Visiting Student Policies

Guidelines for Visiting Students

The rules and guidelines for visiting students are outlined in the General Announcements page for non-traditional, visiting students.

Registration and Tuition Deadlines

Visiting students follow the deadlines outlined in the Academic Calendar.

A request to change from audit to credit must be completed by December 1 for spring, and August 1 for fall.

A request to change a course from credit to audit must be done by the deadlines posted in the Academic Calendar for the applicable semester.

Visiting students pay their tuition balance through their ESTHER account. Tuition rates are outlined on the Bursar's Office website. Contact the Bursar's Office with questions concerning tuition bills, payment deadlines, and payment arrangements.

Refund and withdrawal deadlines are posted in the Academic Calendar for the applicable semester.

Reapplying for Future Semesters

Visiting students interested in attending multiple semesters at Rice are required to reapply for every semester. Contact visitingstudents@rice.edu with any questions.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of, and limits access to, student educational records. FERPA rights belong to the student at Rice, regardless of the student's age. Student applies to all students in attendance. Besides traditional degree-seeking students, this also includes visiting students. More information may be found on the Office of the Registrar's FERPA webpage.

Equal Education Opportunity

Rice University is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment, and it is the policy of the University to attract qualified individuals of diverse backgrounds to its faculty, staff and student body. Accordingly, Rice University does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status in its admissions policies, educational programs, or employment of faculty or staff.

Honor System (Honor Code)

All Rice students, both current degree-seeking students and visiting non-degree seeking students, abide by and support the Honor System at Rice University.

Student Financial Agreement

Visiting students sign and agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the Student Financial Responsibility Agreement prior to registering for courses at Rice.

The agreement covers topics including:

  • Payment of Fees/Promise to Pay
  • Method of Billing
  • Billing Errors
  • Returned Payments/Failed Payment Agreements
  • Failure to Pay/Collection
  • Tax Form 1098-T

Meningococcal Meningitis Vaccine Requirement

All new students under the age of 22, regardless of classification, must provide documentation of meningococcal ACYW vaccination. This is a Texas State law. This also applies to students who have missed a semester of enrollment and are returning. Vaccination must be within the past 5 years and must occur 10 days or more in advance of orientation week (or planned on-campus arrival date). A student who is delinquent in this requirement will not be permitted to enroll.

Students who enroll in only online courses are exempt from this requirement and are not required to provide proof of the vaccination.

Additional information is provided on the Student Health Services website.