Incoming graduate students trickled in from across the country and around the world this week, rolling carts and hauling boxes into Rice University’s graduate housing as they prepared to begin the fall semester.
From nearby Texas towns to international cities, they arrived with families, friends and big plans for the years ahead. For some, it was their first time in Houston. This fall, Rice has confirmed 945 graduate students enrolled for the 2025 semester.
“I’m very excited. I will be starting next week,” said Agustin Zakalik, who traveled from Buenos Aires to pursue a master’s degree in computer science. “It’s a very different city from where I come from.”
Hannah Zhang, from nearby Pearland, moved into the Rice Village Apartments for her one-year master’s program in accounting. “I can literally walk to campus,” she said. “It’s a small cohort, so we take all our classes together. I’ve already met a few people, and they’re awesome.”
Rice Village Apartments, which house many graduate students, offer both convenience and community, said current resident and resident assistant Kimberly Minda, a Fulbright Scholar from Ecuador in the Master of Global Affairs program. “Move-in is the most important moment of the year for us,” she said. “It’s about welcoming people to their home away from home and building a strong community.”
For Elijah Nice, a percussion performance master’s student from Pittsburgh, the decision to move in was about more than location. “It’s clean, secure and just nice in general,” he said. “The reputation of the music school is incredible.”
Some students, like incoming mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Cara Baah-Binney from Cincinnati, focused on creating a sense of permanence. “As a grad student, it’s about building a life here,” she said. “I wanted a community where every day I might meet my best friend in the elevator.”
International students such as Sienna Han, who arrived from South Korea to study geoscience, noted the beauty of Rice’s campus at the nearby Rice Graduate Apartments. “So many beautiful buildings and trees,” Han said. “It’s a beautiful neighborhood.”
The move-in period, which spans several days, brings new life to the graduate housing complexes each fall. With nearly 400 apartments, the Rice Village community is one of the largest hubs for graduate students at the university.
As boxes are unpacked and first dinners shared, students say the excitement of the first week is just the beginning. “It’s a huge moment,” Minda said. “We’re not just moving into apartments — we’re building a community.”
More information about graduate housing resources is available at housing.rice.edu/graduate-housing/resources.