Rice University

Rice University, a privately endowed, nonsectarian, coeducational institution, was founded in 1891 as the William Marsh Rice Institute, dedicated to the advancement of letters, science, and art. The university occupies a 300-acre tree-lined campus located one block northwest of the Texas Medical Center and approximately three miles southwest of Houston's central business district. With an undergraduate enrollment of 2,700 and a graduate enrollment of 1,800, Rice's student body is relatively small. The overall student-teacher ratio is less than 10:1. Houston is the fourth largest city in the nation and the leading commercial, financial, and industrial city of the South and Southwest. In addition to Rice, there are seven other colleges and universities located in Houston. The Texas Medical Center contains the largest concentration of health care facilities in the world. It is the site of a number of major medical schools including the Baylor College of Medicine, the Texas Woman's University, Texas A&M Universities' College of Nursing, and the University of Texas's School of Medicine, School of Public Health, and Dental Branch, as well as numerous hospitals and medical libraries. The Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Grand Opera, and the Houston Ballet give regular performances downtown. Several of Houston's five major museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts are located within easy walking distance of the Rice campus. Two major-league professional sports franchises are located in the city. Galveston and the beach are 45 miles to the southwest.