How to Get Into Pepperdine: Admissions Stats + Tips
Nestled in the bluffs of Malibu, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean is Pepperdine University. This private Christian research university is consistently ranked one of the most beautiful places to study in the country. In addition to its charming campus, Pepperdine boasts strong academics, an impressive study abroad program, and a wide global network, all housed under the Christian worldview and values. So, what does it take to get in? Pepperdine University is composed of four graduate schools and one undergraduate school, Seaver College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. Seaver College, which follows a traditional liberal arts curriculum, has an acceptance rate of 42%. Out of 11,768 students who applied, 4,925 were accepted. Pepperdine does not have binding Early Decision, but does have non-binding Early Action. Wanting to get a sense of how your application may stack up against other potential applicants is expected yet usually difficult. To better understand your chances at Pepperdine, we recommend using our free admissions calculator. By taking into account multiple elements of your profile, including your grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and more, we’ll estimate your odds of acceptance, and give you tips on improving your profile! In Fall 2021, the average high school GPA of first-year students at Pepperdine’s Seaver College was 3.69. 14% of first-year students had 4.0 GPA. Of this year’s first-year students at Pepperdine, 40% graduated in the top 10% of their high school class, and 88% graduated in the top 25%. For students applying for Fall 2021 to Fall 2023 enrollment, the SAT and ACT will be optional. It’s worth considering, however, that of this year’s (2021–2022) first-year students, 70% submitted SAT scores, and 38% percent submitted ACT scores. The average SAT score of these students was 1280, and the top 25% scored above a 1390. As a Christian university, Pepperdine takes pride in being a campus where students grow intellectually and also spiritually—in knowledge, and also in character. Students have rich opportunities to explore their Christian faith within a diverse community, including student-led ministries, “Seaver 200” (a mandatory community-building program for first and second years), and the Spiritual Life Advisors Program. However, Pepperdine welcomes students from all faiths, including those who identify with no particular faith, which composes about 11% of the undergraduate student body. Students at Pepperdine will find themselves at a college that values ethical decision-making, critical thinking in a global context, community, service, leadership, and learning at the intersection of faith and reason. According to their 2020-2021 Common Data Set, Pepperdine considers the following factors “very important” in a student’s application: These factors are “important”: These are “considered”: And these are “not considered”:
Since the average enrolled first-year student’s high school GPA is 3.69, you should aim for a 3.7 GPA to be a competitive candidate when applying to Pepperdine’s Seaver College. This will be the first step to getting the rest of your application read. Selective schools, like UC Davis, that receive huge numbers of applicants use a tool called Academic Index—a distillation of your academic performance into a single number—to ease the admissions process. If you fail to meet UC Davis’s Academic Index standard, you risk being seen as academically unqualified and not having your application given serious consideration. If your GPA is lower than a 3.7 and you’re earlier on in your high school career, check out our tips for increasing your GPA. If you’re a junior or senior, it will be harder to increase your GPA, so the easiest way to increase your Academic Index is to strengthen your essays or extracurricular activity profile. If your academics are as equally strong as many other applicants, extracurriculars are where you have a chance to stand out and help admissions officers form a better idea of who you are and what you might bring to their campus. In addition, Pepperdine places especially high emphasis on extracurriculars because they give admissions officers a sense of how you will fit in and contribute to its service-oriented and close-knit campus. In general, any activity that you do regularly outside the classroom counts as an extracurricular, as long as you can demonstrate that the activity has contributed to your growth as an individual. However, not all extracurriculars are created equal. Extracurricular activities can generally be divided into four “tiers.” To increase your chances at Pepperdine, you should have one to two “Tier 1” or “Tier 2” extracurriculars. Having extracurricular activities on your application shows colleges that you have personal passions and that you can take your skills beyond the classroom. They will show Pepperdine how you have cultivated your practice of the Christian values. While Pepperdine will be happy to see any kind of interest you’ve taken, you’re going to be a much more competitive candidate if you have a few Tier 1 or 2 activities that show dedication and excellence rather than many scattered Tier 4 activities. Given Pepperdine’s emphasis on student character and personal qualities, it isn’t surprising that Pepperdine highly values the essay. In addition to the Common Application essays, Pepperdine will require you to complete the Pepperdine writing supplement, as well as some short-answer responses. This is the ideal place to show your strengths, character, your authentic voice, as well as the role your faith plays in your life. For an idea of what kind of prompt to expect, take a look at our guide on last year’s Pepperdine essays. Although Pepperdine welcomes students from all faiths, it is first and foremost a Christian university, and is committed to providing students with higher education alongside Christian values and lifestyle. Pepperdine is known for integrating faith and learning, and students who benefit the most from the Pepperdine community will naturally also share its core Christian worldview. Make sure you accurately and genuinely depict your relationship to your faith, whether that be Christian or other. Show how it has informed you to be kind, justice-oriented, and humble, and curious, whether through your essays or extracurriculars. For more information on how Seaver College places learning and religious hand-in-hand, click here. Now that you have a good idea of what applying to Pepperdine entails, here are some dates to keep in mind for the 2021–2022 cycle. Application Timeline Deadline Early Action November 1 Regular Decision January 15 Pepperdine accepts the Common Application. Students need to submit all parts of the Common Application, including: Optional materials include: Thinking about applying to Pepperdine? Take a look at our other resources on Seaver College to help you with your process. Curious about your chances of acceptance to Pepperdine? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Calculate your chances for free!
What’s Covered:
How Hard Is It to Get Into Pepperdine?
Average Academic Profile of Accepted Pepperdine Students
GPA
Class Rank
SAT/ACT
What is Pepperdine Looking For?
How Pepperdine Evaluates Applications
How to Improve Your Chances of Getting into Pepperdine
1. Achieve at least a 3.7 GPA while taking the most challenging classes available.
2. Cultivate at least one or two Tier 1-2 extracurriculars (find your “spike”).
3. Write engaging essays.
4. Make sure your application accurately reflects your relationship to your faith.
How to Apply to Pepperdine
Deadlines
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