---
title: Pepperdine University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Malibu, CA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $82,939 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $55,698 – $126,331 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $19,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $9,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 83% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $93,512 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 83% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.23× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $54,939 | derived |

**83% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $19,500 (≈ 24% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $22,639 to $100,699 across 24 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $100,699 | $97,638 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Doctoral Degree | $97,829 | $107,675 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Master's Degree | $92,220 | $69,120 |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design. | Doctoral Degree | $74,008 | not reported |
| Law. | Doctoral Degree | $66,898 | $154,886 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Doctoral Degree | $64,518 | $193,904 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,350 | not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $55,521 | $41,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,559 | $27,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $52,243 | $61,036 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,799 | $24,250 |
| International Business. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,228 | not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis. | Master's Degree | $49,825 | $60,660 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $47,307 | $82,000 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,780 | $24,112 |
| Dispute Resolution. | Master's Degree | $41,371 | $98,500 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,350 | $23,625 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,476 | $19,500 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,424 | $22,580 |
| Journalism. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,797 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Master's Degree | $28,622 | $62,720 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,864 | $21,125 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,856 | $19,500 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,639 | $25,379 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Pepperdine University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?121150

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/pepperdine-university-ca.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`