Home / Worth-It Scores / California / Pepperdine
Is Pepperdine University worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Pepperdine, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Stretch
Pepperdine sits in the stretch band for a typical family. The long-run earnings picture at $82,939 helps, but median debt of $23,510 plus yearly net price of $58,098 creates a tighter path. For context, Pepperdine's net price sits about 129% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school and near the top of its sector range. It can work, but the financing plan has to be deliberate.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$52,216
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis significantly impacts your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $29,379 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $118,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
Outcome
40% weight
Graduation and earnings data create a stronger long-run payoff picture.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$58,098
Median earnings 10 years out
$82,939
Median debt at graduation
$23,510
Graduation rate
84%
At Pepperdine, a typical graduate carries about $23,510 in student debt and earns roughly $82,939 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $267 per month, or 4% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
What this means for your family
Pepperdine is a private nonprofit four year school in Malibu, CA. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, CA
Worth-It Score: 30/100
Median net price: $53,909
Private nonprofit 4-year
Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, CA
Worth-It Score: 33/100
Median net price: $51,248
Private nonprofit 4-year
Santa Clara
Santa Clara, CA
Worth-It Score: 80/100
Median net price: $50,062
Private nonprofit 4-year
Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, CA
Worth-It Score: 50/100
Median net price: $48,661
Private nonprofit 4-year
Loyola Marymount
Los Angeles, CA
Worth-It Score: 56/100
Median net price: $48,381
Common questions about Pepperdine
The median net price at Pepperdine is $58,098 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in California? See the most affordable private colleges in California →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →