University of Mississippi: Ranking, Academics, and History

The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, stands as a prominent public research university with a rich history and a commitment to academic excellence. Founded in 1848, the university has evolved into a comprehensive institution offering a wide array of programs and contributing significantly to research and scholarship.

Overview

The University of Mississippi is a public institution that was founded in 1848. 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. The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) is the flagship university for the state of Mississippi. A world-class public research university, the institution has a long history of producing leaders in public service, academics and innovative research. With more than 21,500 students, Ole Miss is the state's largest university, with a major medical school, a nationally recognized law school and 15 academic divisions. It 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.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.

Rankings and Recognition

The University of Mississippi consistently receives recognition in national rankings. In the 2025 edition of Best Colleges, U.S. News & World Report ranked the University of Mississippi No. 171 in National Universities and No. 92 in Top Public Schools. While this is slightly behind last year's ranking of No. 163, Ole Miss continues to be recognized as Mississippi's top university. Forbes has also recognized it as one of America's best college buys, and the Chronicle of Higher Education has recognized it as one of the "Great Colleges to Work For" since 2012.

Other Mississippi institutions ranked within the top 400 national universities include:

Mississippi State University, No. 214
William Carey University, No. 329
University of Southern Mississippi, No. 342
Mississippi College, No. 359
Belhaven University and Jackson State University, between No. 392 through 434.

Millsaps also maintained its title as the state's top placing liberal arts college. Overall, Millsaps ranked No. 136 in the national liberal arts colleges category. Like the University of Mississippi, Millsaps fell slightly in the rankings compared to last year when the college ranked No. 124. Other Mississippi institutions ranked on the top national liberal arts colleges include Rust College and Tougaloo College. Both colleges were not given a specific ranking but fell within No. 187 and 204.

Read also: Academics and Student Life at UM

Blue Mountain Christian University ranked No. 18 in the regional colleges South category. In the regional universities South category, Mississippi University for Women ranked No. 34, and Alcorn State University tied with Delta State University at No. 51. Mississippi Valley Stated rounded off that category at No. 118.

U.S. News rankings considered a number of factors including tuition price, enrollment numbers, testing score and community engagement.

Academics

The University of Mississippi offers a diverse range of academic programs across its 15 academic divisions, including a major medical school and a nationally recognized law school. 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 is classified as "R1: Doctoral Universities - Very high research activity".

The student-faculty ratio at University of Mississippi is 17:1. As of the 2020-2021 academic year, there were-excluding those of UMMC-1,092 professors, of whom 424 were tenured. Of its classes, 47.4 percent have fewer than 20 students. The university utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Mississippi accepts the Common Application and has a test-optional admissions policy.

Research

Ole Miss is one of 33 institutions participating in the National Sea Grant Program and also participates in the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. 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. 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.

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.

Honors College

The university's Honors College has been named one of America's finest. Honors education at the University of Mississippi, consisting of lectures by distinguished academics, began in 1953.

Notable Programs and Centers

Center for the Study of Southern Culture: Established in 1977 with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, this center provides interdisciplinary studies of Southern history and culture.
Trent Lott Leadership Institute: Established in 2000, named after alumnus and then-US Senate majority leader Trent Lott.
North Mississippi Japanese Supplementary School: A Japanese weekend school operated in conjunction with Ole Miss, with classes held on campus. It opened in 2008 and was jointly established by several Japanese companies and the university.

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. The Lyceum was the first building on the campus and was expanded with two wings in 1903. 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. Barnard Observatory, which was constructed under Chancellor Barnard in 1859, was designed to house the world's largest telescope.

A common greeting on campus is "Hotty Toddy!", which is also used in the school chant. On football game days, the Grove, a 10-acre (4.0 ha) plot of trees, hosts an elaborate tailgating tradition. 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 Life

As of the 2023-2024 academic year, the student body consists of 18,533 undergraduates and 2,264 in graduate programs. Around 57 percent of the undergraduate student body were female. 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.

Read also: History of the Block 'M'

The University of Mississippi's first sanctioned student organizations, literary societies the Hermaean Society and the Phi Sigma Society, were established in 1849. The Associated Student Body (ASB), which was established in 1917, is the university's student government organization.

Greek Life

The Rainbow Fraternity, which was founded at the University of Mississippi in 1848, was the first fraternity to be founded in the South. By 1900, a majority of University of Mississippi students were members of a fraternity or a sorority.

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.

The University of Mississippi's marching band The Pride of the South performs in-concert and at athletic events.

Tuition and Financial Aid

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.

History

The Mississippi Legislature chartered the university on February 24, 1844, and in 1848 admitted its first 80 students.

Early Years and the Civil War

Early president Frederick A. P. Barnard sought to increase the stature of the university, placing him in conflict with the more conservative board of trustees. Following the presidential election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, Mississippi became the second state to secede, with the articles of secession drafted by the university's mathematics professor Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar. Students organized themselves into a military company called the "University Greys", which merged with the Confederate States Army. Within a month of the Civil War's outbreak, only 5 students remained at the University of Mississippi, and, by fall 1861, the university closed. Within six months, Confederates converted the campus into a hospital. Although Kansan troops destroyed much of the medical equipment, a lone remaining professor persuaded Grant against burning the campus. After three weeks, Grant and his forces left, and the campus returned to being a Confederate hospital.

20th Century

Between 1900 and 1930, the Mississippi Legislature introduced bills aiming to relocate, close, or merge the university with Mississippi State University. All such legislation failed. During the 1930s, the governor of Mississippi Theodore G. Bilbo was politically hostile toward the University of Mississippi, firing administrators and faculty, and replacing them with his friends in the "Bilbo purge". Bilbo's actions severely damaged the university's reputation, leading to the temporary loss of its accreditation.

In 1962, a race riot occurred on campus when segregationists tried to prevent the enrollment of African American student James Meredith. The university has since taken measures to improve its image.

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.

Leadership

The University of Mississippi's chief administrative officer is the chancellor, a position Glenn Boyce has held since 2019. The chancellor is supported by vice-chancellors who administer areas such as research and intercollegiate athletics. The board of trustees of the Mississippi State Institutions of Higher Learning is the constitutional governing body that is responsible for policy and financial oversight of the University of Mississippi and the state's other seven public secondary institutions. the board consists of 12 members, who serve staggered nine-year terms and represent the state's three Supreme Court Districts.

Financials

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.

Alumni and Faculty

The university's alumni, faculty, and affiliates include 27 Rhodes Scholars, 10 governors, 5 US senators, a head of government, and a Nobel Prize Laureate. Other alumni have received accolades in the arts such as Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, and Pulitzer Prizes. Jaxson Dart, quarterback at Ole Miss from 2022-2024, became the school's all time passing leader in 2024, surpassing famous alumnus Eli Manning.

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. Archeologist David Moore Robinson, who is credited with discovering the ancient city Olynthus, also taught classics at the university. Former Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove was a political science lecturer, and Kyle Duncan was an assistant law professor prior to his appointment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Landon Garland taught astronomy and philosophy before becoming the first president of Vanderbilt University. Actor James Best, who is best known for his work on The Dukes of Hazz…

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