McMurry University
Abilene, Texas
McMurry University is guided by core values of faith, personal relationships, excellence, and service, all of which support students to become well-rounded, global leaders. McMurry offers robust research opportunities, a number of international study destinations, and a committed service-learning program.
McMurry students are fully engaged in their coursework, going above and beyond through research and personal relationships with faculty and staff. This individualized approach to learning provides each student with a support network that ensures success in both their coursework and their extracurriculars.
Importantly, students with a passion for giving back have a home at McMurry, where community service starts as early as orientation, extending into coursework, global trips, and even a Servant Leadership minor.
McMurry University prepares students of all disciplines to study, serve, and succeed in their personal and professional lives.
Get to know McMurry University
College Highlights
GLOBAL LEARNING
Each McMurry student develops a global mindset during their time in college. Through courses, faculty-led international trips, or traditional, independent study abroad, every McMurry graduate learns to be effective in a multicultural environment.
Before going abroad, students have the chance to participate in mission trips, partnerships with local charities, and interfaith opportunities to expand their worldviews. The McMurry experience provides students, whatever their financial means, the chance to learn about people of different economic, cultural, and racial backgrounds throughout their education.
Through faculty-led trips, McMurry instructors take students to international sites as a complement to their coursework. Past trips have included international business courses in Paris that allowed students to sightsee and speak with foreign professionals in a real-world environment.
Students looking to take an independent trip can head to Harlaxton College in London, McMurry’s “anchor” institution for study abroad. Here, they can take a full course load while still having the ability to travel across Europe on the weekends. McMurry students studying at Harlaxton travel, on average, to nine countries in their time abroad, all in addition to their already immersive experience of living in the United Kingdom.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
While many institutions focus on graduate student research, McMurry is fully dedicated to offering robust research opportunities for undergraduates. Through research teams comprised of students and faculty, McMurry has contributed to the body of research across multiple fields. For example, the biology department has an extended breast cancer research team that has allowed students to get hands-on experience, present at conferences, and more. Students can also make independent proposals that lead to major presentations at regional and national conferences.
But research isn’t limited to presentations, reports, or papers; business students take an in-depth look at international markets by managing a real investment portfolio from McMurry’s endowment. This kind of hands-on experience is a modern form of research that ensures students get an accurate look at the world they study and the world in which they will work.
ENROLLMENT BY ETHNICITY
Non-U.S. Citizen: 2%
Hispanic/Latinx: 30%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic: 16%
White, non-Hispanic: 47%
Native/Indigenous American or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic: 1%
Asian, non-Hispanic: 0%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic: 0%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic: 3%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown: 1%
FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE
The first-year experience at McMurry helps students become one with their community while preparing them for academic success throughout their education.
War Hawk Welcome Week, McMurry’s orientation, combines traditional orientation events, such as financial aid information and final registration, with fun bonding events. Students are placed in a “Flock” of fellow freshmen for mingling, a ropes course, games, community service, and more. This orientation is merely the first glimpse into the myriad of opportunities for community building at McMurry.
The first-year seminar is a topic-based introduction to McMurry, its resources, its academics, and its faculty. Beginning with a personalized letter, students develop a strong relationship with their first-year seminar instructor who also serves as their academic advisor. An upperclassman peer leader, small class sizes, and an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies and interfaith acceptance gives students a community for their first year of college that can support them socially, academically, and emotionally.
THINK CRITICALLY AND COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY
Similar to other institutions across the country, McMurry requires students take courses in critical thinking and verbal and written communication. McMurry’s curriculum is unique, however, in the way it integrates these skills through experiences across disciplines, coursework, and majors.
In developing communication skills, students start off with six hours of general education courses that focus on composition, literature, and oral communication. But a career in business calls for very different communication skills than those in a career in education! That’s why, beyond these introductory courses, McMurry hosts major-specific classes that reinforce and contextualize these skills in each field of study.
SPECIAL STUDY OPTIONS
Programs available at this institution.
Accelerated program
Cross-registration
Distance learning
Double major
Dual enrollment
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Liberal arts/career combination
Student-designed major
Study abroad
Teacher certification program
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Servant leadership is central to a McMurry education. In the classroom and out, students learn to lead in service of their communities. Offered as both a course as well as an entire minor, the Servant Leadership discipline allows students to grow as leaders and contribute to both academic and co-curricular transcripts, which document the good each has done for their community.
THE STORYBOOK CAPITAL OF TEXAS
Located nearly in the center of Texas, Abilene is a historic center for commerce with a rich cultural history. Scattered across the city are various sculptures and art installations of familiar childhood characters, giving Abilene the moniker of the “Storybook Capital of Texas.”
Abilene is also near a number of natural wonders. Lakes, land, golf, tennis, and more are nearby for students interested in any number of outdoor activities.
ATHLETICS
The McMurry War Hawks field 21 NCAA Division III athletic teams.
Men’s teams: Baseball, basketball, cross country, e-sports, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track
Women’s teams: Basketball, cross country, e-sports, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball
RESIDENCE LIFE
Percent of students living on campus.
First-time, first-year (freshman) students: 87%
Undergraduates: 48%
Campus housing options.
Coed dorms
Men’s dorms
Women’s dorms
Apartments for single students
CAREER PLANNING
The Office of Career Services helps students keep their eyes on the future through a strategic four-year career plan. Right at the beginning of their college experiences, students are asked to self-evaluate, explore their options, and gain an understanding of what is needed to achieve their goals.
Students participate in career assessments as part of their first-year seminars, after which they have follow-up conversations with members of the career services staff. This, in conjunction with student career success workshops offered throughout the year, provides students with an immediate community of support on their career journey.
After students understand their interests and have developed the necessary skills, they take advantage of job fairs, internship connections, and alumni mentorships. McMurry alumni and community leaders also come to campus to expand students’ networks from their faculty and staff to active professionals that can help them find the perfect internship or full-time offer.
Admission
ADMISSIONS FACTORS
Very Important
Rigor of secondary school record | Class rank | Academic GPA
Important
Application Essay | Interview | Extracurricular activities | Standardized test scores
Talent/ability | Character/personal qualities | Volunteer work
Considered
First generation | Alumni/ae relation | Geographical residence | State residency
Religious affiliation/commitment | Work experience | Level of applicant’s interest
TEST SCORES
Optional
FRESHMAN PROFILE
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
25th Percentile: 470 | 75th Percentile: 580
SAT Math
25th Percentile: 470 | 75th Percentile: 550
ACT Composite
25th Percentile: 18 | 75th Percentile: 22
ACT Math
25th Percentile: 17 | 75th Percentile: 22
ACT English
25th Percentile: 15 | 75th Percentile: 21
Tuition & Cost
Tuition: $28,530
Fees: $300
Room: $4,224
Board: $4,654
Contact McMurry University
Contact Admissions
admissions.mcm.edu
(325) 793-4700
admissions@mcm.edu
Campus Location
1400 Sayles Boulevard
Abilene, TX 79697
(325) 793-3800