What do we as scholars owe our communities? How is the Rice University undergraduate experience connected to the city of Houston? What does it mean to be a college student?
These are some of the questions explored through the RISE (Responsibility, Inclusion, and Student Empowerment) summer bridge experience for admitted students majoring in humanities, social sciences, business and architecture. Each summer, 20 students are invited to spend two weeks at Rice University, where they take a seminar focused on democracy and urban life with Houston as the backdrop. The academic content extends beyond the classroom through educational excursions across the city, where students explore historic neighborhoods and speak with local leaders.
Along with its academic focus, RISE offers workshops on student life, academic support services, well-being and other areas of interest. Through these experiences, RISE helps students explore their academic pursuits, discover the city of Houston and build connections with their future campus community.
RISE by the Numbers
RISE supports students throughout their first two years at Rice, serving an average of 40 students each year. The program also has a growing alumni network of 34 former participants and is on track to graduate its third cohort in May 2027.
Currently, 47% of RISE participants are from outside Texas. Participants represent a wide range of academic interests, including social sciences (51%), humanities (25%), business (16%) and architecture (7%).
The 2026 cohort is also the first to include two transfer students, who participated alongside incoming students in the two-week summer experience focused on academic and city readiness.
Program Outcomes
RISE is designed to set students up for a strong start by helping them thrive academically while building a meaningful sense of community during their transition to college. Through intentional mentorship, engaging workshops and shared experiences, participants develop the confidence and skills needed to navigate college coursework and campus life.
Students deepen their learning by engaging directly with Houston communities and exploring neighborhoods throughout the city. At the same time, they form supportive relationships that help them feel connected, grounded and ready to succeed throughout their Rice journey.
Contact
For more information, please contact rise@rice.edu.
Features
- RISE prepares incoming Rice students for life beyond the classroom (2026 cohort)
- Empowering new beginnings: RISE program prepares incoming students for success (2025 cohort)
- Incoming Rice freshmen RISE to the call (2024 cohort)
- Humanities, business and social sciences freshmen learn about Rice, Houston, race and urban life (2023 cohort)
- RISE program hosts incoming freshmen to explore equity, inclusion and justice (2022 cohort)
- Incoming freshmen RISE to the occasion (2021 cohort)
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