Rice will again go GRE-optional for most grad programs, will grant fee waivers to graduates of Texas schools

Rice is again eliminating the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) standardized test requirement for its 2022 graduate applications, excluding programs in the Jones School of Business, which will require either a GRE or GMAT score to be submitted. Waivers are available for those with appropriate qualifications as described at the Jones School’s application site.

"The pandemic continues to make it difficult for some students to take the GRE," said Seiichi Matsuda, Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. "Rice Graduate Studies is not requiring the GRE for Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 admission, but will provide students with the option of submitting those scores."

Matsuda said each degree program at Rice can choose to be GRE-optional, GRE-optional-but-recommended or GRE-optional-but-strongly-recommended. Prospective students should check with their program of application for details. Most Rice degree programs are GRE-optional, but the following individual programs will recommend, strongly recommend, or require the general GRE for Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 admission:

• General GRE is recommended but not required: MEML, MMSNE, MSPE, MStat, MS in Bioscience and Health Policy, in Materials Science and Nanoengineering, and in Space Studies; PhD in Materials Science and NanoEngineering

• General GRE is strongly recommended but not required: MCEE, MME, MS in Environmental Analysis, and in Mechanical Engineering; PhD in Chemistry, in Civil Engineering, in Economics, in Environmental Engineering, in Political Science, and in Statistics.

• General GRE or GMAT is required: Jones School of Business

Rice will also waive application fees for doctoral applicants who are graduates of institutions in Texas and bordering states Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico or who have a permanent address in these states, excluding programs in the Jones School of Business.

“People who are applying to graduate school have worked hard and we want to make applying a little easier,” Matsuda said. “Rice attracts applications from around the country and around the world. We’ve decided to eliminate the application fee for the immediate region as a way to encourage people in the local community to continue with their education.”

Rice graduate applications will open soon, and prospective students can apply by visiting gradapply.rice.edu. Graduate degrees at Rice are offered in the following programs:

• Accounting

• Anthropology

• Applied Chemical Sciences

• Applied Physics

• Architecture

• Art History

• Biochemistry and Cell Biology

• Bioengineering

• Bioscience and Health Policy

• Biosciences

• Business

• Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

• Chemistry

• Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Computational and Applied Mathematics

• Computational Science and Engineering

• Computer Science

• Data Science

• Dual Credit Teaching Credentialing

• Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences

• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

• Economics

• Education

• Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Energy Economics

• Engineering Management and Leadership

• English

• Environmental Analysis

• Global Affairs

• History

• Human-Computer Interaction and Human Factors

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology

• Industrial Engineering

• Liberal Studies

• Materials Science and NanoEngineering

• Mathematics

• Mechanical Engineering

• Music

• Philosophy

• Physics

• Political Science

• Psychological Sciences

• Religion

• Science Teaching

• Social Policy Evaluation

• Sociology

• Space Studies

• Statistics

• Subsurface Geoscience

• Systems, Synthetic and Physical Biology

• Teaching