Private nonprofit · University

McMurry University

Abilene, Texas · Midsize city

57.0%
Admit rate
$19,581
Avg net price
44%
Graduation rate
$48,779
Median earnings

McMurry University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Abilene, Texas (midsize city setting), enrolling 1,176 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a United Methodist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,176 undergradsMidsize citySelective · 57% admitNCAA Division III with football · Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against McMurry University's admitted students.

Admit rate
57.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
950–1160
Avg GPA (est.)
3.07

Enter a test score to see where you land against McMurry University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and McMurry University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Abilene, Texas

Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties, Texas, United States. Established by cattlemen as a stock shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881, the city was named after Abilene, Kansas, the original endpoint for the Chisholm Trail. The T&P had bypassed the town of Buffalo Gap, the county seat at the time. The cultural aspects of Abilene revolve around a mix of the local college and university campuses, the agriculture community of the surrounding area, and a growing nightlife scene in the downtown area. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
139 miles to Midland, TX
To the ocean
315 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Abilene (ABI)

How McMurry University compares

Selectivity57.0%

More selective than 79% · #19 most selective of 77 in Texas

SAT average1043

Higher than 14%

Graduation rate44%

Higher than 30% · #52 of 87 in Texas

First-year retention64%

Higher than 18%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$48,779

Higher than 35% · #67 of 94 in Texas

Average net price$19,581

Cheaper than 52% · #48 cheapest of 88 in Texas

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment1,176

Larger than 42%

Percentiles compare McMurry University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Texas.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,184students
  • Undergraduate1,17699%
  • Graduate81%

Undergraduates by gender

1,176undergrads
  • Women50643%
  • Men67057%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Black13%
  • Hispanic34%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial7.8%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,176
Graduate enrollment
8
Student–faculty ratio
16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
24%
First-generation students
37%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$39,189
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$67,473
Endowment
$114,445,287

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 318 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Texas94%
  • Other U.S. states3.5%
  • International2.8%

Most first-years stay in state — McMurry University draws overwhelmingly from Texas.

3% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
57.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
950–1160
SAT average
1043
SAT reading
490–590
SAT math
460–570
ACT composite
18–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.07

Cost

In-state tuition
$32,340
Room & board
$9,836
Books & supplies
$200
Total cost of attendance
$43,778
Average net price
$19,581

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
44%
Graduated on time (4 years)
32%
First-year retention
64%
Transferred to another college
36%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,647
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$48,779
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
29%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
47%

About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
32%
Low-income (Pell)
34%
First-generation
31%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
571
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
49%
Housing charge (year)
$4,700
Meal plan (year)
$5,088
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
598 (382 men · 216 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)187
Football140
Soccer68
Baseball47
Basketball37
Softball31
Swimming27
Volleyball23
Golf21
Tennis17

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
15

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,175 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

5.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year5.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
4.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$15,946
$30–48k
$16,181
$48–75k
$18,272
$75–110k
$23,285
$110k+
$27,297

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$80,718

$18,272/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

96%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$16,858
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 96% — get grant money from McMurry University itself, averaging $16,858, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 274 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$48,779
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
55%
Out-earn a HS grad
62%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$44,844
Men
$52,664

Men out-earn women by $7,820 (17%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
96°F
Winter low
34°F
Annual rain
25.2″
Annual snow
3.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.73.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Abilene Rgnl AP, TX US station (4.1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to McMurry University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare McMurry University side by side →

Colleges near McMurry University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.