•AVERAGE: 69
Mississippi’s flagship university, the University of Mississippi is known far and wide as Ole Miss. Founded in 1844, Ole Miss was the state’s only public university until after the Civil War, and the state’s only comprehensive university for over a century; for most of that time, the University of Mississippi was the center of research and learning in the state, and the dominant cultural influence as well. Today, Ole Miss is a sea and space-grant university ranked by the Carnegie Classification at the highest level of research activity. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report in the top tier of national universities, as well as one of the top public universities in the nation, Ole Miss has also been long ranked among the best values in education by Forbes.
Academic Programs
As Mississippi’s flagship university, Ole Miss has the responsibility of meeting all of the needs of Mississippi’s students, from the humanities to medicine. The university’s undergraduate programs are based on a traditional liberal arts foundation, with a thorough, well-rounded core curriculum in the humanities and sciences, and a full slate of majors. Ole Miss is home to one of the top-ranked accountancy schools in the nation, as well as business, education, law, and engineering schools that lead the state in production of Mississippi’s professionals and leaders in industry, healthcare, and government.The University of Mississippi is the the state’s leader in research across the disciplines, from STEM to the humanities. Some of the university’s most influential research centers include the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the Center for Intelligence and Security Studies, and the Croft Institute for International Studies, a unique, privately-funded program for high-achieving undergraduates in international studies. Ole Miss also maintains five regional campuses and centers across Mississippi dedicated to adult education, as well as a number of fully online programs in business and education, making Ole Miss one of the most important institutions in the state for working adults learners.
Student Life
Ole Miss is located in Oxford, MS, a town named in 1837 solely to attract the attention of the legislature in a bid to become the site of the state university. Clearly, the people of Oxford succeeded, and the town is often named one of the most beloved college towns in America. Ole Miss is the heart of life in Oxford, and the student body sees Oxford as an extension of the campus. At more than 24,000, the student body actually outnumbers the residents of the town. Ole Miss students bring not just numbers, but a vibrant, active community that contributes thousands of hours of service, from medical care to engagement efforts like tutoring and mentoring.Hundreds of student-led organizations ensure that every student will find their tribe, whether it is honor societies or professional organizations for networking, religious groups and ethnic clubs for celebrating culture and heritage, or special interest groups for entertainment and recreation. A third of the undergraduate body participates in more than 40 fraternities and sororities, making for an intensely active Greek Life; Ole Miss was actually the birthplace of the South’s first fraternity. The Ole Miss Rebels compete in NCAA Division I athletics, including a football program that dates back to 1890. In recent years, after much controversy, the Rebels’ Confederate general mascot was replaced with a black bear named Rebel. The Ole Miss Pride of the South marching band is one of the most decorated and acclaimed in the nation.