Applying as an International First-Year Student

The Common Application is a multipart process that includes submission of the Common Application, the Pepperdine Questions, and Pepperdine Writing Supplement. All parts must be submitted through the Common Application website. Be sure to review your Common App dashboard to ensure that all parts have been submitted successfully.

• $70 Application Fee (Non-Refundable)
• Common App Personal Essay
• Supplemental Pepperdine Questions

Important: You will receive a final confirmation email from the Seaver College Office of Admission within 48 hours of our office receiving your Common Application submission. Please save and print this final confirmation. This final confirmation ensures successful completion of your application.

Attention applicants from China: If the primary email address used in your Common App features a Chinese domain such as @163.com, @126.com, or @yeah.net, please send an alternate email address with a non-Chinese domain (ex: Yahoo, Outlook, MSN) to admission-oiss@pepperdine.edu in order to ensure that you receive all future communications from Pepperdine University.

 Official High School Transcripts or Official Exam Reports

• Please include your Common Application ID on all documents you submit.
• Pepperdine is committed to ensuring all students are evaluated fairly, therefore transcripts from each high school attended must be sent directly to Pepperdine University for evaluation. Grades transferred or translated from a previous school onto a current transcript are not accepted. If your current high school is within the United States, the U.S. high school may submit a copy of the original official transcript they received from a previous school.
• If transcripts are not in English, English translations should be included.
• Students from educational systems with external exams (i.e. (I)GCSE/AS results, CBSE Board exams, etc.) should submit certified external exam results in addition to internal marks to finalize the high school transcript requirement.
• Students who have completed A levels must request the official exam results from the testing agency (i.e. CIE, Edexcel, AQA) to be sent directly to Pepperdine.
• Students who have completed an IB certificate of diploma, must request the official exam results from the IB organization (IBO) to finalize their high school transcript requirement and be considered for advanced standing credit.
• If applicable, students must submit official transcripts from any dual enrollment college.
• If your school official has already submitted your transcript via the Common Application, please do not send additional hard copies as this will delay our ability to process your application file. Instead, please verify that these items were submitted on the School Forms tab in the Common Application system.
• If an applicant is discovered to have falsified their academic documentation, Pepperdine University reserves the right to deny admission or dismiss the student from course study.

Please note that upon graduation, a final high school transcript must be submitted to ensure high school graduation has been achieved and for advanced standing credit evaluation.

Submit Electronically

Transcripts can either be submitted from the school through the Common Application Naviance system, Parchment,  National Student Clearinghouse, or SCOIR.

Submit by Mail

If the transcripts are mailed, they must be official with an original signature of the school official(s) or the school seal on the transcript and sent directly from the school or submitted in an envelope sealed by the school. Transcripts should be mailed to the following address:

Pepperdine University
Seaver College - Office of Admission
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, California 90263-4392 

Please note: Faxed or e-mailed copies of transcripts are NOT accepted.

Secondary Credentials Required by Country

Please click on your country or province below to view the secondary credentials necessary to complete the high school transcript requirement. 

For the 2021-22 academic year, submission of SAT or ACT scores is optional for all international applicants, including US citizens who are completing their secondary education outside of the United States. Please note, this is an updated policy in response to the sharp decline of exams offered due to COVID-19 and is subject to change for future terms.

Although we do not require test scores, you have the option to submit either official test scores through the testing agency or self reported test scores through our test score form. Once your application has been processed, you will receive access to the Pepperdine Applicant Portal where you can access the test score form. If test scores are self-reported at the time of application, official test scores will be required upon admission to Pepperdine. Please note that self-reported test scores will only be accepted through Pepperdine's test score form. Test scores reported on the Common Application or transcripts will not be accepted.

If you choose to submit scores, the International Admission Committee will consider all official test scores from multiple test dates. We will use the highest composite score from among each test that you've taken. This is called super scoring. There is no limit to the number of test scores you may submit to us for your application.

NOTE: When taking the SAT/ACT, if you have used a different name (e.g. nickname, middle name, etc.) or a different email address from the one used for your Common Application, you MUST notify our office by sending an email to admissions-oiss@pepperdine.edu, so that your test scores are appropriately matched to your record..

Seaver College of Pepperdine University Codes:

SAT 1: 4630
ACT: 0373

If you wish to have your scores sent by the testing agency, you may contact the centers below:

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) – 866.756.7346
ACT (American College Testing) – 319.337.1313

The Academic Letter of Recommendation must be from a core subject (math, science, English, history, foreign language) teacher or counselor who is familiar with the applicant's academic standing.

Include your Common Application ID on all documents you submit. This will assist in the accurate and timely processing of your application file.

Ways to Submit Academic Letter of Recommendation

Option A: Pepperdine Recommendation Form
Use this form to submit a request for your recommender to complete your recommendation.

If a recommender is going to submit a recommendation letter through the mail or a Pepperdine recommendation form, you are still required to "assign" and fill in the information on the Common Application. The information needed is the name of your recommender, title, and email address. Tell your recommender to ignore the Common App form, and we will manually link the recommendation letter (sent by mail or via a Pepperdine recommendation form) to your application file.

You must have all areas in the Common Application "assigned" in order to submit your application. Be aware that the "teacher" and "other recommender" both have to be assigned by you. If these recommenders have not been assigned, you will not be able to submit your application. The "other recommender" will not accept recommendations that are peer or family members.

Option B: Common Application Recommendation Form
Once in the Common Application, select "My Colleges" in the left-hand menu, and then "Assign Recommenders." Enter the required information for the form. Please note: you will need your recommender's name, position title, email address, and work phone number to complete the form. Your recommender will then be contacted and invited to submit your recommendation through the Common Application system. If your recommender has already submitted your recommendation via the Common Application, please do not send additional hard copies as this will delay our ability to process your application file. Instead, please verify that these items were submitted on the School Forms tab in the Common Application system.

Please note: In order for Pepperdine to receive your recommendation, you must correctly assign your recommender to your Pepperdine application.

Option C: Hard Copy Letters
We prefer that recommendations be submitted online using an option above. However, if you are unable to use our forms, written recommendations or traditional letters can be mailed to the address below. Please make sure that the person completing your recommendation includes your first name, last name, current school, city, and state. Include your Common Application ID on all documents you submit. This will assist in the accurate and timely processing of your application file.

Seaver College Office of Admission
Pepperdine University
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90263-4392

Please Note: It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all required materials for the admission application file are received by the Office of Admission by the applicable deadline in order to be considered by the Admission Committee.

International first-year applicants must submit proof of English proficiency, which may be demonstrated by one of the following:

• SAT I Evidence-Based Reading and Writing of 600 and above
• ACT Reading score of 24 and above
• TOEFL iBT (or TOEFL iBT Home Edition) score of 85 and above - *Please note that Pepperdine does not accept TOEFL "MyBest Scores" 
• C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency (Cambridge English: Advanced or Proficiency) of 186 and above
• Duolingo English Test score of 120 and above
• IELTS (or IELTS Indicator) overall score of 6.5 and above
• A "B" or better in a transferable English Composition course (not ESL) at an accredited US college or university
• A "C" or better on the UK system AS or A-Level English Exams (not ESL), or Hong Kong system HKALE English Exam
• The ELS Language Centers' Master level 112 class with a grade of B or higher
• IB 1 English grade result of 5 or better (not ESL)
• 4 years of study at a high school in which English is the medium of instruction - subject to verification by an admissions counselor

NOTE: All test scores must be taken within 2 years of time of application.

Seaver College of Pepperdine University Codes:

SAT 1: 4630
ACT: 0373
TOEFL: 4630
IELTS: Pepperdine Seaver College 

All test scores must be sent to us directly from the testing agencies to be considered official. You may contact the centers below to have your scores sent:

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) – 866.756.7346
ACT (American College Testing) – 319.337.1313
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) – 877.863.3546
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)

In order to further demonstrate English communication skills, international applicants may submit interviews from InitialView or Vericant. Application reviewers will consider these supplementary interviews as additional indicators of the applicant’s ability to succeed academically and engage in extracurricular programs.  To learn more about these opportunities, please visit the websites for InitialView and Vericant.

Monitor your application to-do lists via the Pepperdine Applicant Portal to verify that items have been received by the OISS. There will be a delay between submission of an item and reflection in your Applicant Portal to-do list. Do not send multiple copies of the same item. This will cause delay of processing your file. We recommend verifying on your Common Application account and with your school that all materials have been submitted in a timely manner. 

Please Note: It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all required materials for the admission application file are received by the Office of Admission by the applicable deadline in order to be considered by the Admission Committee.

Pepperdine University renders the I-20 after students accept their offer of admission by submitting their Enrollment Form and Tuition Prepayment (Deposit). Please refer to the ISD form on our International Student Portal for further information regarding obtaining your Pepperdine I-20.

ISD Submission Deadlines
Fall semester: July 15
Spring semester: December 9

For additional information on the F-1 Visa process, visit Becoming an F-1 Student.