Rice University Precollege Medicine: Diagnostics, Treatment, and Patient Care

There are no live classes or Zoom calls, so you watch pre-recorded lectures and do the work whenever it suits you, as long as everything is in before your session ends. Each unit ends with a module assignment that's marked Complete or Incomplete rather than graded. Your mentor gives feedback on those and on a draft of your capstone through the Canvas inbox and discussion boards.

Rice puts the course at 20 to 30 hours in total whichever length you choose, and the content is identical across all three. That means 20 to 30 hours in a single week on the one-week option, or roughly 5 to 7.5 hours a week over four weeks. Mentors are most active during daytime hours in US time zones, which is worth knowing if you live somewhere very different.

The course was designed by Mehdi Razavi, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist at Baylor College of Medicine and adjunct associate professor of electrical engineering at Rice, whose research is in medical technology. You learn from his recorded lectures rather than meeting him, and your day-to-day support comes from a mentor.

Rice says its mentors are real people, not AI. The mentors it lists for this course include a pre-med student studying the biology of global health, a nurse with more than a decade of experience and a medical student who works in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

You leave with a Certificate of Completion from Rice University and your capstone case study, which Rice says you can include on college and internship applications. The certificate isn't automatic. You need a satisfactory evaluation on at least 70% of the assignments, plus the complete capstone, by your end date.

This is a non-credit course, so there are no grades, credits or transcript, and Rice says taking it gives you no advantage in its own admissions. Rice also asks students to list it on applications as an extracurricular or experiential activity, not as educational experience.

The course costs $1,795 whichever length you pick, and Rice says there are no additional fees, although you supply your own device and a strong internet connection. Payment is due the day before your course starts, but your place isn't confirmed until you've paid, so Rice recommends paying as soon as you're accepted.

Cancel at least seven calendar days before your start date and you get everything back. From six days before, the fee is non-refundable with no partial refunds, although you may be able to switch to another session or course. You also get nothing back if you don't earn the certificate.

Rice offers need-based scholarships for students who show high potential and can't pay the full tuition. You request one on the confirmation page after submitting your application, but Rice doesn't say how much they cover.

You apply through Rice's online application, which takes about 20 to 30 minutes and asks for no transcripts or recommendation letters.

1. 1

   Fill in basic contact details for you and a parent or guardian, in English, since Rice doesn't review applications in other languages.

2. 2

   Write a short personal statement on why you want to take the course, which Rice calls the most important part, in writing, video, photos or any other medium you like.

3. 3

   Choose a session: 22 to 29 November 2026 (apply by 15 November), 20 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 (apply by 13 December) or 3 to 31 January 2027 (apply by 27 December 2026).

4. 4

   Request a need-based scholarship on the confirmation page if you need one.

5. 5

   Expect a decision by email within a week, sometimes a few days longer at busy times, which leaves little room if you apply on the deadline for a session starting a week later.

6. 6

   Pay the $1,795 by the day before your start date, and watch for your Canvas invitation at least two days before the course begins.