What families actually pay
Average yearly net price after grants, in-state students, by family income
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Biggest majors
| Major | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Criminal Justice/Safety Studies | 87 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences | 76 |
| Business Administration and Management | 65 |
| General Studies | 42 |
| Psychology | 34 |
| Social Work | 32 |
| Physical Education Teaching and Coaching | 31 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other | 29 |
Show the other 17 majors
| Mass Communication/Media Studies | 26 |
| History | 22 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 22 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 21 |
| Marketing/Marketing Management | 20 |
| Information Science/Studies | 20 |
| Accounting | 17 |
| Sociology | 14 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | 13 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | 12 |
| Elementary Education and Teaching | 10 |
| Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance | 8 |
| Computer Science | 8 |
| Music | 6 |
| Chemistry | 5 |
| English Language and Literature | 3 |
| Mathematics, Other | 1 |
Bachelor’s graduates, first major, most recent year · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, IPEDS · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Sports and campus life
Men’s varsity · NCAA Division I, Southwestern Athletic Conference
Baseball, Basketball, Football, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
Women’s varsity · NCAA Division I, Southwestern Athletic Conference
Basketball, Bowling, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Volleyball
ROTC
Air Force, Army
Faith groups
Cru, Newman Connection
Greek life
2% of men in fraternities · 2% of women in sororities · 2% of undergraduates overall (Common Data Set 2014–15)
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education athletics data (EADA), Common Data Set (Greek life), valormovement.com · checked September 4, 2026 · data snapshot October 2, 2026
The place
Setting
Town, distant
Federal locale classification
Metro area
Ruston, LA
48,243 people
Big-city metro (1 million+)
No
More about the place
Nearest airport
Monroe Regional (MLU)
Nearest hub airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY)
Walkability
EPA walkability index 7.3 of 20
Elevation
314 ft
Time zone
Central
January low
35°F
July high
92°F
Annual snowfall
0.4 in
Days at 90°F or higher
85 per year
One-bedroom fair market rent
$750 per month
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS locale), U.S. Census metro estimates, NOAA climate normals, HUD fair market rents, EPA walkability · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Colleges nearby
- Louisiana Tech University4 mi
- University of Louisiana at Monroe37 mi
- Northwestern State University of Louisiana58 mi
- Louisiana State University-Shreveport58 mi
- Centenary College of Louisiana59 mi
- Southern Arkansas University Main Campus61 mi
Straight-line distance between campuses
Similar colleges
Public, town campus, NCAA Division I, similar size
- Western Illinois University5,025 students
- Longwood University3,223 students
- Radford University5,704 students
- South Carolina State University2,762 students
- The University of Tennessee-Martin6,234 students
- University of Maryland Eastern Shore2,233 students