Rice is continuing its multi-year investment in employee compensation and benefits through the Total Rewards Initiative. Now entering its third year, the initiative reflects the university’s commitment to supporting staff while ensuring Rice remains competitive with peer institutions and major employers in the Houston area.
Launched in 2023 following a comprehensive market study, the initiative compared Rice’s compensation and benefits with those offered by peer universities and organizations in Houston and across the country. Based on those findings, Rice committed $20 million over four years to strengthen employees’ pay and benefits.
Each year of the initiative builds on the last. With enhancements already made to insurance premiums, parental leave, and tuition support, the FY27 investments focus on lowering dental premiums and improving pay competitiveness for staff.
FY27 Investments
Beginning in FY27, Rice will implement several enhancements to compensation and benefits:
Expanded Dental Benefits
Rice has reached its multi-year goal of providing a 50% subsidy for dental premiums for all faculty and staff. This milestone ensures that dental coverage is more affordable and consistent across the university community.
Hourly Base Pay Increase
To remain competitive in the Houston job market, Rice will increase the base pay for hourly staff to $18 per hour.
- New hourly employees will begin receiving the $18/hour rate effective April 1, 2026.
- Existing hourly employees will transition to the $18/hour base rate effective September 6, 2026.
Addressing Pay Compression
As the base hourly rate increases, Rice will also make targeted adjustments to some pay rates to address wage compression — a situation where employees with more experience earn pay close to or the same as newer employees after base pay increases.
These adjustments help maintain appropriate pay differences based on experience, responsibilities, and time in role.
Any compression-related adjustments will take effect September 6, 2026, alongside the transition of existing hourly employees to the new $18/hour base pay.
Targeted Market Adjustments
Additional market-based pay adjustments will take effect on September 6, 2026. These adjustments are part of the four-year Total Rewards commitment and are designed to ensure that specific positions across the university remain aligned with external market benchmarks and peer institutions.
Open Enrollment & RiceFest
Open Enrollment will take place from April 3 – April 17, 2026. This is the annual opportunity for faculty and staff to review their benefits and make any changes for the upcoming plan year. All changes will be effective July 1.
The Total Rewards Team will partner with Ask Alex to help employees explore their benefits options and learn more about available programs. Ask ALEX is a 24/7, AI-powered virtual benefits assistant designed to help employees understand, choose, and use their benefits. It provides personalized guidance on health insurance, flexible spending, voluntary benefits, and other perks.
The team will also host RiceFest, the university’s annual benefits fair. RiceFest will be held April 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Grand Hall at the Rice Memorial Center. Faculty and staff can connect with benefits vendors, speak with the Total Rewards team, and discover programs and resources designed to support their wellbeing and financial health.
Learn More About Your Total Rewards
Employees can view detailed information about their salary, bonuses, and employer-paid benefits through their Total Compensation Statement in the HR system.
Email the Total Rewards team at benefits@rice.edu for benefits questions or compensation@rice.edu for compensation inquiries.