Rust College
Rust College is a private nonprofit college in Holly Springs, MS, with about 401 students on campus.
The short version on Rust College
Rust College is a historically Black college
It was founded to educate Black students, and 92% of undergraduates today are Black. The students ↓
A lower graduation rate than at most 4-year colleges
Only 12% of students graduate within six years, fewer than at 97% of 4-year colleges. 84% of first-year students come back for a second year. Outcomes ↓
Most students come from lower-income families
71% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal grant for lower-income students. The students ↓
Loan payments above the 10% comfort line
The typical graduate owes $26,159, about $277 a month over ten years. That’s 13.0% of a typical former student’s monthly pay six years after starting, above the 10% many advisers treat as a comfort line. Outcomes ↓
Fewer borrowers paying down loans than at most colleges
Only 21% of federal borrowers had paid down any of their loan within three years, fewer than at 96% of U.S. colleges. Outcomes ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; at a college this small, rates can swing from year to year.
The students
467 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
How hard is it to get into Rust College?
of applicants admitted
About 10 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Rust College is likely test-optional.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $23,107 a year
Before any grants
After grants, the average family on aid pays $12,587.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $55,512 over 4 years · 40% off the sticker price
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting
$277 a month against about $2,137 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, this college
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 4% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
Living in Holly Springs
14% of Holly Springs’s 6,402 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Holly Springs pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Rust College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.