BS Environmental Science at RiceU: Fees 2027 Dates & Requirements

Rice University Bachelor of Science (BS) Environmental Science is a four-year, full-time, campus-based undergraduate programme in Houston, Texas, with a Fall 2027 intake. Applicants need a high-school diploma, Rice’s 16-course preparation including mathematics and laboratory science and English proof when required. Annual 2026-2027 tuition is US$71,140 (INR 68.08 Lakhs), while the published on-campus total is US$97,309 (INR 93.13 Lakhs).

The BS trains students to analyse environmental systems through natural science, field or research experience and interdisciplinary work across social and applied perspectives. Rice offers Earth Science and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology concentrations, so the best-prepared applicant is comfortable with laboratory science, quantitative coursework and a structured major. The tradeoff is a heavier science commitment than the BA, which leaves more room for electives and another academic direction.

• The major requires 75 to 82 credit hours, including 5 to 7 courses at the 300 level or above.
• A required advanced field or research experience connects coursework to environmental investigations before the capstone senior seminar.
• Students may pursue independent research, a senior honors thesis or research distinction through Rice opportunities.

Also Check: Rice University Environmental Science Admission

Rice University Environmental Science Fees and Living Costs 2027

Rice’s current 2026-2027 cost-of-attendance schedule gives Fall 2027 applicants a target-cycle annual planning base for tuition and on-campus expenses. The schedule is for undergraduates who entered in 2024 or later.

Target-cycle fee context: The figures below are Rice’s published 2026-2027 undergraduate amounts for the on-campus option, which applies to this full-time campus-based major.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of USD 1 = INR 95.7015 as of 20 August 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

Tuition is the largest direct charge, but the published total also includes mandatory fees, living, books and personal expenses. Rice separately lists health insurance and travel, so the headline total should not be treated as a complete Indian-family budget. The university also bills international freshmen US$395 (INR 37,802) for Undergraduate International Orientation, which is outside the listed total.

• A four-year tuition illustration is US$284,560 (INR 2.72 Crore), calculated as US$71,140 (INR 68.08 Lakhs) multiplied by four before annual fee changes.
• The four-year on-campus baseline is US$389,236 (INR 3.72 Crore), calculated as US$97,309 (INR 93.13 Lakhs) multiplied by four.
• The baseline excludes health insurance, foreign-country travel estimated at US$3,000 (INR 2.87 Lakhs), orientation charges and future price changes.

Cost of Living in Houston for Environmental Science Students

Rice’s official estimate combines housing and food into one on-campus living figure rather than publishing a rent, utilities or grocery breakdown. The monthly values below are calculated by dividing the annual estimate by 12.

Living-cost scope: The annual estimate is for a full-time, degree-seeking student living on campus, while the four-year row is a planning illustration.

The living estimate is not a private-rent quote and Rice states that health insurance is additional when comparable coverage is not demonstrated. For Indian applicants, build the budget from the published combined estimate, then add the separate costs Rice identifies.

Read More: Rice University Courses and Fees

ROI reality: Rice’s published on-campus baseline reaches INR 3.72 Crore across four unchanged years, so funding certainty matters before an Indian applicant selects this BS.

Rice University Environmental Science Admission 2027

Admission to Rice’s BS Environmental Science has no published course-specific GPA or percentage cutoff, so Indian applicants are assessed through academic preparation, context and the complete application. Rice’s official international admission requirements also require a school record that supports natural-science study.

Applicants should present rigorous mathematics, laboratory science and English preparation because the BS includes field or research work and upper-level science courses. Rice does not publish a foreign GPA threshold or an Indian percentage equivalent, so do not convert an internal school mark into a claimed minimum.

Academic Eligibility and School Preparation

Rice’s first-year checklist specifies 16 high-school credits across core subjects, then adds a natural-science preparation rule for applicants entering the natural sciences or engineering divisions. The table separates the published subject expectations from the evidence an Indian applicant should prepare.

Academic scope: International applicants should submit grades 9 through 11, current grade 12 courses and final or predicted examination results when available.

The natural-science rule makes chemistry, physics and mathematics more than checklist items because they prepare applicants for the BS curriculum. A student missing one subject should resolve the gap through Rice before applying instead of assuming that a broad environmental interest will substitute.

Selectivity and Test Context

Rice’s latest published class profile reports an 8.0% admission rate for the Class of 2029 admission cycle. The university does not present that figure as an Environmental Science cutoff, so use it as institution-level context.

Published cohort: The figures below cover the Class of 2029 from the 2024-2025 admission cycle, not a course-specific Environmental Science cohort.

• Submit SAT or ACT results only when the score strengthens the application because Rice gives applicants full consideration without them.
• Treat the 1510 to 1560 SAT and 34 to 36 ACT ranges as deposited-class context rather than minimums for Environmental Science.
• Use the 56-country international representation to explain your academic context, not to infer a country-specific admission quota.

English Language Proficiency

Rice accepts the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Cambridge English tests and Duolingo English Test. The current policy also recognises two years of full-time study in an English-language curriculum as a possible waiver route.

Test-scale warning: Rice lists TOEFL requirements on the pre-21 January 2026 scale and the updated scale. Submit the score in the form reported by the testing organisation.

• Use the English-curriculum waiver only when your school can document two years of full-time English instruction.
• Keep chemistry, physics, mathematics and laboratory records visible because the natural-science preparation is more specific than a general school checklist.
• Choose an English test with enough time for a retake because Rice’s listed thresholds include IELTS 7, Duolingo 130 and TOEFL 5.0 on the updated scale.

Honest take: Rice publishes no Environmental Science cutoff, but its 16-credit preparation rule and 8.0% university admission rate reward applicants who document science readiness with precision.

Rice University Environmental Science Application 2027

For Fall 2027, Rice offers Early Decision I, Early Decision II and Regular Decision for first-year applicants, with Regular Decision as the non-binding route. The current international application page shows the cycle as open and publishes both application deadlines and decision windows.

Deadline control: Rice publishes the calendar dates but no submission clock or timezone on the reviewed page, so the portal’s displayed cutoff controls an Indian applicant’s final submission time.

Fall 2027 Application Rounds

The dates below are the forward-looking international first-year deadlines for the target intake. Early Decision is binding, which means an admitted applicant must withdraw other applications and enrol at Rice.

• Select Early Decision I only when Rice is your first choice and your family can evaluate the published cost before the binding commitment.
• Use Early Decision II when the January round fits your preparation and Rice remains your first choice after reviewing aid requirements.
• Choose Regular Decision when comparing offers matters because its non-binding structure allows an enrolment decision by 01 May 2027.

Documents and Submission Sequence

Rice requires the Common Application, Rice writing supplement, school records, recommendations, English proof when applicable and the International Student Financial Statement. Arrange documents before the selected round because missing predicted or final examination results can weaken an otherwise complete file.

Application charge: The international first-year fee is US$75 (INR 7,178) and is nonrefundable; international applicants are not eligible for a fee waiver.

• Submit the Common Application and Rice supplement with the US$75 (INR 7,178) fee before the round deadline.
• Ask a school official to send grades 9 through 11, current grade 12 courses and predicted or final examination results through an accepted channel.
• Arrange one counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations, including a teacher who can describe your science preparation.
• Complete the International Student Financial Statement even without aid because Rice requires funding evidence from international applicants.

Rice describes interviews as optional and not guaranteed, while international applicants may submit an InitialView interview. Treat the interview as supplementary evidence because it cannot replace the transcript, recommendations or required financial form.

Need-Based Aid Timing

International applicants seeking need-based assistance must indicate that request during admission and submit the College Scholarship Service Profile (CSS Profile). The CSS Profile is Rice’s financial-aid form for assessing an international family’s demonstrated need and an applicant admitted without requesting aid cannot apply later.

Financial-aid deadline context: The aid deadlines below align with the relevant decision plan but are separate from the admission deadline.

• Submit the CSS Profile by the aid deadline even when the admission application is already complete.
• Keep English-language financial documents ready because Rice requires international funding evidence in English and United States dollars.

Application tip: Choose between binding Early Decision II and non-binding Regular Decision before building around the 04 January 2027 deadline. Submit the correct aid form separately.

Rice University Environmental Science Scholarships 2027

Rice has automatic merit consideration for admitted first-year students and a separate need-based process for international applicants. The international financial aid instructions state that Rice meets 100% of demonstrated need for eligible international students through institutional grant aid. International students are not eligible for The Rice Investment.

Funding is therefore possible but need-aware and the published pages do not guarantee an award for a particular applicant. Indian applicants should treat the aid request as part of the admission file because Rice says students admitted without requesting aid cannot add a later request.

Funding Routes for International First-Year Applicants

The table lists the named funding routes that fit an international first-year applicant for Fall 2027. Amounts are included only where Rice publishes them and the absence of a published award value is not a promise of a standard scholarship amount.

Cycle context: Merit review is tied to admission. Target-cycle need-based aid deadlines are 15 November 2026 for Early Decision I, 04 January 2027 for Early Decision II and 01 February 2027 for Regular Decision.

• Allow Rice to assess merit automatically because no separate merit scholarship form or interview is required.
• Request need-based aid on the admission application because Rice does not permit a later request after admission without aid.
• Submit the CSS Profile and supporting documents by the deadline for your decision plan, even when the admission file is already complete.
• Use the Century Scholars route to evaluate research fit because its published benefit combines a two-year scholarship, mentoring and a research stipend.

The merit process reduces extra application work, but the amount is not published before an offer. An Indian family should not deduct an assumed scholarship from the INR 3.72 Crore four-year baseline. Need-based assistance can change the calculation only after Rice evaluates the family’s demonstrated need and issues an award.

Read More: USA Scholarships for Indian Students

Scholarship reality: Rice automatically reviews admitted students for merit aid, but the award amount is unpublished. Indian applicants should secure a full-cost plan before treating any scholarship as confirmed.

Rice University Environmental Science Salary 2027

Rice does not publish a course-specific Environmental Science salary, offer-rate or placement report in the reviewed official sources, so no Rice graduate outcome can be stated. The closest named external evidence is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupational benchmark for Environmental Scientists and Specialists, which measures the occupation rather than Rice graduates.

The BS’s field, research and scientific coursework can support several environmental roles. The financial result depends on the job, location, work authorisation and whether the graduate stays in the United States. Use the benchmark below to test a scenario, not to infer a starting salary or placement probability.

Graduate Outcomes and Market Benchmark

Evidence scope: Rice course-cohort salary and offer data are unpublished, while the external benchmark covers U.S. Environmental Scientists and Specialists in May 2024. The benchmark is useful for market sizing but cannot be labelled a Rice outcome.

Salary measure: The table reports annual gross wage percentiles from the U.S. occupation dataset, not take-home pay after tax.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, Environmental Scientists and Specialists, May 2024.

ROI starting point: Rice’s calculated four-year on-campus baseline is INR 3.72 Crore before health insurance, travel, orientation charges and future price changes.

• Use the INR 3.72 Crore baseline to model borrowing and family funding without assuming that an external median wage will repay the cost.
• Use the external median of INR 76.62 Lakhs gross as a pre-tax figure and test role, state and deduction changes with a current United States tax calculator.
• The external wage range is US$50,130 to US$134,830 (INR 47.98 Lakhs to INR 1.29 Crore), so price roles and locations separately.
• The DHS STEM list includes CIP 03.0104 Environmental Science, allowing a qualifying graduate to seek 12 months of OPT plus a 24-month extension, subject to eligibility rules.
• Because Rice publishes no course-specific salary evidence, an India-return plan should be tested against Indian environmental role offers before an applicant commits to U.S.-dollar borrowing.

Read More: USA Post-Study Work Guide

ROI reality: Rice’s INR 3.72 Crore baseline must be weighed against an external occupation benchmark, not a Rice placement result. Build course-specific career evidence through research or field experience before borrowing.

USA Visa for Rice Environmental Science Students 2027

The F-1 Student visa is the U.S. study route for this full-time undergraduate programme and Rice’s international financial process requires funding evidence before enrolment. The current U.S. student-visa guidance lists an application fee of US$185 (INR 17,705), while the separate Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) I-901 fee is US$350 (INR 33,496).

New student visas can be issued up to 365 days before the programme start date. Entry cannot occur more than 30 days before that date. These visa charges and timing rules sit outside Rice’s published cost of attendance, so include them in the arrival budget.

Work Window and Longer-Term Path

Graduates may use Optional Practical Training (OPT) for up to 12 months when the work is directly related to the major. Environmental Science appears as CIP code 03.0104 on the Department of Homeland Security STEM list, supporting a possible 24-month extension after OPT. Eligibility still depends on the degree and employer.

• Use the 12-month OPT window to target environmental work related to the BS because unrelated employment does not satisfy the programme connection.
• Verify STEM eligibility for CIP 03.0104 and the employer before relying on the additional 24-month extension for a repayment plan.
• Employer-sponsored specialty-occupation status has no single Rice-specific salary threshold because the employer must meet the higher of the actual or prevailing wage.
• Expect no automatic or fixed permanent-residence timeline after OPT because a longer-term immigration case depends on a separate employer-sponsored process.
• F-2 dependants require individual Forms I-20 and visas and they do not pay the SEVIS fee, but dependent status is not the student’s work authorisation.

For an Indian applicant, the practical decision is whether the course’s science training can support a qualifying role within the available work window. Keep the visa route separate from employment certainty because neither OPT nor the STEM extension guarantees a job or permanent residence.

Read More: USA F-1 Student Visa Process for Indian Applicants

Visa reality: The visa path can provide 12 months of OPT plus a possible 24-month STEM extension. Fund the degree without assuming that work authorisation guarantees employment or residence.