Visiting Students (non-degree)

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Online-Distance Education for Visiting Students

Rice University provides online-distance education courses and programs to extend its academic reach and enhance classroom instruction. Such courses are available for credit to degree-seeking students. These courses provide the same high quality as face-to-face instruction, as governed by the regulations and principles of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Please see University Policy #846, Distance and Online Education, for further details. 

Rice Online for-credit Courses 

Each academic year Rice offers a number of for-credit courses online. These courses use the online method of instruction, indicating that the majority of the class time instruction is occurring when and where students and instructors are not in the same place. These online course offerings can be found in the official Rice Course Schedule by querying by method of instruction. 

Online-Distance Education for Visiting Students (non-degree)

Rice offers for-credit online-distance education opportunities to visiting students (non-degree-seeking) or as non-credit course offerings. A complete list of all of Rice University's online course offerings, both for-credit and non-credit offerings, can be found at the Online Learning website.

Visiting students seeking to register for a Rice Online for-credit course should follow the application procedures documented on the Visiting Student Programs website. Upon admission and registration of a Rice Online for-credit course, all students, including non-degree seeking visiting students, must abide by and support the Honor System at Rice University. Prior to the first day of classes, affirmation and acknowledgement of the Honor Code will be required of all visiting students enrolled (for credit or for audit) in any for-credit Rice course.

State Authorization and Professional Licensure Requirements

Information about State Authorization and Professional Licensure may be found here.

Summer Sessions for Visiting Students

Rice’s Summer Sessions offer for-credit courses to Rice students, visiting undergraduates, visiting auditors, and visiting post baccalaureates. Students can choose to take courses in more than one summer session. Continuing Rice students should follow the same registration policies and procedures that are in place for the fall and spring semesters.

Resources

Application Process for Visiting Students

To apply, visiting students should submit the following materials to the Rice University Office of the Registrar. Applicants will be notified as soon as possible of acceptance or non-acceptance:  

  • Visiting Student Application and Application Fee.
  • Official college transcripts from all colleges or universities attended.*
  • Official high school transcript (waived if attended a college/university in the previous Spring semester).*  
  • Test scores (SAT, ACT, etc) are not required, but students wanting to show their college readiness and academic strength may choose to submit SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP, or IB test scores, which may be an official copy, unofficial copy, or reported on the high school transcript.
  • Dean of Students Recommendation Form (visiting high school and visiting undergraduates from other institutions).
  • Release and Hold Harmless Agreement (required if under the age of 18).
  • Proof of Meningococcal Vaccination Record or Waiver (required if under the age of 22).
  • Visiting Student Financial Responsibility and Parental Consent Form.

    *All transcripts should be mailed or securely emailed by those institutions directly to the Rice Office of the Registrar.

Guidelines

  • Tuition is due in full at registration before the beginning of classes. Rice financial aid is not available to Visiting Students.
  • Enrollment in courses during the summer sessions carries no implications for regular admission to Rice.
  • Visiting students may not take courses on a pass/fail basis.

Applying visiting students should follow the deadlines listed on the Summer Sessions website and in the Academic Calendar.

Please Note: Course offerings are at the discretion of Rice and may be canceled at any time for any reason.

Visiting Undergraduate Students

Current non-Rice, undergraduate-level students interested in taking courses for credit at Rice to be applied toward their undergraduate degree at another school can apply for admission as a Visiting Student during the academic year.

Applicants should have a clear vision of the courses they want to take and often have already worked with members of the Rice community. Visiting Students attend Rice as full-time students for an entire academic year (two semesters) and are assigned membership to one of the residential colleges during their stay. Visiting students are not registered as candidates for a Rice degree.

Students who have earned fewer than 12 credit hours (one semester) of completed college coursework are not eligible to apply. Students must contact the Office of Admission for the visiting student application and for more information. 

Visiting students are charged the same fees as other undergraduates. In classes where enrollment is limited because of space or other considerations, candidates for Rice degrees have priority over visiting students for registration.  

Visiting students may apply to transfer to Rice only after having left Rice for at least one semester. This includes all visiting undergraduate students, regardless of whether the student is taking courses for credit or audit.

Please Note: Rice financial aid is not available to Visiting Students. 

For more information, see the Visiting Undergraduates tab of the Visiting Student Programs website.

Visiting Post Baccalaureates

The Visiting Post Baccalaureate (VPB) program at Rice allows a visiting student who has an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited college or university to take courses at Rice for credit but not in a specific degree program. Students interested in taking courses, but not for credit, should audit the courses. (See Auditors.)

VPB applicants must have a 3.00 (B) or better grade average in the previous undergraduate or graduate program or be granted the explicit approval to be a Visiting Post Baccalaureate by the dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies as part of the application process. Registration requires the permission of the course instructor or department chair. Visiting Post Baccalaureates cannot take courses on a pass/fail basis, and must receive at least a B for every class taken, or they will not be allowed to remain in the VPB program.

A student may not use courses taken under this arrangement to fulfill requirements for a Rice degree unless and until the student has been formally accepted into a graduate degree program by an academic department. A former VPB student may request that their graduate program allow up to three courses taken as Visiting Post Baccalaureates to count toward the graduate degree. Once approved by the graduate program, the student must also obtain the approval of the dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies. To designate courses that will count toward the graduate degree, Rice students enrolled in a graduate program must submit a completed Request to Apply Visiting Post Baccalaureate Coursework to Graduate Program form to the Office of the Registrar.

Applications for Visiting Post Baccalaureate Program

Applications are available on the Visiting Student Programs website. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities the student has attended should be mailed or securely emailed directly by the institutions to the Office of the Registrar. A student who was previously a Visiting Post Baccalaureate must complete a new application (without transcripts) for each semester. All application materials are due by the workday nearest to August 1 for fall semester courses and December 1 for spring semester courses.

Individuals applying as Visiting Post Baccalaureates for the summer term should apply to enroll in Rice's Summer Sessions.

Tuition and Fees for Visiting Post Baccalaureate Program

Tuition and fee information can be found on the Bursar's Website. If a class fills with Rice degree-seeking students, instructors may drop Visiting Post Baccalaureates up to the end of the second week of class. In that case, the tuition (less the nonrefundable application fee) will be refunded. If a Visiting Post Baccalaureate withdraws, drops, or adds classes, the same rules regarding grades, refunds, and applicable fees apply as for degree-seeking graduate students. There is no refund for dropping a class after the second week as long as the student stays enrolled in at least one other class. Pro-rated refunds for complete withdrawals are according to the deadlines listed on the Academic Calendar. Please visit the Summer Sessions website for information pertaining to summer sessions for visiting students.

Please Note: Rice financial aid is not available to Visiting Post Baccalaureate students. 

For more information, see the Visiting Post Baccalaureates tab of the Visiting Student Programs website.

Visiting Researchers

Visiting researchers are undergraduate students who are enrolled in a degree-seeking program at another institution and, at the invitation by a Rice faculty member or department, engage in experiential research-specific learning. Such research is meant to assist the faculty with research efforts or to gain research experience which the student might apply toward degree requirements at the student's home institution. 

Visiting researchers should first work with the academic department to apply for the specific research program. International visiting researchers and departments must also work with the Office of International Students and Scholars to obtain the necessary pre-certifications, if applicable.

For more information, see the Visiting Student Researchers tab of the Visiting Student Programs website. 

Rice Faculty and Staff Members

Fall and Spring Semesters

With the appropriate authorizations, benefits-eligible employees of Rice may take one course per semester, either for-credit or audit. (See important note below regarding eligible courses.) Please see University Policy #409 and/or #432 for complete details about benefits eligibility. Employees must meet a six-month probationary period before using this benefit.

The registration period is the first two weeks of the semester. The following registration rules and guidelines apply to Rice benefits-eligible employees during the fall and spring semesters:

  • Complete a Tuition Waiver Application Form.
  • Get an authorizing signature of the employee’s supervisor, the course instructor, and Human Resources.
  • Course registration is limited by availability, and priority is given to enrolled, degree-seeking students.

Retirees, spouses and domestic partners of benefits-eligible employees are also able to audit one course per semester. Spouses and domestic partners should follow the same registration procedures as benefits-eligible employees.

Please Note: All graduate courses in the Jones Graduate School of Business, all courses offering individual instruction in the School of Architecture, all undergraduate and graduate courses offering individual instruction including musical performance or composition in the Shepherd School of Music, and Glasscock School of Continuing Studies classes are excluded from this program.

Summer Sessions

The tuition waiver or audit benefit is not available to Rice benefits-eligible employees during the Summer Sessions; however, with the appropriate authorizations, benefits-eligible employees of Rice may take courses offered during Rice's Summer Sessions and apply for tuition reimbursement. Please see University Policy #432.

The following registration rules and guidelines apply to Rice benefits-eligible employees during the Summer Sessions:

Course registration is limited by availability, and priority is given to degree-seeking students.

For more information, see the Faculty/Staff Seeking to Take Courses tab of the Visiting Student Programs website.

Inter-Institutional Graduate Students

A number of inter-institutional graduate student enrollment agreements have been established between Rice University and participating institutions of higher education, enabling graduate students from one institution to take graduate-level courses at other participating institutions. The institutions currently participating in inter-institutional agreements include Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, University of Houston, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The number of credit hours allowed per term (or semester) and the course offerings available for registration may vary depending on the policy of the host school.

Registration Rules and Guidelines

The following registration rules and guidelines apply to graduate students (at participating inter-institutional institutions) seeking to be Rice University visiting students under an inter-institutional agreement:

  • Students must be registered full-time (minimum of 9 semester credit hours) combined between the student's home institution and Rice University during the semester(s) in which they register for coursework.
  • Requested courses (for registration at Rice University) must not be offered by the student's home institution during the requested term (or semester) of registration.
  • Requested courses (for registration at Rice University) must be required for the completion of the student's graduate degree at their home institution.
  • Students may take a maximum of 12 semester credit hours at Rice University over the course of their time-to-degree at their home institution, through the inter-institutional agreement.
  • Students must pay all applicable tuition and fees to the home institution.
  • Students must submit all paperwork with the appropriate approval signatures on or before the registration deadlines found on Rice University's Academic Calendar in order to register at Rice University.
  • Please Note: International students must submit additional paperwork (e.g., passport, I-94 arrival/departure card, and a Check-In Sheet) in order to register at Rice University.
  • Students must abide by the registration deadlines in the Rice University Academic Calendar as well as any registration deadlines imposed by their home institution. For a comprehensive list of Registration Deadlines (including Add, Drop*, Updating Variable Credit Hour deadlines, etc.), please consult the semester-specific Rice University Academic Calendar.
    *A "late-drop," the dropping of a course after the posted Academic Calendar drop deadline (i.e., the semester-specific designated last day to drop a course), requires students to petition in writing to the dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies for permission to drop a course after the designated drop deadline. The petition must include documentation of exceptional or unusual circumstances. If approved, students will receive a grade of W ("Late Drop with Approval") for the course. In such instances, an approved "late-drop" course will be included in the maximum of 12 semester credit hours a student may take at Rice University (through an inter-institutional agreement). When such a request is denied, the Office of the Registrar records the instructor-submitted grade.  

Please Note: 

  • Inter-institutional graduate students may not register for courses on a Pass/Fail basis.
  • Due to the structure of the Summer Sessions at Rice University, this inter-institutional registration arrangement is not available to non-Rice students during the Summer Sessions.

For more information, including the enrollment process under an inter-institutional agreement, please see the Inter-Institutional Graduate Students tab of the Visiting Student Programs website.