After Rust College: graduation, pay and debt
Holly Springs, Mississippi · Private · 467 undergrads · HBCU
27% of Rust College students finish within six years, the typical student earns $35,151 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $29,000 in federal loans at the median.
The short answers
$35.2k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
27%
finish within six years.
24%
finish in four years.
84%
of first-years come back for year two.
$29k
median federal debt at graduation.
21%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers
Finishing
Finished in four yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
24%
Finished within six yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
27%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
84%
Men who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
23%
Women who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
30%
Students in that six-year groupIPEDS, students who started in 2017
141
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
39%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
7%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
242
Pay after college
Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$28,938
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$35,151
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
27%
Debt and paying it back
Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$29,000
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$13,777
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$13,860
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$11,500
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
21%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
27%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
28%
Where these numbers come from
- Admit rate and applicants: IPEDS, fall 2024 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard, 2024-25 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
Updated Oct 31, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers