Last update 09/09/2025
Chao College- Rice’s newest residential college- will open in the fall of 2026. To prepare for the launch of Chao College, many preparation steps need to be taken to welcome the new residents into the space. This page will provide information and regular updates to keep the Rice community informed of the planning and committee work progress for Chao College. Please see the following sections for additional information:
- Anticipated Timeline
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Spring 2025
- Public announcement of College 12 launch process
- Founding Committee Charge and Application (opened 1/14/2025, closed 1/27/2025)
- Founding Committee selected and begins work on foundational college items
Fall 2025
- Founding Committee continues work
- Recruitment of rising seniors, juniors, and sophomores for populating College 12 begins
- College Coordinator search begins
Spring 2026
- Founding Committee continues work
- Chao College roster finalized
- College Coordinator selected
- RA search (2 positions) begins
Summer 2026
- Preparations for O-Week
- Preparations for Move-In
Fall 2026
- Chao College opens
- Chao College Core Team
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The Dean of Undergraduates Office is pleased to announce that three members of the Chao College Core Team have been selected to begin work and planning for a fall 2026 launch. The new Magisters for Chao College will be Luis and Angela Duno-Gottberg, and one of the new Resident Associates will be Tamara Jones. Luis and Angela previously served as Magister at Baker College (2017-2023), and before that, Luis served as the founding Magister at Duncan College (2009-2015). Tamara has served as an RA at McMurtry College (2018-2026) and will transition to the new college when it opens. The remaining members of the Core Team will be announced in the Spring of 2026.
- Founding Committee Charge and Membership
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The Founding Committee of Chao College will create the foundation for the new college's intellectual, cultural, and social life. Responsibilities of the committee are varied and include tasks such as creating founding documents for the college (e.g. constitution, government structure, budgets), college crest, initial programming, and a variety of other tasks that will help the college to be fully functional at its launch in Fall 2026. Chao College Magister Luis Duno-Gottberg and Resident Associate Tamara Jones will serve as co-chairs for the committee.
Chao College is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026, and many decisions and plans need to be made for a smooth launch of the new college. The Office of the Dean of Undergraduates and the Chao College Core Team have selected the Founding Committee for Chao College:
- Isabella Campos (Hanszen)
- Mahtab Dastur (Duncan)
- Angel De La Fuente Trevizo (Wiess)
- Bruce Hurley (Lovett)
- Abby McKellop (Sid Richardson)
- Cindy Nguyen (Martel)
- Bella Pacheco (Martel)
- Hudson Perroni (McMurtry)
- Yelena Robinson (Martel)
- Ian Rodriguez (Jones)
- Brianna Schulstad (McMurtry)
- Fenecia Shaiju (Baker)
- Gustavo Vives (Brown)
- Adam Vuong (Will Rice)
- Elijah White (McMurtry)
- Daijah Wilson (Jones)
- Completed Items and Updates
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Fall 2025
- Chao College topping out ceremony held
- Invitations to apply to transfer sent
- Waitlist for invitations launched
Summer 2025
- Executive Government and Budget structure finalized
- Chao College named
Spring 2025
- Founding Committee Charge and application process established
- Founding Committee application released
- Founding Committee selected
- Colors selected
Fall 2024
- Timeline for College 12 drafted
- Martel, Duncan/McMurtry processes reviewed
- Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: Who is eligible to be invited to transfer to Chao College?
To be eligible to be invited to transfer to Chao College in the fall of 2025 for the 2026-2027 academic year, students must be undergraduates and must not be graduating before May 2027.
Q: Why aren't all undergraduates invited to apply to transfer to Chao College?
Undergraduate students in the existing residential colleges are randomly assigned after admission, but a variety of demographic markers are taken into account to ensure a balanced and proportional population across campus. Chao College's invitees were similarly randomly selected to apply. Additionally, Chao is seeking to fill only a portion of the total number of beds with continuing students from the existing residential colleges (along with a limited number of off-campus spots for upperclassmen), as the remaining beds will be assigned to members of the 2026 matriculating class. Due to the limited timeframe to select, notify, and process transfer students, and the limited number of spots available, it was necessary to invite a smaller number of continuing students to transfer. However, there is a waitlist sign-up available on this page for undergraduate students who want an invitation but did not receive one. If space is available at Chao after the initial invitation round, we may offer additional invitations to those on the waitlist.