College · Private nonprofit · Malibu, CA · Suburb
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA
Religious affiliation
Admit rate63%
6-yr median pay$65k
Net price / yr$58k
Undergrad size3,553
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $58k/yr for a shot at a $65k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 63% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1384 · ACT 28.
If you get in
3,553 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
Suburban — a short drive to the nearest city, greener but still connected.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $94k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $58k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$374k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$232k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$142k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback3.6x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $69.9k
- Room & board
- $21.8k
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
How students pay for it.
Pell grants20%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans37%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$24k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
Graduation · 6 yr83%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$65k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$83k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Suburb
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 3,553
- Location
- Malibu, CA
- Region
- Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
- Carnegie class
- Doctoral/Professional Universities
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
- Also known as
- Pepperdine University
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White44%
- Hispanic19%
- Asian15%
- International8%
- Two or more races7%
- Black4%
- Unknown3%
First-gen students18%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time5%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$69k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 42
What you can study.