More selective than 79% of Mississippi colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $23,107. College Scorecard.
Higher than 0% of Mississippi colleges we cover and 2% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 7% of Mississippi colleges we cover and 2% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Rust College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 1,715 applicants, Rust College admitted 595 and 103 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Rust College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Rust College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Rust College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Mississippi. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,546 | $51,815 | more than 20 years |
| $30–48k | $9,481 | $39,157 | more than 20 years |
| $48–75k | $13,878 | $57,316 | more than 20 years |
| $75–110k | $8,797 | $36,332 | more than 20 years |
| $110k+ | $18,356 | $75,810 | more than 20 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (24% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($32,275) minus $30,550 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MS (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $1,725 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Rust College majors, earnings & careers
Rust College offers 17 bachelor's majors across 7 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Education · 3
- Science & Math · 3
- Business & Finance · 1
- Communications & Media · 1
- Humanities & Languages · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Rust College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Journalism | $41,398 | $31,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $35,634 | $31,000 |
| Biology | $33,981 | $25,500 |
Quick list of all 17 majors
- Biology$33,981
- Business Administration—
- Chemistry—
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$35,634
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Educational Administration and Supervision—
- English Language and Literature / Letters, Other—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Journalism$41,398
- Mathematics—
- Political Science—
- Public Administration—
- Social Sciences—
- Social Work—
- Sociology—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Journalism → Reporter / journalist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 5.9% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Memphis
Overall prices in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,106. Housing costs 20% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 58 inches of rain a year, 2 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Marshall County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Marshall County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Rust College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Mississippi by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rust College | 49% | $12,587 | 12% | $32,275 | This school |
| Tougaloo College | 60% | $17,043 | 33% | $34,724 | |
| Belhaven University | 50% | $15,676 | 49% | $46,440 | |
| Millsaps College | 43% | $26,034 | 57% | $53,848 | |
| William Carey University | 60% | $14,258 | 60% | $43,087 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Rust College would cost you $4,456 less per year than Tougaloo College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Rust College, mostly from lower housing & meal costs (−$1,564).
- Rust College gives aided families $3,324 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Mississippi resident | Rust College | Tougaloo College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $13,265 | $12,407 | +$858 |
| Books & supplies | $500 | $1,400 | −$900 |
| Housing & meals | $5,980 | $7,544 | −$1,564 |
| Personal & travel | $3,000 | $4,440 | −$1,440 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | +$362 | −$1,552 | +$1,914 |
| Sticker price | $23,107 | $24,239 | −$1,132 |
| Average grants | −$10,520 | −$7,196 | −$3,324 |
| You pay | $12,587 | $17,043 | −$4,456 |
“+” means Rust College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Rust College
What is the Rust College acceptance rate?
Rust College accepts 49% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 595 of 1,715 applicants were admitted.
How much does Rust College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $23,107 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $12,587 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $12,546 and families earning $110k+ pay $18,356.
How much do Rust College graduates earn?
Former Rust College students earn a median $32,275 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Rust College graduation rate?
12% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 84% return for their second year.
How long does a Rust College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Rust College costs about $57,316 after grants ($13,878 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $32,275 ten years after starting, $1,725 more than high school graduates in Mississippi ($30,550), so repaying the cost would take more than 20 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Rust College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/rust-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).