FAQs: Applying to Seaver College
Application Process
For purposes of admission to Pepperdine University, international students are defined solely on their citizenship/residency status. If a student does not hold citizenship or permanent residency in the United States, the student is classified as an international student.
The admission committee looks closely at an applicant's academic record, GPA, standardized test scores, background of service and leadership, and character as exhibited in references and short answer/personal statements.
- Admit Averages (Mid-50%):
- High School GPA: 3.62-3.95 (unweighted)
- Transfer GPA: 3.53-3.90 (unweighted)
- SAT Total: 1270-1420
- ACT Composite: 28-32
- TOEFL IBT: 97-107
Pepperdine does not offer evaluative interviews. Admission Counselors are available to meet with prospective students to discuss the University and the application process, but these discussions are not among the factors considered when applications are evaluated.
There are no minimum courses you have to complete.
Transfer applicants are high school graduates who have taken any college units before or after graduating high school. Students who have not graduated from high school or who have graduated from high school without completing any college coursework should apply as a first-year student.
Early Action
Pepperdine offers Early Action admission consideration for first-year students for
the Fall term, but does not offer Early Decision. Early Action is non-binding, meaning
applicants are not required to enroll at Pepperdine if admitted.
The Early Action application deadline for first-year students is November 1, and applicants
will receive an admission decision by January 10. The Regular Decision and Transfer
application deadline for Fall is January 15, and applicants will receive an admission
decision by April 1. The enrollment deadline for all Fall applicants is May 1. For
a complete application timeline, check the Application Deadlines page.
Admitted Early Action applicants that have completed their financial aid application by the November 1 priority deadline will receive a preliminary financial aid award offer based on the projected cost of attendance for the following year. The award will be finalized in mid-March, and admitted students will be notified to check their student portal to review their final financial aid award offer.
No. Academic scholarships for admitted Early Action applicants will be based on the original submitted documents, materials, and test results that were used to make their admission decision.
No. Instead, you can reapply for the two subsequent academic terms.
Applicants that were postponed to Regular Decision have the option of submitting mid-year grades. We do not recommend submitting any additional materials to the Office of Admission, as it will not have an impact on the admission decision.
Standardized Tests
No. For international applicants and US citizens completing their secondary education outside the United States, submission of the SAT or ACT is optional for the 2021-22 academic year. For more details, click here.
No. If you choose to submit SAT scores, only the Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing sections will be considered.
No. If you choose to submit ACT or SAT scores, the optional ACT writing test and SAT essay are not required, and scores from these optional components are not considered.
Pepperdine requires "proof of English proficiency" from all international applicants. The TOEFL exam is one way to fulfill this requirement, however, there are a number of other assessments which the university accepts as well. Please see Step 5 on our Application Steps webpage for more details.
Yes. If you would like for these test scores to be a factor in your admission decision, you may self-report them or have the testing agency send them to Pepperdine as "official" scores.
Yes. Pepperdine superscores the SAT, meaning we combine the highest section scores from each test date to create the highest possible SAT total. It is therefore to your advantage to send our office the results from each time you took the SAT. We do not superscore the ACT.