Historic Methodist women's college in Illinois that became coeducational, closed May 2020 after 174 years.
MacMurray offered a liberal arts curriculum with 26 majors and 16 minors, emphasizing career-focused professional preparation. Notable programs included nursing, criminal justice, homeland security, deaf and hard-of-hearing education, and American Sign Language interpreting, benefiting from proximity to the Illinois School for the Deaf. Beginning fall 2014, the college offered online degrees in business administration and homeland security with various concentrations. The Center for Learning Excellence provided academic support services.
Founded in 1846 as an all-women's institution, MacMurray became coeducational in 1969. The college struggled with declining enrollment and financial instability throughout the 2000s and 2010s, failing federal financial responsibility tests in 2011–2013 and facing accreditor probation in 2016. On March 27, 2020, the college announced closure effective May 2020, citing declining enrollments, rising costs, insufficient endowment, and COVID-19 pandemic impacts. Continuing students transferred to seven regional colleges.
The 60-acre rural campus featured academic buildings (MacMurray Hall, Julian Chemistry, Putnam Center for the Arts), residence halls (Kendall, Norris, Michalson, Rutledge, Jane), and the Annie Merner Chapel. More than 30 student organizations were active; 84% of students engaged in community volunteering, and over 70% completed internships. The college suffered approximately $2 million in flood damage in June 2011.
MacMurray's Highlanders competed in NCAA Division III, with football in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and other sports in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Approximately 35% of students were athletes. The college received an NCAA 'death penalty' in 2005 when the men's tennis team was banned for two years due to improper financial aid to foreign-born players. Wrestling returned in 2016 after a ten-year hiatus.