Rice University's undergraduate tuition for 2011-12 will be $34,900, up 5.4 percent or $1,780, over the current school year, university officials announced today. Rice will continue to offer financial aid and need-blind admission policies that help make a Rice education accessible to qualified students from all economic backgrounds.

"The tuition increase will add to the resources that allow us to provide our students with a high-quality education and research opportunities, and to continue to make the program and facility enhancements, that they expect of one of the nation's top 20 research universities," said Rice President David Leebron.

"At the same time, we realize that many families are still coping with difficult financial situations, so we are maintaining our commitment to generous financial aid policies," he said. "That is particularly important to Rice because they help add to the diversity of our student body."

Since 2009, freshmen entering Rice who qualify for need-based aid and whose annual family income is $80,000 or less have not been required to take out loans to pay for their education. And student loans in financial aid packages for need-eligible incoming freshmen have been limited to a total of $10,000 for their four undergraduate years. 

Under its need-blind admission policy, Rice evaluates a student's academic qualification for admission with no consideration of their financial situation. If students are admitted, the university provides a package of financial support that includes grants, loans, scholarships and work study to pay for their tuition and fees. Sixty-two percent of current undergraduate students receive some form of financial support.

Room and board for 2011-12 will increase $520 to $12,270. The total charge for entering students, including tuition, fees, and room and board, will be $47,821. 

Tuition for most graduate students will also increase 5.4 percent to $34,900. For students entering the MBA program at Rice’s Jones Graduate School of Business, tuition will increase 4.8 percent, or $2,000, to $44,000.

In the past three years, Rice has opened two new residential colleges, which brings the total to 11, a new dining center, a new recreation center, a new bioscience research building, a new physics building and a central coffee pavilion.