Malibu, CA · private · 3,553 undergraduates
Pepperdine University acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
Pepperdine admitted 69.4% of applicants for fall 2025, but its net price is among the highest on this site at every income.
Net price per year at Pepperdine
$61,851
Likely · admit rate 69.4%
| Admit rate, Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Seaver College | 69.4% (1 in 1) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,240 to 1,410 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 58% |
| This site’s label | Likely |
| Sticker price 2026-27 | $99,258 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $61,851 |
| Share of the sticker price | 62% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: Pepperdine net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025-2026, C1 · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 69.4%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,240 to 1,410
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $99,258
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $51,063
Pepperdine University's Seaver College admitted 9,331 of 13,445 first-year applicants for the class that entered in fall 2025, an acceptance rate of 69.4%, and only 999 enrolled, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. Admission is the easier part. Pepperdine is test optional, with a middle 50% SAT of 1,240 to 1,410 among the 17% who sent one, but its price is the real filter. The 2026-27 cost of attendance for a new student is $99,258, and the federal net prices for 2023-24 are among the highest of the 110 universities on this site: $50,560 on average for aided families under $30,000, $51,063 between $48,001 and $75,000 and $65,081 above $110,000. Merit scholarships are common, but they rarely close the gap for families with little income.
Why so few admits enroll
Pepperdine admits most of its applicants and enrolls about one in nine of them. A yield that low usually comes from price: many families who are admitted to a Malibu campus with an ocean view compare the award letter with other offers and choose a cheaper one. The federal averages explain why. In 2023-24 even families under $30,000 paid $50,560 on average, more than the highest-income band paid at several universities with large endowments, and the band from $30,001 to $48,000 paid $42,674. Pepperdine publishes no full-need or income-based tuition promise; it says that nearly all new Seaver students receive merit scholarships, need-based aid or both.
Pepperdine: net price for your family income
Average net price, 2023-24
$51,063
| Income band | $48,001-$75,000 |
| Share of the 2023-24 cost | 55% |
Federal figure for first-year students on federal aid.
A new Early Decision with guaranteed merit
Pepperdine added binding Early Decision with the fall 2026 applicant pool, so there are no published counts yet. Its main attraction is money: students admitted through Early Decision are guaranteed at least $25,000 a year in merit aid. Early Action and Early Decision I close on November 1, Early Decision II and regular decision on January 15. Tests are optional for admission but required for the Regents Scholars program. Every applicant also writes a short essay on why they want to attend a Christian university and how they would join conversations of faith on campus.
Pepperdine: what your grants leave to pay
Left to pay for the year
$49,258
| Cost of attendance 2026-27 | $99,258 |
| Grants entered | $50,000 |
| Share covered by grants | 50% |
Loans and work-study are not grants: they are ways of paying what is left.
The waiting list is a real route
Pepperdine offered about thirteen hundred waiting list places for fall 2025, and 670 students were admitted from them, most of those who accepted a place. A student placed on the list has a better chance there than at most universities on this site.
Budget and alternatives
The 2026-27 budget of $99,258 includes a flat tuition of $74,370 for 12 to 18 units a semester and $20,490 for housing and food. In Southern California, USC and UCLA offer very different prices for families with need; the comparison tool shows the gap at your income.
From Pepperdine University’s own documents
- Early Decision is new: the CDS notes it took effect with the fall 2026 applicant pool, so no ED admit counts exist yet, and ED admits are guaranteed at least $25,000 in merit aid. source
- Pepperdine admitted 9,331 of 13,445 first-year applicants for fall 2025 but enrolled only 999, so very few admitted students attend. source
- The waiting list converts often: 1,303 applicants were offered a place, 812 accepted and 670 were admitted for fall 2025. source
- Tests are optional for admission but required for the Regents Scholars Program scholarships. source
- All first-year applicants must write a 300-500 word answer on why they want to attend a Christian university and how they would contribute to conversations of faith on campus. source
- Tuition for 2026-27 is a flat $74,370 for 12 to 18 units a semester, and the on-campus cost of attendance for a new student is $99,258 before aid. source
Net price at Pepperdine University by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $50,560 | 54% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $42,674 | 46% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $51,063 | 55% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $61,851 | 66% |
| $110,001 and up | $65,081 | 70% |
| All aided students | $58,098 | 62% |
Cost of attendance at Pepperdine University, 2026-27
| Item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $74,370 | |
| Fees | $832 | |
| Housing and food | $20,490 | |
| Books and supplies | $1,000 | |
| Personal | $1,500 | |
| Travel | $1,000 | |
| Total | $99,258 |
Pepperdine University admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Seaver College | 13,445 | 9,331 | 999 | 69.4% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 62.9% |
SAT and ACT scores at Pepperdine University
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Seaver College, CDS 2025-2026, C9 (172 SAT submitters, 78 ACT submitters)) | 1,240 | 1,340 | 1,410 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), Seaver College (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (172 SAT submitters, 78 ACT submitters))) | 28 | 30 | 32 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 650 + 640 | n/a | 710 + 740 |
Outcomes at Pepperdine University
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 83% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 88% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $82,939 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $23,510 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 3,553 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 20% | 2023-24 |