Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA · Private nonprofit62.9%
Acceptance rate
1,367
SAT Average
$45,409
Avg net price
3,629
Enrollment
| All fields, 2024-25Bachelor’s 1,022Master’s 1,994Doctoral 299 |
| Bachelor’s 249Master’s 611Doctoral 16 |
| Bachelor’s 156Master’s 1Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 123Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 112Master’s 1,028Doctoral 23 |
| Bachelor’s 76Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 65Master’s 107Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 65Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 60Master’s 8Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 24Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 19Master’s 0Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 18Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 15Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 12Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 10Master’s 27Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 8Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 5Master’s 112Doctoral 77 |
| Bachelor’s 5Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 0Master’s 0Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 76Doctoral 183 |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 20Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 4Doctoral None reported |
NCAA program details
- Primary division
- Division I
- Primary conference
- West Coast Conference
Projected sponsored sports18
Athletic participation
322 unique student-athletes · 16 varsity teams
Early Decision I
Fine Arts applicants are not eligible for Early Decision
Binding · Decision released by Dec 21 · FAFSA due Nov 1
Early Action
only First-Year applicants may submit an application for Early Action or Early Decision I & II admission consideration
Decision released by Dec 21 · FAFSA due Nov 1
Early Decision II
Binding · Decision released by Feb 1 · FAFSA due Jan 15
Regular Decision
Decision released by Mar 19 · FAFSA due Feb 15
· Apply with Common App
Published on-campus price, 2024–25
- Tuition
- $69,130
- Required fees
- $788
- Food and housing
- $21,750
- Books and supplies
- $1,000
- Other expenses
- $2,500
- Total
- $95,168
- $75,3122019–2019–20
- $77,9122020–2120–21
- $80,1522021–2221–22
- $85,2022022–2322–23
- $93,5122023–2423–24
- $95,1682024–2524–25
Net price by family income, 2022–23
Students of all incomes paid $45,409 on average. Grants and scholarships covered the rest of the cost.
Net price covers first-time, full-time students who received federal aid.
Need-based aid, 2025–26
- First-years with need-based aid
- 54%
- Average share of need met
- 76%
- Average need-based grant
- $41,568
- Required forms
- FAFSA
Sources
- IPEDS Institutional Characteristics · National Center for Education Statistics · 2025–26
- IPEDS Admissions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03
- Application process · College websites · 2026–27
- NCAA Projected Sports Sponsorship by School · National Collegiate Athletic Association · 2025–26
- Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act · U.S. Department of Education · 2024–25
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- IPEDS Completions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- IPEDS Student Charges · National Center for Education Statistics · 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
Every figure below is read directly from Pepperdine University’s own reported data, with no scores, ratings, or estimates added. Derived from 5 Common Data Set filings (2021–22 to 2025–26).
Pepperdine University admitted of applicants, a admit rate. Of those, enrolled, a yield, across 5 years of Common Data Set filings.
Pepperdine University runs one binding Early Decision round and a nonbinding Early Action plan.
The enrolled class is roughly international, and about of its domestic students come from out of state. Pepperdine University withholds applicants and admits by residency, so in-state, out-of-state, and international admit odds can't be computed.
Enrolled first-years by geography
1,000 first-years
Admit odds by pool
Test scores are considered but not required. SAT or ACT scores must arrive by Jan 15. Of enrolled first-years, submitted an SAT and an ACT, up from 3% in 2021–22.
Some students submit both an SAT and an ACT, so the two shares overlap. They don’t add up to a single “submitted a test” rate.
SAT composite
17% of the class submitted an SAT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
ACT composite
8% of the class submitted an ACT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
Pepperdine University’s enrolled first-years averaged a high-school GPA, among the 99.9% who submitted one.
High-school GPA
shares of all enrolled first-years
Average 3.57
Pepperdine University rates 7 factors "very important." Each column reads strongest first.
Academic
- Rigor of secondary school record
- Very important
- Academic GPA
- Very important
- Application essay
- Very important
- Recommendation(s)
- Important
- Standardized test scores
- Considered
- Class rank
- Not considered
Nonacademic
- Extracurricular activities
- Very important
- Talent / ability
- Very important
- Character / personal qualities
- Very important
- Religious affiliation/commitment
- Very important
- Volunteer work
- Important
- Interview
- Considered
- First generation
- Considered
- Work experience
- Considered
- Alumni/ae relation
- Not considered
- Geographical residence
- Not considered
- State residency
- Not considered
- Level of applicant's interest
- Not considered
Pepperdine University leaves 3 Common Data Set answers blank — each one hidden below with what it would tell you.
Without the residency split, there’s no way to see whether admit rates shift for out-of-state or international applicants.
Without the rank spread of enrolled students, there’s no top-of-class signal to place a transcript against.
Without the GPA spread, a family can’t see where their transcript lands within the class.
Does disclose: SAT / ACT score bands (C9) · Admissions factor grid (C7) · Students admitted off the waitlist (C2)
Pepperdine University’s sticker drops once grant aid is applied, and what a family actually pays depends on income. of first-years received need-based aid; a family with no aid pays the full sticker. The school meets of demonstrated need, split into .
What aid recipients pay, by income
net price
Bars read against the $96,692 sticker. Each figure averages only families who received federal aid in that income band (College Scorecard); $45,409 across all aid recipients. Aid share: 453 of 840 first-years in the 2025–26 Common Data Set.
How need-based aid is determined
Cost of attendance − expected family contribution = demonstrated need
Forms a family files to be considered
What that meant in 2025–26
Cost of attendance $96,692
Averages among the 453 first-years awarded need-based aid.
Merit aid reached of the class, or of enrolled first-years. For international applicants, Pepperdine University offers merit aid only: nonresidents received aid, averaging .
Pepperdine University admitted students off the waitlist, about of the class.
Waitlist ranked
Not disclosed86% of Pepperdine University’s first-years return for a second year and 84.7% graduate within six. Median earnings ten years out are against of median federal debt, roughly a earnings-to-debt ratio.
Sources
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03