10-yr median earnings
$82,939
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Malibu, California
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is a private nonprofit institution in Malibu, California. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $82,939
- 10-yr median earnings
- 62.9%
- Acceptance rate
- $58,098
- Avg net price / yr
- 84.2%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Pepperdine University pairs top-5% former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 3%
- former-student earnings, US
- 62.9%
- acceptance rate
- 84.2%
- 150%-time completion
- +28%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Large
Carnegie: Doctoral/Prof
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Pepperdine University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Doctoral/Professional Universities"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C+
College Value Score
62/100
Pepperdine University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$82,939
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$58,098
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A+
84.2%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$23,510
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A-
77.8%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B+
87.6%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$58,098
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
84.2%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 84.2%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Pepperdine University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Pepperdine University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Pepperdine University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$82,939 Top 3% higher than 97% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Pepperdine University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $82,939 | #158 of 5103 | 97th |
| Average net price | $58,098 | #5014 of 5020 | 0th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 84.2% | #482 of 4858 | 90th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,553 | #972 of 5462 | 82nd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
3,553
Undergraduate enrollment
62.9%
Acceptance rate
1,384
SAT average
84.2%
150%-time completion
$82,939
10-yr median earnings
87.6%
First-year retention
How Pepperdine University ranks in California
State rank among 493 reporting California colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Pepperdine University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $82,939 | #32 of 493 | 94th |
| Average net price | $58,098 | #494 of 495 | 0th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 84.2% | #68 of 483 | 86th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,553 | #147 of 553 | 73rd |
Highest former-student earnings in California
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Merritt University | $143,238 | - |
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College | $138,687 | $35,924 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | $128,566 | $16,075 |
| 4 | Stanford University | $124,080 | $13,807 |
| 5 | Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health | $115,318 | - |
| 6 | Gnomon | $114,785 | $51,949 |
| 7 | Santa Clara University | $109,183 | $50,062 |
| 8 | Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University | $109,183 | - |
| 9 | Touro University California | $104,805 | - |
| 10 | Claremont McKenna College | $104,736 | $28,849 |
| 11 | West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County | $102,672 | $32,879 |
| 12 | West Coast University-Ontario | $102,672 | $49,590 |
| 32 | Pepperdine UniversityThis school | $82,939 | $58,098 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 62.9% |
| SAT Average | 1,384 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 640 – 740 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 650 – 710 |
| ACT Average | 28 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 29 – 32 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Pepperdine University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$50,560 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$42,674 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$51,063 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$65,081 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Pepperdine University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $69,918 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $69,918 |
| Average Net Price | $58,098 |
20.3%
Pell Grant Rate
37.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$23,510
Median Debt
$249/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Pepperdine University rose +85.8% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $24,446 in 2013 to $45,409 in 2023, a rise of $20,963 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $24,4462023 · $45,409
Over the same years, enrollment went +3.2% (3,516 → 3,629 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
58.8%
Female
17.6%
First Generation
Outcomes
87.6%
Retention Rate
$64,934
Median Earnings (6yr)
77.9%
Earning Over $25K
77.8%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 84.2% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 87.6% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $64,934 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $82,939 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 77.9% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 77.8% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $23,510 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $249/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 18 | 764 | $73,446 | $104,943 | $23,262 |
| Master's | 10 | 1,830 | $90,327 | $141,949 | $75,577 |
| Doctoral | 4 | 61 | $120,859 | $133,031 | $152,155 |
Top programs at Pepperdine University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$141,949 median earnings
- Educational/Instructional …
Educational/Instructional Media Design
$133,031 median earnings
- Law
Law
$126,561 median earnings
- Human Resources Management…
Human Resources Management and Services
$123,307 median earnings
- Educational Administration…
Educational Administration and Supervision
$120,410 median earnings
- Dispute Resolution
Dispute Resolution
$110,166 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$104,943 median earnings
- Clinical, Counseling and A…
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
$103,432 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Pepperdine University? ▼
Pepperdine University is a private nonprofit institution in Malibu, California. The acceptance rate is 62.9%. The average SAT score is 1,384. Undergraduate enrollment is 3,553 students.
How much do Pepperdine University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Pepperdine University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $82,939 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $64,934.
How much does Pepperdine University cost? ▼
The average net price at Pepperdine University is $58,098. In-state tuition is $69,918 and out-of-state tuition is $69,918. Median student debt at graduation is $23,510.
What is the graduation rate at Pepperdine University? ▼
Pepperdine University has a 84.2% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 87.6%.
Is Pepperdine University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Pepperdine University is $23,510, while former students earn a median of $82,939 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 28% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 77.8% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $249.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Pepperdine University
- Compare Pepperdine University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in California side by side.Browse California
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.