Rice University - Parking

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

Students give mixed reviews on parking. Some students acknowledge that our parking situation is far superior to many schools. It is not a problem to get a spot. You just register your car, pay your fee, put the sticker on your window, and you are guaranteed a parking place in the stadium lot. To a transfer student or anyone from New England or most big cities, it sounds fabulous. Due to the increasing enrollment of incoming freshmen each year, however, parking has gotten a little bit ridiculous. The lots fill up incredibly quickly, and with construction projects and the addition of new buildings and colleges, several lots have shrunk or completely disappeared. A few years ago, parking was free for all students, but the cost of parking has risen steadily in the past few years, deterring students from bringing their cars and buying permits. 

Parking is far away by Rice campus standards, especially if you are assigned to one of the North Colleges (10 to 12 minutes on foot). This isn’t insurmountable, of course, but it does discourage spur of the moment late night trips to grab food or go visit your off-campus friends. Luckily, by the time you are a senior you have a pretty good shot at getting a parking place in one of the small college lots. These spots cost a bit more but are well worth the extra cash for the increased proximity and convenience.

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Students Speak Out

RicKL says: Other

The parking situation is getting... The parking situation is getting worse everyday, although it is still very much tolerable. Cars are handy at Rice, but you can definitely get around without owning one. Several of your friends (especially those from Texas) will probably have cars, there's a MetroRail, a bus system, shuttles that run all over campus, and even a zip car program where you can rent cars from Rice. 12345 Parking: February 24, 2009 Report

RicBD says: History

Freshmen can bring a car, but... Freshmen can bring a car, but parking is expensive and most of it is pretty far from civilization. 12345 Parking: February 23, 2009 Report

Anonymous says:

To be honest, we hate the new... To be honest, we hate the new parking system. It’s unnecessarily expensive, and the parking gates are a huge hassle. There isn’t even a lack of parking spots out at the stadium, so it makes no sense to start charging students so much money. Plus, it makes it a lot more difficult for visitors to come and park at Rice. They have to go through this complicated process with the police station, and they are only allowed to park in certain areas of the stadium lot or pay money to park in the central parking garage underneath the new Jones Graduate School of Management. 12345 Parking Report

Anonymous says:

Parking is great because of the... Parking is great because of the fact that it exists—at other schools you have a heck of a time finding anywhere to park. Rice students tend to complain about parking because it is in the stadium, but there is a shuttle that goes around, and it is only a 10-15 minute walk, which is nothing. 12345 Parking Report

Anonymous says:

Parking is getting harder and... Parking is getting harder and harder, but it’s better than at a lot of schools with campuses that aren’t as enclosed. You might have to pay a lot for parking, but there will be somewhere for you to keep your car that is no more than a 15-minute walk from where you live. However, this walk will seem a lot longer if some of your friends manage to get a spot right outside your dorm. 12345 Parking Report

Did You Know?

Best Places to Find a Parking Spot
You can always find a spot in the Stadium Lot, and for upperclassmen with permits for the college lots, finding a spot is almost never a problem.

Good Luck Getting a Parking Spot Here!
At night and on the weekends, faculty lots open up to underclassmen. These usually don’t fill up on weeknights, but you may have problems finding a spot on a Friday or Saturday night.

Create-a-Parking-Spot
Rice has a great policy of 15-minute parking along the Inner loop and President’s Drive (areas where parking is not permitted). Students can park their cars alongside the curb and leave their emergency lights blinking while they run into a building for an errand, drop something off for a friend, unload boxes, or whatever. While students do occasionally luck out and are able to leave their car parked in this manner for longer than 15 minutes, the campus police have really begun to step up their parking surveillance. If you don’t want a ticket, you probably shouldn’t risk it!

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