot easier for me to manage a lot of these unforeseen expenses.”

President Reggie DesRoches said Rice focuses on its core mission and values rather than rankings, as each publication’s ranking methodology targets different characteristics.

“At Rice, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of leaders and innovators, and this recognition by Forbes reinforces the impact of our mission,” DesRoches wrote in an email to the Thresher. “While the ranking is fantastic reinforcement of what we are doing here at Rice, we understand the volatility of rankings and will continue to focus our efforts on our mission.”

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