Passport to Houston
Passport to Houston
What is Passport to Houston?
Passport to Houston (PtH) is a program that was created in 2007 by President David Leebron. The committee is designed to engage the Rice community with the city of Houston in order to encourage students to be more community-oriented, socially-engaged, and culturally-aware.
The RPC Passport to Houston Committee identifies and builds relationships with regional institutions that offer students educational and cultural opportunities for intellectual, social, and professional growth. The Passport program promotes and highlights these organizations by providing free or discounted admission.
What does Passport to Houston offer?
With a valid Rice ID the Passport program also provides, unlimited access to permanent exhibitions at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (for graduate and undergraduate students only), and unlimited access to the Houston Zoo. Additionally, PtH provides unlimited general admission to the Museum of Fine Arts, available by picking up a separate MFAH pass through the Student Center. These passes are annual, and must be replaced every academic year.
Rice undergraduate students can obtain a METRO Q Card for unlimited use on regularly scheduled METRO transportation systems, including the light rail, during the academic year. Graduate students (excluding Jones School) are eligible to purchase Metro Cards with a value of $500 for $55. Metro Q Cards for undergraduates and graduate students are available from the Cashier’s Office in the Allen Center. Undergraduate Metro Q Cards can only be obtained and replenished during the academic year.
Along with these benefits, the Passport program also brings annual events such as Houston Zoo Lights, Rice Night at the Rockets, Houston Rodeo, and many other rotating ones to campus.
NEW - Theatrical Accessibility
Through a new endowment created this academic year, Passport to Houston is also facilitating student accessibility to theatre in the surrounding Houston area. For the Fall of 2024, we provided subsidized tickets for students to see Il Trovatore and Cinderella at the Houston Grand Opera.
For the Spring of 2025, we are currently working with the Hobby Center to bring Rice students to the tour of Hamilton! We can’t wait to grow this new addition to the Passport to Houston program and help students experience the amazing theatrical scene in Houston!
