The 12,000 student tickets that the Ole Miss Athletics Ticket Office allotted for the 2024 football season are now sold out, according to Katie Wisdom, assistant athletic director of ticket operations for Ole Miss Athletics.
Student tickets cost $200 this year — $150 for the ticket itself plus a $50 donation to the Grove Collective — and were available for purchase during three separate windows.
The time periods included a spring window in which 6,000 tickets were available, a summer window in which 3,000 tickets were available and a final August slot in which the final 3,000 tickets were sold.
“Upperclassman had the longest window to purchase,” Wisdom said. “Those who waited until the last minute to buy are the ones we’ve heard from.”
Senior dietetics and nutrition major Sarah Dautrich said she had no issues purchasing her student tickets.
“I’ve bought season tickets every year,” Dautrich said. “I received an email regarding student season ticket sales last April with several reminders sent following the initial email.”
Unlike Dautrich, Zoe Niehaus, a junior dietetics and nutrition major, was unable to secure student tickets this year.
“I had to take the (Dental Admission Test) in June, so I was studying 12-15 hours a day. … By the time I finished that and went on to buy my tickets, they paused the sale until around the end of July and again in August. I got on both times a couple minutes before, and they were sold out immediately,” Niehaus said. “It’s frustrating.”
Freshman nursing major Kayla Mau was also among the students waiting on their computers for the August window to open, but she was successful.
“I actually missed the first student ticketing (period) because I wasn’t aware of it, and it wasn’t on my mind,” Mau said. “I saw that there was another one, so I made sure that I was online and ready to get them. I got the season tickets”
Just because official tickets are sold out does not mean that the scramble has stopped.
Sophomore legal studies major Taylor Lewis was able to buy tickets in May during the second window, but many of his friends have to search for tickets each week.
“They’ve had to look for one every week that they go to the game,” Lewis said. “I know for this weekend against Kentucky, they paid about $100. It’s been one of the cheaper I’ve seen.”
While the prices might be high, Lewis said that his friends have found it relatively easy to find tickets for purchase. Recent years have seen an increase in ticket selling groups on Facebook and GroupMe. A GroupMe named TicketExchange currently has 4,840 members.
Julianna Barrack, a senior accounting major, has utilized GroupMe.
“I found that using GroupMe to buy a ticket was really efficient, and it was an easy process,” Barrack said. “I asked in the chat about a last minute student ticket for LSU weekend two years ago, and someone messaged me a few hours after they had one. It was easy to transfer the ticket, and I always tell people to use GroupMe me if they need tickets.”
Niehaus said she hopes the ticketing office will implement changes in the upcoming years.
“I hope they do something different next year, because I’m a junior, so I know I have time, Niehaus said. “But next year, I’ll be really sad if I can’t go to all the games.”
Wisdom said that the department of ticket sales is looking at their current plan for the 2025 football season and adjusting it based on this year’s experience. One of those options is returning to a lottery system.
During the 2020 season, the university adopted a system in which students could purchase tickets on the Monday before each game for $50 per game. Because of COVID-19, only the first 2,500 students to purchase a ticket were guaranteed entry.
“(The lottery system) worked well (in 2020), and the idea is part of the planning process for next year,” Wisdom said.
Wisdom shared that more information will be available to students in the spring semester.
Those students who have been able to purchase tickets have commented on the crowding outside of the stadium and cited confusion about the new entrance set up. Outside of gates one through six — which are the gates designated for student section entry — there are now metal barriers in a snake formation that guide students into the stadium.
Senior biological sciences major Nicole Guerin said she was stuck in the crowd during the game against Furman.
“We walked to the student section entrance around 40 minutes before kickoff and were immediately engulfed in a standstill crowd of students,” Guerin said. “There were several barriers outside to separate the lines that we had never seen before.”
The crowding has allowed some students to get in without a ticket.
“My roommate doesn’t have a student ticket,” Mau said. “The first game, she was able to get in, I think, because it was so chaotic — they just didn’t care anymore.”
Wisdom commented on the security measures that have been taken by the ticketing office.
“As a department, we continue to increase security measures and evaluate our processes in order to ensure the safest and most effective gameday environment for fans,” Wisdom said.
Students have varying opinions on whether crowding has gotten better over the course of the games.
“(It’s) maybe a little better. I mean, you’re still shoulder to shoulder with hundreds and hundreds of other students, and it’s pretty crowded trying to get up there,” Lewis said.
Mau said the situation has improved.
“Since that first game, it has gotten better,” Mau said. “They’re working on it.”
However, there is now another option for streamlined entry. The Grove Collective announced the VIP students entry express pass on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
For $150, students get expedited access into the student section. The pass also comes with a Grove Collective annual membership and a voucher for concessions. A valid student ID is required for purchase.
“That’s how much I paid for my season ticket. Well, I paid $200 with the donation,” Mau said.
Lewis agreed with Mau.
“I mean, it would be fun, but as a college student, spending $150 on something like that — it’s just not really in the budget,” Lewis said.
Dautrich stated that the energy in the stadium was not affected by the crowding or confusion.
“Many students were certainly displeased with the chaos of entering the stadium and, therefore, were not in as high of spirits as usual at the beginning of the game,” Dautrich said. “However, many of us still cheered on our team with the same energy as seasons past, which made for an exciting environment as always.”
