Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi, is in Oxford, Mississippi, a college town of about 25,000 people in the hills of north-central Mississippi. Oxford is about 85 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, and roughly two and a half hours north of Jackson, the state capital.
The university was chartered in 1844 and opened in 1848 with 80 students. Today it enrolls 28,405 students across its campuses (fall 2025), and the main campus covers about 1,200 acres a mile west of the historic Oxford Square. Part of campus has its own post office name, so you’ll often see the address “University, MS 38677.”
Why is it called Ole Miss?
The nickname started with the yearbook. In 1896, students held a contest to name the new annual, and Elma Meek of Oxford won with “Ole Miss.” The first edition came out in 1897, and the name stuck to the whole university. “Ole Miss” and “the University of Mississippi” mean the same school; “Mississippi” is what you’ll see on the scoreboard.
How far is Oxford from…
| From | Drive time | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis, TN | about 1 hour 30 minutes | about 85 miles |
| Memphis International Airport (MEM) | about 1 hour 15 minutes | about 68 miles |
| Tupelo, MS | about 1 hour | about 55 miles |
| Starkville, MS | about 1 hour 45 minutes | about 93 miles |
| Jackson, MS | about 2 hours 30 minutes | about 160 miles |
| Birmingham, AL | about 3 hours | about 185 miles |
| Nashville, TN | about 3 hours 45 minutes | about 231 miles |
| New Orleans, LA | about 5 hours 15 minutes | about 346 miles |
Drive times are for normal traffic. On football Saturdays, Highway 6 into Oxford can back up for miles in the hours before kickoff.
Where are Ole Miss’s stadiums?
- Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Football, on the south side of campus off Hill Drive, a short walk from the Grove and about a mile from the Square.
- The Sandy and John Black Pavilion Basketball, right next to the stadium.
- The Grove The 10-acre tailgating lawn in the middle of campus, between the Lyceum and the Student Union.
Flying in
Memphis International (MEM) is the airport most visitors use, about an hour and 15 minutes away. Tupelo Regional (TUP) has limited service to Dallas/Fort Worth and Nashville, and Jackson’s airport (JAN) is about 166 miles south. The University-Oxford Airport handles private and charter flights only.
Visiting for a game?
Oxford hotels book up fast on football weekends, and the Egg Bowl falls on Thanksgiving weekend. See our guide to where to stay for Ole Miss games, including the nearby towns fans use when Oxford sells out, and check the upcoming home schedule below. Headed to Starkville instead? Here’s where Mississippi State is.
