Private nonprofit · University

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California · Large suburb

62.9%
Admit rate
$58,098
Avg net price
83%
Graduation rate
$82,939
Median earnings

Pepperdine University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Malibu, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 3,553 undergraduates. It has a Churches of Christ religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 3,553 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 63% admitNCAA Division I without footballMild wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Pepperdine University's admitted students.

Admit rate
62.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1290–1450
Avg GPA (est.)
3.81

Enter a test score to see where you land against Pepperdine University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Pepperdine University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Malibu, California

Malibu is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, about 30 miles (48 km) west of Los Angeles. The Chumash called the settlement Humaliwo or "the surf sounds loudly". The city's name derives from this, as the "Hu" syllable is not stressed. Getty Villa, an art museum that is part of the J. Paul Getty Museum, is just outside the city limits in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. It is owned and operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust, which also oversees the Getty Center in West Los Angeles. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
18 miles to Los Angeles (LAX) · major hub

How Pepperdine University compares

Selectivity62.9%

More selective than 73% · #41 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1384

Higher than 89%

Graduation rate83%

Higher than 91% · #25 of 122 in California

First-year retention88%

Higher than 82%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$82,939

Higher than 92% · #27 of 130 in California

Average net price$58,098

Cheaper than 1% · #118 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$23,510

Lower than 47%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment3,553

Larger than 72%

Percentiles compare Pepperdine University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

Pepperdine University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

8,976students
  • Undergraduate3,55340%
  • Graduate5,42360%

Undergraduates by gender

3,553undergrads
  • Women2,08759%
  • Men1,46641%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Black3.7%
  • Hispanic19%
  • Asian15%
  • Other or multiracial18%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,553
Graduate enrollment
5,423
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$69,305
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$128,826
Endowment
$1,319,031,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 732 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California55%
  • Other U.S. states34%
  • International11%

A regional draw: about 55% of first-years come from California, the rest from elsewhere.

11% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
62.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1290–1450
SAT average
1384
SAT reading
650–710
SAT math
640–740
ACT composite
29–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.81

Cost

In-state tuition
$69,918
Room & board
$21,750
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$93,512
Average net price
$58,098

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
83%
Graduated on time (4 years)
75%
First-year retention
88%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$64,934
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$82,939
Median debt at graduation
$23,510
Students with federal loans
37%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
69%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
75%
Low-income (Pell)
71%
First-generation
66%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,545
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
72%
Housing charge (year)
$15,200
Meal plan (year)
$8,070
Application fee
$65
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
390 (167 men · 223 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)87
Volleyball48
Baseball40
Basketball37
Swimming and Diving (combined)34
Soccer31
Water Polo29
Tennis19
Cross Country18
Track and Field (Outdoor)17
Golf16
Beach Volleyball14

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
50
Property offenses (2022–2024)
24

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 10 campuses (8,976 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

25reported offenses a year
17 violent a year8.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
9.0
Burglary
7.7
Fondling
7.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$50,560
$30–48k
$42,674
$48–75k
$51,063
$75–110k
$61,851
$110k+
$65,081

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$211,843

$51,063/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

89%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$30,613
average award, among those who get one

Pepperdine University discounts heavily: 89% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $30,613. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 940 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$82,939
Typical debt at graduation
$23,510
Debt vs. one year's pay
28%
Out-earn a HS grad
76%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$79,649
Men
$87,344

Men out-earn women by $7,695 (10%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
70°F
Winter low
50°F
Annual rain
12.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Monica Pier, CA US station (12.1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Pepperdine University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Pepperdine University side by side →

Colleges near Pepperdine University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.