Mars Hill University is a private, coed, liberal arts university. The university is located in the small town of Mars Hill, North Carolina, United States, 15 miles (24 km) due north of Asheville, western North Carolina's largest city and 44 miles (71 km) south of Johnson City, Tennessee, northeast Tennessee's largest city. Mars Hill University is easily accessible from Asheville via Interstate 26, which runs about a mile (1.6 km) east of the university.