Veteran Services
Support the men and women who serve our country.
Pepperdine has been serving military-connected students for over 75 years and is extremely
proud of the thousands of veterans and family members that have transitioned from
military to civilian life while attending our five schools.
Today, Pepperdine is home to almost 500 enrolled veterans, active service members,
and their dependents. Pepperdine is highly ranked for its service to veterans (#27
among national universities in U.S. News & World Report for 2023). Through the Post
9/11 GI Bill’s Yellow Ribbon Program, Pepperdine invests almost $3M annually to help cover 100% tuition costs for eligible
students. We are deeply committed to providing new resources and support that build
veteran community, engage alumni, and foster mentorship, community service, and employment
opportunities for all our military-connected students.
"Pepperdine Student Veteran Affairs provides direct support and assistance to our military-connected students throughout their Pepperdine journey. We’re so proud of our expanding resources and services that are strengthening our military-connected community and supporting those who freely served our great nation."
—Eric Leshinsky, Colonel, USAF (Ret)
Director, Student Veteran Affairs
Moving Forward
Through donations, Pepperdine hired a director of student veteran affairs in 2020,
hosted veteran-focused events, and helped veterans study abroad by covering some of
their out-of-pocket expenses. In addition, your gifts provided small financial stipends
to help students graduate without tuition debt, attend veteran-focused seminars, and
participate in unpaid career internships to name a few. In 2023, Pepperdine will open
an on-campus Veteran Resource Center (VRC) in Malibu which will help military-connected
students transition to Pepperdine and civilian life by providing a welcoming space,
benefits guidance, peer-support and leadership opportunities, resiliency programs,
events, and an array of internal and external resources to facilitate academic and
personal success.
Funding Priorities
Pepperdine Veteran Affairs Excellence Fund
The fund is used to advance the strategic priorities of the director of student veteran affairs; including building a community of belonging for student veterans at Pepperdine, providing direct support and assistance to student veterans throughout their Pepperdine journey, and connecting student veterans to resources and experts that help prepare them for life after Pepperdine. Specific annual funding opportunities include:
PeppVet Assistance & Success Program: Provides needs-based (tuition debt, family care, etc.) financial assistance to students—Up to $5,000 per student
Student stipends: Includes study abroad, veteran conferences, and internships
- Support study abroad opportunities—Up to $6,000 per student veteran
- Support attendance to career-focused conference—Up to $2,000 per student
- Support career-focused veteran internships—Up to $1,500 per student
Director, Student Veteran Affairs ($3M endowment fund): Provides permanent funding for the director’s position. Initial 3-year funding was provided by the Anschutz Foundation in 2019.
On-Campus Veteran Resource Center–Phase I ($60,000): One-time investment supporting the creation and development of a veteran resource center at Pepperdine to provide military-connected students with a dedicated space.
On-Campus Veteran Resource Center–Phase II ($2M endowment fund): Supports the sustainment of the veteran resource center at Pepperdine with permanent staffing and departmental programming and budgeting for events, activities, and supplies.
Scholarships: Provides annual merit-based scholarships to military-connected students who do not have or exhausted their military education benefits.
- $5,000-25,000 (per scholarship): Awarded to a student veteran annually
- $5,000-25,000 (per scholarship): Awarded to a military family member annually
Please make a gift today to our PeppVets!