OXFORD, Miss. — Another luxury student housing project is coming to Oxford. Development Ventures Group, in partnership with Kayne Anderson Real Estate, has started work on a 755-bed, 243-unit complex less than half a mile from the Ole Miss campus.
The 370,000-square-foot development will mix cottages, townhomes, and flats.
Every unit comes furnished, and the amenity list reads more like a resort brochure than a housing ad with a pool with cabanas and a jumbotron, pickleball and volleyball courts, sauna and cold plunge, golf simulator, yoga and spin studios, food truck court, and a 3,000-square-foot event space.
The goal is to have students moving in by summer 2027.
Oxford’s Building Boom
This is hardly the only project in the works. Ole Miss and Greystar are moving forward on a plan to add up to 2,700 on-campus beds by 2027.
Another private development, RISE Oxford Farms, is set to bring in 504 beds by the 2026–2027 school year.
When you add in other projects, Oxford could see close to 5,000 new student beds in just the next few years.
The push is fueled by record enrollment. Last fall the freshman class topped 5,900, the largest in Mississippi history, and total enrollment is up more than 10 percent in a single year. That growth has kept occupancy high and rents climbing, but it has also opened the door for developers to build big and build fast.
Is It Filling a Need or Just Filling a Niche?
There is no question Oxford needed more housing. For years, students scrambled to sign leases months in advance to lock in a spot.
Lately, though, the picture is starting to shift. Around 2,000 beds are already under construction, and property managers say the panic-leasing days are easing. Some students can even shop around now instead of taking whatever they can get.
That makes the Deven Group project a bit of a question mark. Yes, it will help meet demand, but with features like cold plunge pools and golf simulators, it is clearly aimed at the high-end market.
If you can afford the rent, it is a big step up from the older apartment stock. If you cannot, it does nothing to make living in Oxford more affordable.
The Bigger Picture
Oxford is in the middle of a housing transformation.
Developers are betting big that enrollment will keep climbing and that students will keep paying for premium amenities.
If they are right, the city’s shortage problem could finally ease. If they are wrong, Oxford could be left with a glut of expensive units and very little relief for those on a budget.
For now, construction crews are on site and work is moving ahead. This project will soon join a growing list of new housing developments around Oxford.
Whether it truly eases the housing crunch or simply adds more high-end options is something students and residents will find out in the next few years.
