Graduate Student Orientation
Wondering how to start your transition to campus? Check out our After Admission guide and click through each header for detailed checklists.
International Student Orientation
Fall: August 13, 2026
Spring: TBD
oiss.rice.edu/orientation
oiss.rice.edu/gio
More information can be found here.
Graduate International Orientation (GIO) is a mandatory orientation program for all new international graduate and graduate exchange students. Students will review immigration regulations, graduate specific policies, and programs geared specifically to support the international graduate population.
Any student unable to attend must notify OISS in advance and schedule a make-up session. Unfortunately, those students who do not attend will have a hold placed on their student record, which blocks them from registration until check-in and orientation requirements are met.
*Please note that MBA has a special session designed for MBA international students that will take place during the international immersion week.
Online General Graduate Student Orientation
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 for Fall admits, Wednesday, January 6, 2027 for Spring 2027 admits
The online portion of Graduate Student Orientation for incoming students is available here. Online orientation must be completed no later than noon on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 for Fall 2026 incoming graduate students*.
Access Online General Graduate Student Orientation by logging in with your NetID.
If you have not received your NetID or you have questions, please email your graduate administrator. Many graduate departments also hold their own orientations. Please check with your graduate administrator for additional information. Orientation modules are listed below and are subject to change.
In-Person Events for New Students
Graduate Student and Postdoc Resource Fair
Tuesday, August 18, 2 pm - 4 pm
Location: Sewall Hall, second floor
More details here
First - Year Graduate Student Mandatory In-Person Orientation
Wednesday, August 19th
The in-person graduate student orientation will be held in Hamman Hall. Starting time will vary depending on your graduate program, as shown below.
Doctoral Students: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm followed by doctoral student lunch
Master's Students in Architecture, Music, Creative Writing, and Master of Interdisciplinary Studies : 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
All Other Incoming Master's Students: 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
This mandatory event will focus on connecting students with campus resources through the shared experiences of current graduate students.
As orientation wraps up for the day, we will invite our incoming graduate students to partake in a Rice University tradition. The walk through Sallyport is a known rite of passage to begin your journey as a Rice Owl. Please plan to meet at Sallyport by 5:30 pm so that your cohort can walk through Sallyport at 5:40 pm. Students are welcome to join as early as 5:10 pm for a sweet treat before the procession.
This will not only be a great photo op, but a monumental moment for the journey ahead.
President's Welcome Event for Incoming Students (Fall 2026)
Wednesday, August 19th at 6:00 pm
Location: Academic Quad
Graduate Student Club Fair
Friday, August 21, 1 pm - 3 pm
Location: Sewall Hall, Second Floor
More details here
GSA New Student Picnic
Friday, August 21st, 5 pm
The GSA will welcome new graduate students for a picnic at the Graduate Commons (picnic tables outside Valhalla between buildings 8 and 45 on the campus map) for free food, drinks, and t-shirts! Current students are welcome to volunteer! Rain location: Rice Memorial Center, Grand Hall. New students, please join GSA on OwlNest for an easy-check in. Continuing students, your opportunity to attend is limited to those who volunteer to help at the picnic: sign up here.
Phoenicia Field Trip
Saturday, August 22, 2 pm
Location: Meet at Lovett Hall Sallyport
More details here
Training
https://graduate.rice.edu/admissions/after-admission/training
Responsible Conduct of Research Training is available online. Information on training, including links to access, can be found here. RCR is due Oct. 1 (for Fall admits) and Feb 1 (for Spring admits).
Lab safety training is for the safety of the students in the Schools of Engineering and Natural Science and all others who work in labs.
Thursday, August 20th 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Keck 100
New students in the schools of Engineering and Natural Sciences and the Department of Psychological Sciences admitted in the fall must attend the EHS Safety Training unless other arrangements have been made for your cohort and communicated to you by your graduate administrator. You can view training requirements online here. Non-thesis master's students are NOT exempt from lab safety training. Only students in Computational Applied Mathematics & Operations Research, Engineering Management Leadership, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction and Industrial-Organizational Psychology are exempt from the training.
All students (regardless of their program who conduct experiments in a laboratory where chemicals, biological agents and/or physical hazards are present must take the appropriate training before beginning work in the lab. Students must attend make-up training if they miss the August session.
Failure to complete lab safety training by the deadline may result in your inability to access the lab and stipend checks being held.
Note: Anyone who will be working with human blood or tissue is required to take the Hepatitis B shots if they have not previously had it as part of their regular childhood immunizations.
Contact Environmental Health & Safety for more information.
*New Master of Business Administration, Master of Accounting and online Master of Computer Science, Data Science and Engineering Management and Leadership students are not required to complete the General Online Graduate Student Orientation; all thesis and non-thesis master's not listed, and non-MBA professional master's students are required to complete, but please check with your program coordinator for additional information. All Ph.D. and DMA students are required to complete the online orientation. Rice students who have completed a master's degree at Rice University and are starting their PhD do not need to complete the online general graduate student orientation if previously completed.
*4+1 Students do not have to complete the online graduate orientation until their undergrad degree from Rice University has been conferred.