Rice University says it will build 2 more residential colleges

Rice University in Houston intends to build two new residential colleges with an accompanying servery, officials have announced.

The Rice Thresher reports that the old Sid Richardson College building, opened in 1971, will be demolished as part of the project.

The construction of the new colleges is expected to be completed by fall 2026, and each will have a capacity of over 300 beds.

The decision to build Rice’s 12th and 13th residential colleges comes as undergraduate enrollment has grown from 4,052 in fall 2020 to a projected 4,800 by fall 2024. Rice aims to house 80% of students on campus, an increase from the current 70%.

Rice shared plans to build a 12th residential college in March 2021, but the announcement of a 13th college and servery are new.

McMurtry and Duncan Colleges opened as Rice’s 10th and 11th residential colleges in 2009, also in response to an expansion of the undergraduate population.