Admission for Undergraduate Students
New students are often surprised to discover that several of our Computer Science classes can be used to meet Distribution Group III requirements. You do not need to declare as a CS major to take our introductory courses. New students can ask any of the faculty members at the CS table during the O-Week academic fair for guidance on choosing their first COMP course.
Follow the instructions on the Rice University Undergraduate Admission website to apply.
Changing your Major
Most students agree that changing majors is relatively easy at Rice.
If you discover you have more fun solving problems in our courses than in your other classes, you can choose from several paths to a CS degree, including one tailored for students who make the "sophomore switch" in their third or fourth semester.
And you don't have to be a CS major to participate in various club activities.
Code with a Purpose
Not yet sure you want to try a CS course? You might be surprised that coding is not the goal of our classes. One of our professors, Scott Rixner, is often heard explaining that programming may be part of his introductory course, but the focus is on computational problem solving.
COMP 140 isn’t just about Python programming, it’s about learning how to think, and to apply the little bit of programming you know to real world problems.
Learn more about joining our undergraduate program with zero coding experience.
Collaborative, not Cutthroat
One of the things you'll notice in your Rice CS classes is a lack of cutthroat competition.
The CS professors are all approachable and other students are also open to help, if you just ask. No one is NOT willing to help you, in order to do better than you in class. In fact, we’ll be talking to each other about what internships we’re applying for and how to help each other prepare for interviews.
The collaborative environment begins in your introductory courses when you are grouped into teams, and you'll continue growing connections and relationships within our close-knit community each semester.