Pepperdine University is a private research institution founded in 1937 in Malibu, California. It was established by George Pepperdine, a famous American entrepreneur of the early 20th century. Having been instituted as the George Pepperdine College, it was officially renamed Pepperdine University in 1971. The university has survived the Great Depression, WWII, and several natural calamities since its inception: serving as a testament to its resilience.
The university has four campuses: Malibu Campus, West Los Angeles Graduate Campus, Calabasas Campus, and Irvine Graduate Campus. Its scenic main campus (Malibu) spans 830 acres (340 hectares) and is considered to be one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. Pepperdine also has international campuses in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Florence, Italy; Heidelberg, Germany; Lausanne, Switzerland; London, and the United Kingdom. During the summer, students have the option of studying on these campuses abroad.
Owing to its exceptional quality of education, Pepperdine Univesity has been consistently ranked among the best colleges in the US. For example, the US News & World Report has ranked Pepperdine university among the top 100 graduate business schools in the US for the years 2018, 2019, and 2021. Some of the institution’s notable alumni include Michelle Fields, political journalist; Chace Crawford, actor; Dan Haren, former professional baseball player; Sharon Draper, children’s writer; Sean Rooney, Olympic gold medalist and volleyball player, among others.
Academics
Pepperdine University provides 73-degree programmes across its five schools: Seaver College, the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, the Caruso School of Law, the School of Public Policy, and the Graziadio Business School. The university also provides student exchange and study abroad programmes. For example, international programmes are offered by the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in Augsburg, Germany, London, the United Kingdom, and Seoul, South Korea.
These study abroad law programmes provide the university’s law students the opportunity to investigate the origins of the American legal system while discovering diverse cultures throughout Asia and Europe. Furthermore, the university also provides students with exceptional employment opportunities through its career counselling services and various collaborations with notable firms such as Caltech, The Cheesecake Factory, Ad, and Boeing, among others.
Courses Offered at Pepperdine University
The following are major fields in which courses are offered by the university are:
- Accounting
- International Business
- Business Administration
- Advertising
- Integrated Marketing Communication
- Intercultural Communication
- Interpersonal Communication
- Journalism (Print, Online, Video)
- Media Production (Production, Sports)
- Organisational Communication
- Public Relations
- Rhetoric and Leadership
- Sports Administration
- Economics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology
Admission for International Students
Aspirants must verify the process and prerequisites sections below before beginning the multi-step process of applying to Pepperdine University.
Step 1: Apply through the common application (Common App)
Step 2: Submit high school transcripts
Step 3: Submit an academic recommendation
Step 4: Submit English language proficiency test scores
- Duolingo: 110 or higher
- IELTS: 6.5 and above
Once your application has been processed, the admissions office will send you an email with a link to your “App Tracker,” which helps you monitor your to-do lists for your application and make sure that the admissions office has received all important documents.
Tuition Fees
The table below mentions the tuition fees for some of the most sought-after courses at Pepperdine University.
| Programme | Tuition Fees per Term |
| Full-Time MBA | $27, 315 |
| Executive MBA | $29, 300 |
| President and Key Executives MBA | $39, 390 |
| Executive Doctor of Business Administration | $21, 010 |
| MS in Applied Finance | $30, 260 |
| MS in Global Business | $31, 590 |
| MS in Business Analytics | $30, 695 |
| MS in Business | $27, 810 |
| MS in Real Estate | $32, 265 |
| MS in Organisation Development | $15, 020 |
International Student Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Office at Pepperdine is dedicated to helping students discover and comprehend all financial aid options available to them. To accommodate the diverse needs and circumstances of the students, Pepperdine offers financial aid through merit scholarships such as Fulbright Scholarship, Rotary Scholarships, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Merit Scholarships, College Loans, and much more.
Scholarship recipients are chosen based on a variety of criteria, such as undergraduate GPA, GMAT/GRE scores (if submitted), professional achievements, leadership qualities, and other qualities identified by the admissions committee. Selected applicants are contacted within 1-2 weeks of the admission decision, and for a majority of programmes, the scholarship decision is made concurrently with the admission process.
Employment Opportunities
Pepperdine University provides employment options for students while studying at the university. These options include departmental jobs, on-campus jobs, and more. Additionally, students can apply for positions in companies that aid the university in this task, such eFollett Pepperdine Bookstore, and Sodexo Dining Services, among others. Every year, the university employs over 2000 students across its five campuses through the said jobs, thereby, providing students with an opportunity to pay for tuition and other expenditures.
So, if you wish to pursue courses that provide you with exciting student exchange and study abroad opportunities, then Pepperdine University is the place to be. We hope that this article has given you enough information to make an informed choice about applying to this university. We wish you the best of luck!