Pepperdine University
Malibu, California · Also known as Pepperdine University · Website
$82,939
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$82,939
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Pepperdine University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Malibu, California with 3,553 undergraduates and 5,423 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $58,098 a year (tuition and fees $69,918). It admits 63% of applicants and 83% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $82,939 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $23,510 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$58,098
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$69,918
US median $11,837
Admission rate
63%
US median 78%
Completion rate
83%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$23,510
About $249 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$82,939
Rank 158 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $58,098
- Tuition and fees
- $69,918
- Cost of attendance
- $93,512
- Students with a need-based grant
- 20%
- Students with federal loans
- 37%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $50,560
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $42,674
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $51,063
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $61,851
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $65,081
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $48,342 in 2015-16 to $69,918 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 63%
- Average SAT
- 1,384
- SAT reading, middle
- 670
- SAT math, middle
- 680
- ACT, middle
- 28
- Undergraduates
- 3,553
- Graduate students
- 5,423
- Part-time students
- 4.6%
- Women
- 60%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 83%
- Retention rate
- 88%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 78
- Endowment
- $1.3B
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 158 of 5,094 US colleges and 32 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $58,098 | $20,161 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $69,918 | $8,086 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 63% | 76% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 83% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 88% | 80% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $23,510 | $11,537 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $64,934 | $36,048 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $82,939 | $41,472 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 74% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 83% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
78 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 674 | $82,000 | $49,456 | $70,729 | $65,184 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 655 | $97,638 | $112,068 | $141,949 | $103,485 |
| Psychology, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 269 | $62,720 | $47,132 | $52,526 | $64,711 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 186 | $27,000 | $69,751 | $91,227 | $68,257 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 159 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Dispute ResolutionMaster's | Master's | 148 | $98,500 | $64,096 | $110,166 | $74,725 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 128 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $124,807 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's | Master's | 118 | $107,520 | $58,929 | $73,551 | $101,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 92 | $61,036 | $62,726 | $64,374 | $59,916 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $22,580 | $23,438 | $61,353 | $50,706 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 85 | $24,112 | $45,988 | $81,417 | $63,560 |
| International BusinessMaster's | Master's | 75 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $97,121 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 71 | $69,120 | $113,702 | $123,307 | $83,558 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 54 | $41,000 | $64,280 | $95,306 | $71,685 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionDoctoral | Doctoral | 54 | $107,675 | $107,137 | $120,410 | $100,573 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 51 | $23,336 | $34,388 | $65,100 | $54,562 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 49 | $25,379 | $20,031 | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $23,625 | $42,306 | $75,954 | $63,293 |
| Applied MathematicsMaster's | Master's | 34 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $116,060 |
| Dispute ResolutionCertificate | Certificate | 34 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $67,844 |
| Public Policy AnalysisMaster's | Master's | 34 | $60,660 | $63,804 | $81,037 | $93,020 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $24,250 | $54,267 | $104,943 | $82,686 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyProfessional | Professional | 28 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $19,500 | Withheld | $50,594 | $39,775 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $83,343 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Malibu and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Pepperdine University cost?
$58,098 a year is the average net price at Pepperdine University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $69,918, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $93,512. Families earning under $30,000 pay $50,560 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Pepperdine University?
63% of applicants are admitted to Pepperdine University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,384 and the middle ACT score is 28. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do Pepperdine University graduates earn?
$82,939 a year is the median pay of former Pepperdine University students who work, 10 years after they started ($64,934 after 6 years). That ranks 158 of 5,094 US colleges and 32 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Human Resources Management and Services (Master's) at $113,702.
How much student debt do Pepperdine University graduates have?
$23,510 is the median federal student loan debt of Pepperdine University graduates, about $249 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 37% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Pepperdine University?
83% of first-time, full-time students at Pepperdine University finish within 6 years. 88% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Pepperdine University?
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (674 master's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (655 master's graduates), Psychology, General (269 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 78 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.