page_title: Rice University
section_title: Student life
hierarchical_section_title: Rice University / Student life
caption_attribution_description: Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA - arboretum (extends across all of campus).
context_page_description: William Marsh Rice University, commonly known as Rice University, is a private research university in Houston, Texas. The university is situated on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and is adjacent to the Texas Medical Center.
  Opened in 1912 after the murder of its namesake William Marsh Rice, Rice is a research university with an undergraduate focus. Its emphasis on education is demonstrated by a small student body and 6:1 student-faculty ratio. The university has a very high level of research activity, with $156 million in sponsored research funding in 2019. Rice is noted for its applied science programs in the fields of artificial heart research, structural chemical analysis, signal processing, space science, and nanotechnology. In 2010, it was ranked first in the world in materials science research by Times Higher Education. Rice is a member of the Association of American Universities since 1985 and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".
  The university is organized into eleven residential colleges and eight schools of academic study, including the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, the George R.
context_section_description: Situated on nearly 300 acres (120 ha) in the center of Houston's Museum District and across the street from the city's Hermann Park, Rice is a green and leafy refuge; an oasis of learning convenient to the amenities of the nation's fourth-largest city. Rice's campus adjoins Hermann Park, the Texas Medical Center, and a neighborhood commercial center called Rice Village. Hermann Park includes the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo, Miller Outdoor Theatre and an 18-hole municipal golf course. NRG Park, home of NRG Stadium and the Astrodome, is two miles (3 km) south of the campus. Among the dozen or so museums in the Museum District is the Rice University Art Gallery, open during the school year. Easy access to downtown's theater and nightlife district and to Reliant Park is provided by the Houston METRORail system, with a station adjacent to the campus's main gate.  The campus recently joined the Zipcar program with two vehicles to increase the transportation options for students and staff who need but currently don't utilize a vehicle.
caption: A view along the inner loop, with three of the university service personnel's traditional golf carts in view
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