George Washington University (GWU) vs Rice University

When it comes to higher education, George Washington University (GWU) and Rice University stand out as two prestigious institutions offering distinct academic experiences. GWU, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on public affairs and international relations. Rice, situated in Houston, Texas, is known for its rigorous academics, vibrant research culture, and commitment to undergraduate education. While both universities share a reputation for excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	George Washington University	Rice University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Houston, Texas
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	97.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	49.7%	9.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $80	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	1310 - 1490	1490 - 1570
ACT range	30 - 34	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	46.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	27,236	29,544
Total number of admissions given out	13,539	2,802
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,571	1,226
Yield rate	19.0%	43.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,335	$71,745
Average net price	$31,240	$18,521
Tuition	$59,780	$52,070
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $15,260 Meal plan: $3,240	Room/dormitory: $10,100 Meal plan: $4,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $31,678	61.0% Average amount $51,036
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,150	9.0% Average amount $4,982
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,366	2.0% Average amount $24,340

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,502 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	4,247 Men 51.5% Women 48.5%
Graduate students	14,955 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	4,038 Men 63.9% Women 36.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	98.7%	56.1%
International students	11.6%	25.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,693	3,533
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey Virginia California Pennsylvania	Texas California New York Florida Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.7%	92.3%
Dropout rate	16.1%	6.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Systems Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $160,692 Year 2: $146,893 Year 3: $153,607 Human Resources Management and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,764 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $130,306 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,241 Year 2: $127,142 Year 3: $127,952 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,834 Year 2: $114,046 Year 3: $119,393 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,809 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $112,813 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,922 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $111,679 Public Health (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $84,962 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $105,816 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,747 Year 2: $96,405 Year 3: $105,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,274 Year 2: $101,254 Year 3: $103,350 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,345 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $102,875	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $122,770 Year 2: $129,481 Year 3: $145,256 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,659 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $134,258 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,801 Year 2: $83,915 Year 3: $92,763 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $87,989 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $81,590 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,400 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $76,594 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: $61,295 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $59,421 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,232 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $52,284 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,009 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $46,363 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,474 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $45,615

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.