Admit rate has ranged 29%–79% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Rust College is Mississippi's oldest HBCU, a small, historically significant institution in Holly Springs that operates with a distinct mission. It offers a tightly-knit, supportive environment with a focus on accessible education, but its profile is defined by a stark tension between its rich legacy and profound challenges in student retention and graduation. This is a college where the promise of a close community and low net cost meets the reality of some of the nation's lowest completion rates.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
Letters of recommendation
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
College-prep program
Demonstrated competencies
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
467
In-state tuition
$13,265
Out-of-state tuition
$13,265
Top Major
Biology
Graduation Rate
12%
First-Year Retention
66%
Student-Faculty Ratio
11:1
Median Earnings (10yr)
$32,275
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$32,275
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
2.6×
Median debt at graduation
$26,159
Graduation rate
12%
First-year retention
84%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
21%
Pell (lower-income) share
71%
First-gen share (among federal-aid recipients)
46%
Financial health
3.0 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Journalism$19,683
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$19,455
Biology, General$17,595
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
90
Summer high
89°F
Winter low
37°F
Annual rain
58.7"
Annual snow
3.5"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Low
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
43
Scholarly works
447
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
2.3%
Bottom → top quintile
7%
From bottom quintile
36%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Rust College?
Rust College's acceptance rate is approximately 49% (Holly Springs, MS), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
How much does Rust College cost?
At Rust College, the average net price (after aid) is about $12,587 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Rust College?
Rust College enrolls approximately 467 undergraduate students.
Where is Rust College located?
Rust College is located in Holly Springs, MS.
Admissions
Rust College's admissions process is moderately selective and designed to be accessible. The college reports an of 49%. For regular admission, the college considers applicants with at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA from high school or previous college work, and who have taken the ACT or SAT. Test scores can be waived for some applicants. The middle 50% SAT score range for admitted students is reported to be between 630 and 800, while the average ACT score is around 15. The admissions office emphasizes that applicants earning certain minimum scores (e.g., 18 ACT or 980 SAT for some Mississippi programs) are considered. There is no available for Rust College in the provided sources to detail factors like the importance of demonstrated interest, class rank, or recommendations. The process appears straightforward, prioritizing core academic readiness over hyper-competitive metrics.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Academics
Academics at Rust are intimate, with a student-faculty ratio of 11:1, fostering close interaction. The college offers a focused set of undergraduate majors through its traditional liberal arts curriculum. The most popular and specialized programs are in the sciences and social services.
Top Majors: Biology is the most awarded degree, followed by Public Administration and Social Service (including Social Work), Communications (or Broadcast Journalism), Business, and Computer Science.
Other Programs: Additional majors include Accounting, Chemistry, Childcare Management, Elementary Education, English, and Criminal Justice.
The academic environment is defined by its small scale and historical mission as Mississippi's oldest HBCU and second-oldest private college. However, a significant challenge is reflected in the average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction and academic integration, which is 66%.
Life at Rust College revolves around a small, residential campus community of just 429 undergraduate students (as of Fall 2023). The vibe is consistently described as close-knit, family-like, and supportive, where staff and professors are deeply involved with students. Campus engagement is encouraged through organized activities and student governance.
Community & Activities: The Student Government Association (SGA) actively solicits student ideas to enhance the campus environment. College-sponsored activities are promoted as a way for students to mingle, be exposed to new cultures, and build lifelong friendships.
Campus Facilities: The college has been renovating its residential facilities, with recent updates to residence halls like Wiff Hall featuring modernized amenities.
Demographics: The gender distribution is not specified in the provided sources, but the total enrollment underscores the institution's small size, which shapes every aspect of daily interaction and campus culture.
Student outcomes at Rust College present the institution's most significant challenge. Graduation rates are among the lowest nationally, though reported figures vary widely across sources.
Graduation Rate: The canonical graduation rate is 12%. Other sources report rates as high as 27% or note a 21% rate over a five-year period. Federal IPEDS data references 150% and 200% graduation rates (measuring completion within 6-8 years), indicating many students take significantly longer than the traditional four years to finish, if they finish at all.
Post-Graduation Earnings: The median earnings ten years after entry are $32,275. Other data points show earnings one year after graduation around $26,363, rising to approximately $38,792 five years after graduation. Alumni who complete degrees in fields like Biology are reported to have higher earnings.
Retention: The freshman retention rate of 66% signals early academic or social struggles for a substantial portion of the entering class, which correlates with the low ultimate graduation figures.
Rust College positions itself as an affordable option, with a that is significantly reduced from its sticker tuition through institutional and federal aid.
Net Price: The average net price after aid is $12,587 per year.
Financial Aid: The college offers numerous academic, talent, merit, and athletic scholarships and grants. The average total aid awarded is approximately $10,993 per year, composed of federal grants (around $8,330), state grants, and institutional grants. The average institutional grant aid is about $6,414.
Pell Grants: The average Pell Grant amount for recipients is $6,565, indicating a student body with high financial need.
Policies: The provided sources contain no information indicating Rust College has a "no-loan" financial aid policy or a policy of meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need without loans. Students should use the college's net price calculator for a personalized estimate.
Rust College stands out for its profound historical significance and its equally profound contemporary challenges, creating a unique and sobering profile in American higher education. Its identity is anchored as Mississippi's oldest HBCU, giving it an irreplaceable in educating Black students in the Deep South. This legacy manifests today in a fiercely close-knit, 11:1 student-faculty environment where support is personal and immediate. It stands out for accessibility, with a moderate admissions threshold and a low average that makes college a tangible possibility for many. However, it stands out more starkly for the extreme disparity between access and completion. With a graduation rate of 12%, it operates as a critical access point but struggles dramatically with retention and degree attainment. This makes Rust not just a college, but a case study in the ongoing mission of historically Black institutions serving high-need populations, where providing opportunity is only the first, and not always the final, step.
