Pepperdine University

Private · Moderately Selective · CA

Photo: Alfred Twu (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCA · West

SettingSuburban

Undergrads3,553

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate75.1%

6-yr grad rate83.4%

Drop-out rate12.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$70k

Out-of-state tuition$70k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity56.2%

Gender diversity59.6%

International7.8%

IdentityChurches of Christ

Overview

Pepperdine is a private Christian university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, its main campus set on a Malibu hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean, one of the most distinctive settings of any American university. It combines a faith-centered mission with strong professional programs and an unusually large international study-abroad operation, giving it both a spiritual and a global character.

Academics

The business school (Graziadio) and the Seaver College communication and journalism programs are Pepperdine's best-known strengths, alongside a respected school of law and a public policy school. Undergraduate business and finance draw particular interest given proximity to Los Angeles's entertainment and media industries. A required core of faith-based coursework runs alongside the major for every undergraduate.

Campus & student life

Nearly all undergraduates study abroad at some point, through Pepperdine's network of international campuses, an experience that shapes the culture as much as the Malibu location itself does. Chapel and faith-based programming are woven into student life without being treated as separate from it, and the small, tight-knit undergraduate college contrasts with the university's much larger and more prominent graduate schools.

Getting in

Pepperdine is selective and holistic, and its Churches of Christ affiliation and stated faith mission are not incidental; essays and interviews look for a genuine fit with a campus where chapel attendance and Christian community are a lived expectation, not just a historical footnote.

After graduation

Business, entertainment, and media graduates place well into greater Los Angeles industries, aided by both the location and an alumni network heavily concentrated on the West Coast. The law school's reputation also lends the Pepperdine name broader recognition than the undergraduate college's size would otherwise suggest.

Worth knowing

The Malibu campus's beauty comes with genuine geographic isolation; it's a drive from central Los Angeles, not embedded in a city, and the study-abroad expectation means many students spend a meaningful stretch of their four years away from Malibu entirely.

pepperdine.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate62.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1290–1450 · ACT 29–32

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Applying