Rice University welcomed its largest incoming freshman class to date, seeing more than 1,350 students during its long-held move-in day tradition Aug. 16, college officials announced in an Aug. 17 news release.
These freshmen are among the university’s newest undergraduate cohort, which, altogether, comprises over 1,400 students spread out across its 12 residential colleges. They will graduate as part of the class of 2030.
The breakdown
Rice’s latest batch of freshmen was selected from a 38,603 first-year applicant pool, a 5% increase compared to last year, according to data shared by The Rice Thresher. In addition to this, more than 50 transfer students were admitted for fall 2026.
Officials said that the university has seen an upward trend in undergraduate enrollment for the past six years, given its growth by approximately 25% since 2020.
This fall semester, Rice is opening the doors of its colleges to students coming from all over the world, including 46 U.S. states and 54 countries, per the release.
First steps
Move-in day, a first for the historic number of incoming freshmen, is one of the university’s most highly anticipated events of the year, where upperclassmen, faculty and staff aid newcomers in their arrival on campus.
Upperclassmen’s tradition of lining campus entrances with welcome posters and other signage—cheering on families as they drive in to drop off their students—is a distinct characteristic of the event. This is combined with other duties such as helping parents and students unload belongings from their vehicle and navigating first-years to their new rooms, officials said.
This community-centered event allows returning students to pass on the very traditions that shaped their own Rice experiences.
“It’s the best day of the year to see our new students coming in, our existing students making them feel at home, shouting their names and putting our parents at ease,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said in a statement. “We’re growing the university, but we’re maintaining what makes Rice special, the culture of care and the personalization. We’re going to maintain that, even as we grow.”
To top the festivities off, move-in day is regarded as the kickoff to an even more memorable time at Rice called Orientation Week, commonly referred to as “O-Week” by current and former Owls.
In similar news
Also at the Aug. 16 event, Rice’s newest residential college, Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao College, or Chao College, welcomed its first-ever occupants, all of whom are from the class of 2030, according to the release.
Construction of the college wrapped earlier this summer and joined Rice’s existing set of on-campus lodges, including colleges such as:
- Baker
- Will Rice
- Hanszen
- Wiess
Chao College was erected alongside neighboring Lovett College, both locations adding a combined total of 269,000 square feet of sustainable residential space to Rice’s grounds, officials confirmed.
More information
Through its opening, Chao College has created housing for more than 400 undergraduates alone. Nearly 300 of these students will live on-campus in its featured 10- and five-story towers, per release details.
“It’s exciting to see Chao College open its doors for the first time,” DesRoches said. “I can’t wait to see the culture and the new traditions that are going to come out of this new college.”
