University of Mississippi: Ranking, Academics, and Campus Life

The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1848, it holds the distinction of being the state's oldest public university and the flagship university for the state of Mississippi. With a rich history and a strong commitment to academic excellence, Ole Miss attracts students from across the globe.

Ranking and Recognition

In the 2025 edition of Best Colleges, University of Mississippi is ranked No. 171 in National Universities. It's also ranked No. 92 in Top Public Schools. U.S. News & World Report annual rankings of Best (Undergraduate) Colleges and Universities ranked the University of Mississippi No. The institution has been ranked as one of America's best college buys by Forbes and one of the best places to work by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The university's Honors College has been named one of America's finest.

While the University of Mississippi maintains a strong presence in national rankings, its position in global rankings has seen some fluctuation. According to the QS World University Ranking, the University of Mississippi ranks 1001-1200 in 2026, reflecting a decline from its previous ranking of 851-900 in 2025.

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more. University of Mississippi was awarded 422 badges in the 2024 rankings. Ole Miss landed the #361 spot in College Factual's 2024 ranking of best overall colleges in the United States. This is an improvement over the previous year, when Ole Miss held the #396 spot on the Best Overall Colleges list. Ole Miss also holds the #2 spot on the Best Colleges in Mississippi ranking.

Academics and Programs

The University of Mississippi offers a wide array of academic programs across its 15 academic divisions. From a liberal arts college with more than 30 departments to an accountancy school that consistently ranks among the nation’s top 10, the University of Mississippi offers academic degrees to suit any student. The university has a major medical school, a nationally recognized law school.

The most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Radio, Television & Digital Communication: 368 graduates, average salary of $38,748
Accounting: 335 graduates, average salary of $50,415
Nursing: 292 graduates, average salary of $56,141
Finance & Financial Management: 225 graduates, average salary of $48,765
General Psychology: 199 graduates, average salary of $22,599
Marketing: 198 graduates, average salary of $37,982
Health & Physical Education: 182 graduates, average salary of $24,639
Interdisciplinary Studies: 167 graduates
General Biology: 160 graduates, average salary of $22,078
Criminal Justice & Corrections: 154 graduates, average salary of $28,413

The university is classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very high research activity". Its research efforts include the National Center for Physics Acoustics, the National Center for Natural Products Research, and the Mississippi Center for Supercomputing Research. The university operates the country's only federally contracted Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cannabis facility. It also operates interdisciplinary institutes such as the Center for the Study of Southern Culture.

The University of Mississippi is a member of the SEC Academic Consortium, which has since been renamed SECU.

Medicine and Pharmacy

The University of Mississippi's course rankings, its OTHER postgraduate courses are ranked well in QS Subject Rankings. QS 2023 ranked Ole Miss’s Medicine courses at 351-400th. The University of Mississippi is also ranked 201-250th in the QS Pharmacy & Pharmacology Rankings 2023. When it comes to Medicine, the University of Mississippi does rather well. Under QS - Medicine Rankings 2023, Ole Miss is positioned 351-400th, similar to 2022.

In 1963, University of Mississippi Medical Center surgeons, led by James Hardy, performed the world's first human lung transplant, and in 1964 the world's first animal-to-human heart transplant. In 1965, the university established its Medicinal Plant Garden, which the School of Pharmacy uses for drug research. Since 1968, the school has operated the only legal marijuana farm and production facility in the United States.

Read also: History of the Block 'M'

Honors College

The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, renowned for a blend of academic rigor, experiential learning and opportunities for community action. Honors education at the University of Mississippi, consisting of lectures by distinguished academics, began in 1953.

Center for the Study of Southern Culture

In 1977, the university established its Center for the Study of Southern Culture with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts. The center provides for interdisciplinary studies of Southern history and culture.

Trent Lott Leadership Institute

In 2000, the university established the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, which is named after alumnus and then-US Senate majority leader Trent Lott.

Online Learning

Online courses area a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. In 2020-2021, 11,702 students took at least one online class at University of Mississippi.

Campus Environment

The University of Mississippi's Oxford campus is partially located in Oxford and partially in University, Mississippi, a census-designated place. The main campus is situated at an altitude of around 500 feet (150 m), and has expanded from one square mile (260 ha) of land to around 1,200 acres (1.9 sq mi; 490 ha). At the campus' center is "The Circle", which consists of eight academic buildings organized around an ovaloid common. The buildings include the Lyceum (1848), the "Y" Building (1853), and six later buildings constructed in a Neoclassical Revival style. According to the university, the Lyceum's bell is the oldest academic bell in the United States.

Read also: Legacy of Fordham University

Near the Circle is The Grove, a 10-acre (4.0 ha) plot of land that was set aside by chancellor Robert Burwell Fulton c. 1893, and hosts up to 100,000 tailgaters during home games.

Rowan Oak

In 1972, Ole Miss purchased Rowan Oak, the former home of Nobel Prize-winning writer William Faulkner. The building has been preserved as it was at Faulkner's death in 1962. Faulkner was the university's postmaster in the early 1920s and wrote As I Lay Dying (1930) at the university powerhouse. His Nobel Prize medallion is displayed in the university library. The university hosted the inaugural Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference in 1974.

Student Life

The University of Mississippi is a vibrant and dynamic institution with a rich history and a strong commitment to academic excellence. Ole Miss is also a beautiful place to live and learn, with a charming campus and a lively community. Alongside nationally ranked academic programs, the university's extracurricular opportunities and sports make it a popular destination for students globally. For ten consecutive years, The University of Mississippi has been voted by our staff as one of the great colleges to work for in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s survey, and has been widely recognized as one of the most beautiful campuses in America by Newsweek, the Princeton Review and USA Today.

As of the 2023-2024 academic year, the student body consists of 18,533 undergraduates and 2,264 in graduate programs. As of Fall 2023, minorities composed 23.5 percent of the body. The median family income of students is $116,600, and over half of students come from the top 20 percent. Although 54 percent of undergraduates are from Mississippi, the student body is geographically diverse.

A common greeting on campus is "Hotty Toddy!", which is also used in the school chant.

Traditions

The University of Mississippi's first sanctioned student organizations, literary societies the Hermaean Society and the Phi Sigma Society, were established in 1849.

On football game days, the Grove, a 10-acre (4.0 ha) plot of trees, hosts an elaborate tailgating tradition; according to The New York Times, "Perhaps there isn't a word for the ritualized pregame revelry … 'Tailgating' certainly does not do it justice". The tradition began in 1991 when cars were banned from the Grove. Prior to each game, over 2,000 red-and-blue trash cans are placed throughout the Grove. This event is known as "Trash Can Friday".

Student Government

The Associated Student Body (ASB), which was established in 1917, is the university's student government organization. Students are elected to the ASB Senate in the spring semester and leftover seats are voted on in open-seat elections in the fall.

Greek Life

St. The Rainbow Fraternity, which was founded at the University of Mississippi in 1848, was the first fraternity to be founded in the South. Other early fraternities established at the university include Delta Kappa Epsilon (1850), Delta Kappa (1853), Delta Psi (1854), and Epsilon Alpha (1855).

Athletics

The University of Mississippi's athletic teams participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Southeastern Conference (SEC), Division I as the Ole Miss Rebels. Women's varsity athletic teams at the University of Mississippi include basketball, cross country, golf, rifle, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Jaxson Dart, quarterback at Ole Miss from 2022-2024, became the school's all time passing leader in 2024, surpassing famous alumnus Eli Manning.

Faculty

As of the 2020-2021 academic year, there were-excluding those of UMMC-1,092 professors, of whom 424 were tenured. With the early emphasis on classical studies, multiple notable classicists including George Tucker Stainback, Wilson Gaines Richardson, and William Hailey Willis, have held teaching positions at the University of Mississippi.

Finances

As of April 2021, the University of Mississippi's endowment was $775 million. The university's budget for fiscal year 2019 was over $540 million. Less than 13% of operating revenues are funded by the state of Mississippi, and the university relies heavily on private donations.

Admission

University of Mississippi accepts the Common Application and has a test-optional admissions policy. University of Mississippi has an acceptance rate of 90%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. The school's in-state tuition and fees are $9,772; out-of-state tuition and fees are $28,600. Forty-four percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $13,504. The four-year graduation rate is 55%.

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