I’ve been looking into Pepperdine as a match school for me because I absolutely love the location - its not in the city (where its polluted and crowded) but close to the city, so I could still get a job or an internship in the city. The campus is beautiful and I love all the programs they have to offer.
However, I have a few questions/concerns before applying to Pepperdine!
First of all, is religion very prominent at Pepperdine? I’m not religious at all, in fact I’ve never even been to a church. How important is religion there or is it just a small part of the atmosphere?
Secondly, how good is the financial aid / merit and need based scholarships there? My family’s annual net income is about ~$100,000 so I qualify for financial aid, but do they have very many scholarships?
Please read the student handbook and code of conduct before you consider Pepperdine. Pepperdine advertises a Christian mission. It has restrictions and requirements in line with it’s conservative Church of Christ affiliation. There are frequent required attendances at convocation which ‘affnfirm christian faith and values’. They also consider religious affiliation in admissions selection.
Run to NPC to see what it says about need aid. Scholarship information should be on the website. You never really know what you get at schools that don’t meet 100 pct of need until you apply though, because these schools practice preferential packaging.
Just a note, you would need a car to get into LA for work.
Pepperdine is consistently ranked one of the most conservative campuses in the US. For instance, many LGBT groups that have tried to establish a formal group on campus have been historically denied…so, you can infer what you want regarding the religious influence it has on the campus.
Further, Christian morals are formally observed. By way of example, here is the code of conduct and rules for all students:
- Dry campus. Absolutely no alcohol on campus, regardless of age.
- Students must be out of the opposite sex’s rooms by 1 a.m. and dorm lobbies by 2 a.m., lobby hours extended to 24 hours during finals week.
- 16 chapels per semester.
So, you can do your own math, and figure out your own comfort level…
I grew up in the conservative Church of Christ (not the same as United Church of Christ!!). They are quite serious about rules, ha. My sister still attends a CoC, and her son got quite a large scholarship offer from Pepperdine.
My friend’s son is at Pepperdine and it sounded to me like religion was an important part of campus life. You should research further and try to visit and reach your own conclusion, but offhand it doesn’t sound like a great fit for you.
Pepperdine is more conservative and religious than most schools, but not when compared to other Christian Colleges.
Financially, Pepperdine is notorious for gapping in a major way (check out collegedata.com). Unless you are CoC you should not expect much FA. Even low income folks will likely face 30K+ net price each year.