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Rice University packs about 7,600 undergraduates onto a tree-lined, 300-acre campus inside Houston's loop, ringed by live oaks and a three-mile jogging trail locals love. Life revolves around the residential college system: you're sorted into one of eleven colleges your first year, and it becomes your dining hall, intramural team, and social base for four years. Off campus you're in one of Houston's best pockets. Rice Village is a walkable shopping and dining district next door, and the Museum District sits a short bike ride east, near major museums and Hermann Park. The Texas Medical Center, the world's largest, borders campus too. Most students bike or walk on campus, but a car helps once you explore the city's sprawl.
Rice University guarantees housing for all incoming students and does not formally require anyone to live on campus, but the residential college system is the heart of student life, so the vast majority of underclassmen stay on campus by choice. About two-thirds of undergraduates live in the colleges. You are sorted into one of eleven colleges your first year, and it becomes your social base.
On-campus housing is not guaranteed past the first year, and each college runs its own room draw for sophomores, juniors, and seniors based on a priority system, so some upperclassmen get drawn off and move into the surrounding neighborhoods. When you do go off campus, the Houston rental process is standard: an application, an application fee, proof of income or a co-signer, and a security deposit.
Leases typically run 12 months, though some units near campus offer six-month or furnished options. Read the lease for what utilities are bundled, parking terms, and flood history. Parts of Houston sit in flood-prone zones, and storm season is a real factor.
Housing policies change frequently. Always verify current requirements directly with Rice University before signing a lease.
The off-campus market near Rice runs on Houston's calendar, not a small college town's, which gives you flexibility but also competition for the closest spots. Students who get drawn off campus usually start hunting in late spring once room draw results land. The walkable units in Rice Village and West University go quickly because the neighborhood is in high demand. Spring and early summer are your sweet spot for the close, walkable places.
Demand for the closest units peaks in late spring and early summer as room draw results push students into the search at once. Professionals and medical-center workers compete for the same Rice Village and West University units, not just students. Classes start in late August, and most leases begin in summer. Aiming to lock a close spot by May or June keeps you competitive.
Because Houston is a huge metro, apartments come available year-round, so late searchers can still find something, just maybe farther from campus. You can find sublets over the summer, especially from students doing internships elsewhere. Short-term or furnished leases exist near campus if you only need a semester. Late movers usually trade proximity for the broader metro's steady availability.
Walkable to campus, tree-lined, and in high demand, with shops and dining right there, so they fill first.
A short bike ride east, near Hermann Park and the museums, a quieter and more cultured pocket.
Artsy and lively just north, popular with students who want nightlife and walkability.
Common questions from students searching for housing.
A room in a shared apartment or house near campus usually runs about $800-$1,300/month per person, since West University and Rice Village are pricey, in-demand neighborhoods. A one-bedroom you don't share often lands at $1,200-$1,800/month. Budget another $80-$150/month for utilities, and expect to pay more the closer and newer you go.
Other universities in Houston share a similar off-campus housing market.
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