Residential Colleges of Rice University - Will Rice College

William Marsh Rice Jr. College, commonly known as Will Rice, was originally called South Hall, one of the original dormitories the university built soon after opening in 1912.

In 1957, Rice adopted the residential college system, and South Hall became Will Rice College, named for William M. Rice, Jr., the nephew of the university's founder, William Marsh Rice. The second-oldest of the eleven residential colleges at Rice, Will Rice was originally an all-male college and became co-ed in 1977.

Will Rice shares architectural similarities with Baker and Hanszen colleges; all three possess a white-painted "Old Wing" and a brick colored "New Wing". Will Rice's "Old Dorm" possesses a tower above the rest of the college, a design feature seen also in Hanszen and Baker.

The symbol of Will Rice college is the Phoenix, depicted in maroon and gold colors. The college commonly refers to itself as the "college of gods and goddesses." The elected governing body of Will Rice is called the Diet and administers a university-sponsored and fee-augmented budget of approximately $40,000 which supports social, athletic, and other programs for Will Rice's nearly 300 resident and non-resident members.

Will Rice is traditionally a strong contender in the university's annual campus-wide Beer Bike competition among the residential colleges. Will Rice has held the longest winning streak on record in the alumni race (11 years from 1996 to 2006). Since the inclusion of an alumni race, Will Rice has been the only college to have won the men's, women's, and alumni races in a given year, called a "sweep," which it has done on five occasions — 1983, 1986, 1999, 2009, and 2013. In addition, Will Rice holds the current track records for the men's, women's, and alumni races.

Each year, in the spring, the 80s and 90s section of Will Rice secede and form "Albert Patrick College," named after the man convicted of masterminding the death of the university's founder. However, this tradition has come to an end with the demolition of New Dorm.

In 2009, work began on a new wing for Will Rice college, now referred to as "Newer Dorm." This new wing is located on the site of the former New Section, built in 1957; this building was torn down completely. A new servery, which is shared with Lovett, is part of the construction project. During the construction, the population of Will Rice lived in the residences of McMurtry college, which was founded that year, as a sort of sister college.