When it chartered The University of Mississippi on February 24, 1844, the Mississippi Legislature laid the foundation for public higher education in the state. The university opened its doors to 80 students four years later, and for 23 years it was Mississippi's only public institution of higher learning. For 110 years, it was the state's only comprehensive university.

The University of Mississippi is alive with a history of achievement that chronicles the development of the state and its people. Known affectionately as Ole Miss, Mississippi's flagship university established the fourth state-supported law school in the nation (1854) and was one of the first in the nation to offer engineering education (1854). It was one of the first in the South to admit women (1882) and the first to hire a female faculty member (1885).

Ole Miss also established the first College of Liberal Arts, School of Law, School of Engineering, School of Education, accredited School of Business Administration, Graduate School, School of Nursing, and accredited bachelor's and master's accountancy programs in the state. It has the only School of Medicine, School of Pharmacy, School of Dentistry and School of Health Related Professions in Mississippi.