Rust College
Holly Springs, Mississippi · Private Nonprofit · 48.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 3/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi posts a 3 out of 100 ROI score - anchored to a Below Benchmark classification. The 999-year payback period is a placeholder for 'earnings never recoup the cost' - average graduates earn $20,900 six years after enrollment, climbing only to a median $32,275 by year ten. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.252 means borrowers owe roughly $26,159 against income that does not cover annual living costs, let alone loan service. The most damaging number is completion: only 11.8% of students who enroll finish the degree. That means nine out of ten students take on debt without earning the credential that justifies it. Net price is $12,587 per year on a $13,265 sticker - so institutional aid is minimal, and the discount is small. Rust is a historically Black college (HBCU) with deep institutional value to its community and alumni, but on pure cost-per-outcome math, the data is a flashing warning.
How Rust College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score3/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.25 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate11.8% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Rust College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $13,265/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $13,265/yr |
| Average net price | $12,587/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $50,348 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $32,275 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $20,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,159 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $277 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 11.8% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 467 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $13,265/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $12,587/year, or roughly $50,348 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $12,546/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $18,356/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,159, which works out to about $277 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($20,900) and comes to 1.25, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $12,546 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $9,481 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $13,878 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $8,797 |
| $110,001+ | $18,356 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $12,546 net - nearly the full sticker price, indicating institutional aid is essentially nonexistent. Pell Grants cover most or all of this for the lowest-income families, but with an 11.8% completion rate, the modal outcome is borrowed money and no degree.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The income-bracket structure here is severely inverted: $30,001-$48,000 families pay $9,481 (the lowest), while $48,001-$75,000 families pay $13,878 (the highest middle bracket), and $75,001-$110,000 families pay just $8,797. These numbers do not follow standard need-based aid logic and suggest small-sample noise or unusual aid policies. Middle-income families should ask the financial-aid office to walk through their specific package rather than rely on these brackets.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $110,001+ pay $18,356 net - well above the listed sticker tuition of $13,265, an anomaly worth flagging that suggests either reporting error or that high-income families are being charged for additional fees and housing components not reflected in the tuition figure. Either way, no high-income family should pay $73,000+ over four years for a school where 88% of students do not finish.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Rust College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $33,981 | D |
| Journalism | $41,398 | F |
| Teacher Education | $35,634 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Biology
Biology is Rust's largest reporting program at 22 graduates with $26,947 first-year and $33,981 four-year earnings against $25,500 median debt - a 0.946 debt-to-earnings ratio and D grade. This is actually one of the school's better-performing programs, which is not saying much. The earnings reflect that bachelor's biology degrees rarely lead to high-paying jobs without graduate school. The math does not work as a terminal degree.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education turns out 6 graduates with $25,814 first-year and $35,634 four-year earnings against $31,000 median debt - a 1.201 ratio and F grade. Mississippi teacher salaries are modest, and the debt load here exceeds annual earnings for the first several years. Students who want to teach in Mississippi public schools should explore MS Department of Education forgivable-loan programs or attend a state institution where tuition is half this price.
Journalism
Journalism (14 graduates) shows $24,977 first-year and $41,398 four-year earnings against $31,000 median debt, a 1.241 debt-to-earnings ratio, and F grade. As with most Rust programs, the issue is not earnings potential alone - it is debt loaded onto a degree that 88% of starters do not complete.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 29.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 30.0% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 26.6% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 27.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Rust College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 48.7% |
| Enrollment | 467 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 71.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,096 |
Rust College admits 48.7% of applicants, but with no SAT or ACT score data reported in the current Scorecard release (mid-50% bands all null), it is hard to characterize the academic profile of admitted students. The very low 11.8% completion rate suggests significant gaps in academic preparation among enrolled students - whether that's an admissions screening issue or, more likely, the well-documented under-resourcing problem that affects historically Black colleges with thin endowments.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rust College (this school) | 3 | $12,587 | $32,275 |
| Livingstone College | 4 | $13,479 | $32,600 |
| Benedict College | 4 | $18,250 | $31,902 |
| Jarvis Christian University | 4 | $9,825 | $32,992 |
| Allen University | 3 | $10,972 | $30,497 |
| Lane College | 3 | $10,904 | $31,670 |
Who Thrives Here
Rust College's enrollment of 467 and Pell rate of 71.5% paint the picture of a tiny school serving overwhelmingly low-income, predominantly Black students in rural northern Mississippi. The institutional mission of educating students who other colleges might overlook is real and important. But on outcomes, only 11.8% finish, and those who do earn $32,275 a decade in.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Rust College scores 3/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $12,587 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $32,275 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 11.8% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.25 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 30.0% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,159 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $20,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.25. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Rust College: Common Questions
Is Rust College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Rust College scores 3/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $12,587 a year after aid against $32,275 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Rust College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $12,587 a year, or roughly $50,348 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Rust College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $32,275 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Rust College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Rust College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Rust College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,159, against average earnings of $20,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.25. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Rust College?
The six-year graduation rate is 11.8%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.