Rice University was recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) as a recipient of its inaugural Torch Awards, a new recognition program celebrating member institutions for leadership in three areas: affordability, student success and postcollege outcomes. Rice was recognized in the postcollege outcome category.
“This award underscores Rice’s deep commitment to ensuring a premier education that delivers meaningful, lasting value,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. “Being recognized for postcollege outcomes reflects Rice’s intentional investments in student success — from access to preparation for fulfilling careers and lives of purpose. We are proud to see our graduates thrive long after they leave our campus.”
SACSCOC used several criteria to evaluate candidates in the postcollege outcome category: alumni’s federal loan no-progress rate, median earnings 10 years postentry, premium cost-to-earnings ratio, student debt service ratio and three-year cohort default rate.
The awards recognize colleges and universities of every level and size among SACSCOC’s more than 780 member institutions. Twenty-five higher education institutions received this year’s Torch Award with seven receiving recognition for postcollege success.
SACSCOC is an institutional accreditor for quality assurance in higher education. It accredits institutions that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral degrees, including those offered via distance and correspondence education.
The full list of SACSCOC’s Torch Award recipients is available online.