What is Matthew McConaughey’s IQ?
Documented: a 1993 University of Texas film degree and the 2014 Best Actor Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club. Not documented: any IQ test.
No IQ score has been published for Matthew McConaughey as of November 2026, so Matthew McConaughey’s IQ is unknown. This site’s estimate is 115–130 on a scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, inferred from his record, not from a test. That record includes a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993 and the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Matthew McConaughey’s estimated IQ
- A Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, which he entered in the fall of 1989 and finished in the spring of 1993, according to Wikipedia’s biography.
- The Academy Award for Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club, presented at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014 at the Dolby Theatre, according to Wikipedia’s account of the ceremony.
- A Golden Globe for Dallas Buyers Club, one win from three nominations, according to the Golden Globes awards database.
- A published memoir, Greenlights (Crown, October 20, 2020), and a children’s picture book, Just Because (Viking, September 12, 2023), both listed in Wikipedia’s biography.
- A post as professor of practice in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin, from 2019, after serving as a visiting instructor from 2015, according to Wikipedia’s biography.
This is an inference from a degree, a career and published writing, not a test result, and no SAT score or school record for him was found in any source cited here. Acting awards measure craft, not a score. The range is placed in the middle of this site’s actor profiles for that reason.
- Born
- November 4, 1969, Uvalde, Texas
- Education
- University of Texas at Austin, B.S. in Radio-Television-Film (fall 1989 – spring 1993)
- Breakthrough
- Dazed and Confused (1993); A Time to Kill (1996)
- Major award
- Academy Award for Best Actor, Dallas Buyers Club (86th Academy Awards, March 2, 2014)
- Golden Globes
- 3 nominations, 1 win (Dallas Buyers Club)
- Writing
- Memoir Greenlights (2020); picture book Just Because (2023)
- Teaching
- Professor of practice, Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin (since 2019)
- Circulating figure
- None found; no published IQ test result
What an IQ of 115–130 actually means
Set the claim aside for a moment. If someone genuinely scored in this range, here is what that would represent.
| Score range | Classification | Share of people | What it indicates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85 – 114 | Average | ~68% | The range most people fall into. |
| 115 – 129 | Above average | ~13.6% | Roughly one person in seven. |
| 130 – 144 | Gifted | ~2% | The threshold most high-IQ societies use. |
| Above 144 | Highly gifted | ~0.1% | Figures above this range are extrapolated from the curve rather than measured. |
Percentages are approximate and describe a normal distribution. The same number means different things on tests with different standard deviations.
Thirty questions gives you a measured position on this exact scale — your score, your percentile and the ability breakdown behind it.
Find out in 30 minutes →Who Matthew McConaughey is
Matthew David McConaughey was born on November 4, 1969 in Uvalde, Texas, according to the Golden Globes biography, and Wikidata describes him as an American actor. Wikipedia says he moved to Longview, Texas in 1980 and attended Longview High School.
How smart is Matthew McConaughey? His record shows sustained skilled work rather than a score. Wikipedia says he began at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 1989 and graduated in the spring of 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film. His first notable film part was Wooderson in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, which premiered on September 24, 1993, and his first success as a leading man came with A Time to Kill in 1996.
His later roles include Contact (1997), Amistad (1997), Interstellar (2014) and the HBO series True Detective (2014). For Dallas Buyers Club he won the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actor, according to Wikipedia. The Golden Globes database lists three nominations and one win.
Wikipedia records that he published the memoir Greenlights in 2020 and the children’s book Just Because in 2023, and that in 2019 he became a professor of practice at the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin, where he had been a visiting instructor since 2015. Skill in acting, writing and teaching is evidence of ability, but it is not an intelligence quotient.
By Elora Mercer, Celebrity Research WriterFigures checked by Leon Falkner, Data & Research AnalystReviewed by Aarav Vardhan, Editor-in-Chief · Last reviewed November 2026
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Matthew McConaughey: the documented record
The estimate above rests on this record. Every entry here is a matter of public fact, which is more than can be said for the number itself.
- 1969Born November 4 in Uvalde, Texas.
- 1980Moves to Longview, Texas; later attends Longview High School.
- 1989Begins at the University of Texas at Austin.
- 1993Graduates with a B.S. in Radio-Television-Film; Dazed and Confused premieres September 24.
- 1996A Time to Kill premieres, his first success as a leading man.
- 2012Invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- 2014Wins the Academy Award for Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club on March 2.
- 2019Becomes a professor of practice at the Moody College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin.
- 2020Publishes the memoir Greenlights on October 20.
- 2023Publishes the picture book Just Because on September 12.
Why no figure circulates
Following a claim back to its first appearance is the part almost nobody does — and it is what most people are actually asking.
No IQ test result has been published for Matthew McConaughey, so Matthew McConaughey’s IQ score is unknown. A number attached to his name without a named test, a date and an examiner is a guess. For how such figures spread, and what to check first, see where celebrity IQ numbers come from. The Golden Globes biography and the Wikipedia biography both describe his education and career, and neither mentions a test score.
Did Matthew McConaughey take an IQ test? No published source says so, and no page found for this profile states a McConaughey IQ number. Without a named test, a date and an examiner, any figure attached to an actor is a rumor, not a measurement.
Is Matthew McConaughey a genius? The documented record is that of a successful actor and author, not a measured genius. He graduated in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993 and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014. For where the line for “genius” is usually drawn, see whether an IQ of 130 is genius level.
Matthew McConaughey’s estimated IQ, 115–130, sits below Natalie Portman (135–145) and Jodie Foster (130–145), and overlaps Matt Damon (120–135). The floor is lower than theirs because no school or test record is documented. On the usual scale (SD 15), a score around 115 is about 1 in 6 people and 130 is about 1 in 44. See other actors we have checked, or take the IQ Metrics test to see where a score of your own falls.
How we read a number →No school, university or clinical test result for McConaughey is public. The Golden Globes biography, the Wikipedia biography and the Wikidata entry describe his education, films and awards, and none gives an IQ. No page found states a McConaughey IQ figure.
Gives his birth as November 4, 1969 in Uvalde, Texas; his films from Dazed and Confused (1993) to The Gentlemen (2020); 3 nominations and 1 win, the win for Dallas Buyers Club.
Used for Longview High School, the University of Texas at Austin years (fall 1989 to spring 1993) and the Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film.
Used for Dazed and Confused (premiered September 24, 1993), A Time to Kill (1996), the Dallas Buyers Club awards, the 2012 Academy invitation, Greenlights (October 20, 2020), Just Because (September 12, 2023) and the Moody College professorship (2019).
Lists the ceremony on March 2, 2014 at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, and Matthew McConaughey as Best Actor winner for Dallas Buyers Club as Ron Woodroof.
Describes him as an American actor born in 1969 and confirms the identifier.
Lists his films with audience ratings and a biography summary; it states no IQ or test score.
The sources behind our estimate
The figures that circulate for Matthew McConaughey, what we were able to confirm, and where the two diverge.
No IQ figure is attached to Matthew McConaughey in the biographies and award databases cited here, although people do search for “Matthew McConaughey IQ” and “Matthew McConaughey IQ score.”
The Golden Globes biography, the Wikipedia biography and the Wikidata entry describe his birth, education, films, awards and writing. None gives an IQ, and no page found for this profile states a McConaughey IQ number.
With nothing circulating, there is no spread to audit. 115–130 is this site’s estimated range for Matthew McConaughey and the only figure on the page. It rests on a record, not a test, so its floor, its top and its fifteen-point width are judgments.
Want a number that does hold up? Every figure on this page is somebody’s claim. Take the 30-question test and get a percentile you can check rather than a figure you have to trust.
Matthew McConaughey — frequently asked
What is Matthew McConaughey’s IQ?
No IQ test result has been published for Matthew McConaughey, so Matthew McConaughey’s IQ is unknown as of November 2026. This site’s estimated range is 115–130 on a scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. It is inferred from his University of Texas degree and career, not from a test.
What is Matthew McConaughey’s IQ score?
No Matthew McConaughey IQ score is on record: no school, university or clinical result has been published, and the Golden Globes biography and Wikipedia give none. This site’s 115–130 is an estimate from public achievement. A figure without a named test, a date and an examiner is a guess.
How smart is Matthew McConaughey?
The documented record is a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin in 1993, an Academy Award for Best Actor in 2014 and published books. None of that is a test score, so how smart he is on an IQ scale cannot be stated.
Did Matthew McConaughey take an IQ test?
No published source says so. No school, university or clinical IQ result for Matthew McConaughey is public, and the Golden Globes biography and Wikipedia do not mention one. Any claim that he scored a specific number needs a named test, a date and an examiner.
Is Matthew McConaughey a genius?
The record shows an Oscar-winning actor, author and university teacher, not a measured genius. “Genius” has no fixed IQ cut-off, and no test score backs the word for him. This site’s estimated range for him is 115–130 on a scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15.
How does Matthew McConaughey’s estimated IQ compare with Matt Damon’s?
This site estimates 115–130 for Matthew McConaughey and 120–135 for Matt Damon. Both ranges rest on records, not tests, and they overlap from 120 to 130, so neither actor can be called higher. Neither range is a measured score.
Which Academy Award did Matthew McConaughey win?
Matthew McConaughey won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club, in which he played Ron Woodroof, at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014, according to Wikipedia’s account of the ceremony. The Golden Globes database also lists a Golden Globe win for the film.
How does my IQ compare with Matthew McConaughey?
You can find out in about fifteen minutes. The IQ Metrics assessment is 30 questions, scored on the same 100-mean scale used throughout this page, so your result and the estimate above are at least expressed in the same units — one measured, one inferred. Once you have a number, the leaderboard shows where it would sit, and how we score and norm it explains the benchmarking.
Where does this estimate come from?
From the documented record rather than a test — the method is named above and set out in full under how we read a number. Compare it against the other actors profiles, starting with Natalie Portman.
- Take the 30-question IQ test — get a measured score and percentile of your own
- Average IQ by country — how the scale behaves across populations
- How IQ Metrics scores its assessment — the method behind our own number
- More on how IQ testing works — reliability, error and what a score can and cannot say
- More actors profiles — same field, same method
More actors
Photograph of Hugh Laurie by Jeroen Komen (Montreux Jazz Festival, July 9, 2012), CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and with background removed for the portrait above. · Portrait via Festival de Deauville, CC BY 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Claire Fridkin, CC BY-SA 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above.
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