Rice University Precollege Space Exploration: The Road to Mars

Everything is asynchronous, so there are no live classes, Zoom calls or set log-in times. You watch pre-recorded lectures, interviews and simulations on Canvas, the program's course platform, and complete a module assignment after each unit plus the final capstone. There are no deadlines for individual assignments, and everything simply has to be in by your session's end date.

You reach your mentor through the Canvas inbox and discussion boards, and they review your assignments, including your capstone before you finalize it. Mentors are mostly active during daytime in US time zones, which is worth knowing if you live elsewhere and want quick replies. Work is marked Complete or Incomplete rather than graded, and you keep view-only access to the materials for a month after the session ends.

Rice offers three session lengths, depending on the time of year, and all of them have the same content and mentor support.

• 1-week session

  About 30 hours of work in a single week.

• 2-week session

  About 15 hours a week.

• 4-week session

  About 7.5 hours a week, with the same content and mentor support as the shorter options.

The course was designed by David Alexander, a professor in Rice's Department of Physics and Astronomy and director of the Rice Space Institute, whose research covers solar physics, exoplanets and remote sensing of Earth. Rice's faculty teach through pre-recorded video, so you won't have live contact with him.

Your day-to-day contact is a mentor, and Rice says they're real people, not AI. It lists three for this course: Maya, who holds a master's in space science from Rice and a physics degree, Katie, a Rice undergraduate studying mechanical engineering, and Bilal, who has a master's in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering. Rice doesn't say how many students each mentor works with.

You need to be at least 13 and either in high school (or its equivalent) or within a year of graduating on a gap year. Rice says the course isn't meant for college students or adults, and younger students can start in middle school once they've turned 13.

No transcripts or recommendation letters are needed. The application asks for contact details for you and a parent or guardian and a short personal statement on why you want to take the course, which Rice calls the most important part. You can tell your story in writing, video or photos. Everything has to be in English, but you don't need an English test. Rice doesn't publish how many applicants it accepts, and applying to several courses doesn't affect your chances.

You apply through the Rice University Precollege Program application, choosing your session along the way.

1. 1

   Fill in the online application before your session's deadline. It takes 20 to 30 minutes, and your progress is saved if you stop partway.

2. 2

   If you need financial help, click "Apply for a need-based scholarship" on the confirmation page right after you submit.

3. 3

   Expect a decision by email within a week, or a few days longer at peak times.

4. 4

   Pay the full tuition, which is due the day before your start date, although Rice recommends paying as soon as you're accepted because your place isn't confirmed until you do.

5. 5

   Look out for your Canvas course invitation, which arrives at least two days before the session starts.

The total is $1,795, whichever session length you pick, and Rice says there are no additional fees. That covers the recorded lectures, assignments and your mentor's feedback. You supply your own computer, tablet or phone and a reliable internet connection.

Need-based scholarships are available for students who show high potential and can't pay the full tuition, but Rice doesn't publish how much they're worth.

You can cancel for a full refund up to 7 calendar days before your start date. From 6 days before, nothing comes back and there are no partial refunds, although Rice may let you move to another session or course if there's space and you pay any difference in fees. Being removed under the code of conduct doesn't get you any money back either.

You leave with a Certificate of Completion from Rice University and your Mars mission capstone, but no college credit, grades or transcript. To earn the certificate you need satisfactory work on at least 70% of the assignments plus the whole capstone by your session's end date, and Rice won't refund you if you fall short.

For the capstone, you pick a goal for your mission, explain why it matters, choose a landing site and plan how your crew will work with a robotic rover. Rice says you can include it on college and internship applications. It also says the course gives you no advantage in Rice's own admissions, and that it belongs on an application as an extracurricular or experiential activity rather than as education.