McMurry SAT Scores, GPA, and ACT (2026)

Roughly 57 out of every 100 applicants get into McMurry University, an admission rate of 57.0% in the 2024-2025 cycle. That is the first number to hold onto when you look up McMurry SAT scores: more than half of applicants are admitted, so the bar is reachable for most students who put in real prep. The SAT middle 50 percent at McMurry runs from 950 to 1160, and the average sits at 1043. A 1000 puts you comfortably in the mix. An 1160 or better puts you ahead of 3 out of 4 admitted students.

McMurry is a private nonprofit university in Abilene, TX, and it is small: total enrollment is 1,176 students. That scale changes what a score means. At a school this size, each application gets read, and a strong number stands out fast. The section splits are close to even, with Reading and Writing at 490 to 590 and Math at 460 to 570, so you are not fighting one lopsided section. In the most recent federal data, McMurry is test optional, which means a good score is a choice you make to strengthen your file, not a box you have to check.

Read McMurry's numbers in 3 zones. Below 950, you are under the 25th percentile, meaning fewer than 1 out of 4 admitted students scored where you are. With a 57.0% admit rate you are not out of the running, but you would be leaning on grades and the rest of your application, or choosing not to submit under the test optional policy. Inside 950 to 1160, you match the middle half of the class, and the closer you sit to the 1043 average, the more typical your profile looks. Above 1160, you outscore 3 out of 4 admitted students, which at a 1,176 student school can also position you for the strongest offers.

The section splits tell you where to aim. Reading and Writing runs 490 to 590 while Math runs 460 to 570, so the verbal side sets the slightly higher bar at both ends. If your practice tests show a Math score above 570 but Reading and Writing under 490, the verbal section is the gap worth closing first.

Admitted students at McMurry typically present an unweighted GPA somewhere around 3.3 to 3.7. That is a wide band, and it rewards students who kept grades steady across 4 years rather than those who spiked one semester. Where you land inside it matters less than what your transcript shows: a 3.4 earned in honors and AP classes carries as much weight as a higher number earned in a lighter schedule. Rigor counts alongside the digits.

If your GPA sits at the lower edge of that band, the fastest offset available to you is a strong SAT. Grades take years to move. A score can move in months. An SAT at or above 1160, the top of McMurry's middle 50 percent, tells the admissions office you can handle college level work even if your transcript had a rough stretch. Since McMurry is test optional, submitting a high score when your GPA is soft is exactly the situation the policy was built for.

Set 2 concrete targets. First, get to 950 or above: that is the 25th percentile, and it keeps you inside McMurry's admitted range. Second, if you want your score to do real work in your application, push for 1160 or above, which places you in the top quarter of admitted students. Between those targets, every 10 points helps, and the near even section splits mean balanced prep pays off: aim for roughly 590 in Reading and Writing and 570 in Math to clear the 75th percentile in both.

Start by finding out where you actually stand. Take a diagnostic to get a baseline score and a section breakdown, then compare it against the 950 and 1160 lines above. From there, use score plans to map how many weeks of prep separate your current number from your target. Your next step today: take the diagnostic, write down your gap to 950, and pick the weaker of your 2 sections as the first thing you fix.