Rice University is the more popular name for William Marsh Rice University, a private, coeducational research university located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1891 when William Marsh Rice called his friends and his lawyer Capt. James A. Baker to charter the William Marsh Rice Institute for the Advancement of Letters, Science and Art, the specific instruction was for the school to be set up after his death. This came on September 23, 1900 but not of natural causes. Murdered by his New York lawyer, Albert T. Patrick and his butler Charles Jones, an erroneously signed check which misspelled the name of the recipient alerted the bank and blew the case open. With Capt. Baker leading the investigation, the culprits were finally put to jail.
To fulfill the charter that Rice envisioned, the services of Princeton professor, Edgar Odell Lovett, was tapped. As Rice University’s founding president, Lovett set out to establish a university “of the highest grade that kept the standards up and number down.” Thus in September 23, 1912, the Rice Institute opened.
Today, Rice University remains a top-ranked research institute. With a student body of over 6,500 students, it offers over 35 undergraduate programs, 50 master’s programs and 25 doctoral programs. It is recognized for its applied science programs and high level of research activity.
Cost of attendance for academic year 2009-2010 for fulltime, undergraduate students is US$45,638. This includes full-year tuition of US$31,430; typical room and board rate of US$11,230; books and supplies at US$800 and estimated personal expenses at US$1,550. For graduate students, cost of tuition and fees varies depending on the specific course or program chosen.