Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Carnegie Mellon University, Rice University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Carnegie MellonPittsburgh, PA | RiceHouston, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 11.7% | 8.0% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1500–1570 | 1510–1570 |
| Average net price | $31,94416.0% on Pell grants | $13,37017.0% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $66,246Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $64,144Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 94.1% | 94.6% |
| First-year retention | 98.0% | 97.4% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 16.0% | 17.0% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $114,862 | $89,718 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $21,750 | $11,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 5:1 | 6:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 7,304 | 4,776 |
| Consensus percentile | 7Lower is better | 4Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 11 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 7 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Carnegie Mellon | Rice |
|---|---|---|
| US News | #20 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #17 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #43 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #12 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #47 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #34 of 442National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| WSJ | #56 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #29 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #18 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #10 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Listed |
| QS | #52 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
Students with a sharply defined specialty — computing, robotics, design, drama, quantitative business — who want to go deep immediately rather than explore broadly.
Need-based aid is weaker than peers at the same ranking tier; net price averages $31,944.
Full profileStudents who want small classes and a strong built-in community but still need research facilities, engineering depth or pre-health access — and who are comfortable trading national name recognition for fit.
Brand recognition outside Texas and the South trails its academic standing.
Full profile