Pepperdine University Welcomes Undergraduate Students for 2026-27 Academic Year

MALIBU, California – Pepperdine University welcomes nearly 1,100 Seaver College undergraduate students from 40 U.S. states to its Malibu campus as New Student Orientation (NSO) begins. The University also welcomes 64 College of Health Science undergraduate nursing students, who will begin their studies on the Malibu campus.

Fall NSO kicked off Monday for international students, with most domestic students moving in Tuesday, August 18. Orientation activities will help students build academic, spiritual, and social connections before Seaver College classes begin Monday.

“Welcoming a new class of bright, talented students to Pepperdine each August is one of the great joys of our work,” said University President Jim Gash. “Each student arrives with unique gifts and aspirations that greatly enrich our campus. We cherish the opportunity to walk alongside them as they grow in wisdom, pursue truth courageously, and discover the call to greater purpose.”

The week opens with President Gash’s welcome and the Becoming a Wave pep rally. Students will also attend Spiritual Life Chapel, hear from upper-class students about Pepperdine’s world-class international programs, have lunch with a professor, go to an academic majors fair, and meet with their academic divisions and majors.

Other NSO events include the Waves Expo, New Student Sunrise, the student Block Party, Frosh Follies, and an All-School Candlelight Gathering on the eve of the first day of classes.

Students entering Seaver College will study Pepperdine’s Seaver Core, the foundation of the College’s liberal arts curriculum. The curriculum is designed to strengthen students’ ability to reason, communicate, conduct research, understand different perspectives, and pursue lives of purpose, service, and leadership. Each first-year student will also receive a copy of Intellectual Foundations: A Pepperdine Reader. The new University publication binds 78 classical texts around three distinct themes—Western foundations, the Christian intellectual tradition, and American democratic foundations—and will be used throughout each undergraduate’s academic career.

Students may also pursue alternate pathways such as the Great Books Colloquium.  During NSO, a Great Books as Virtue Education session will introduce students and families to Pepperdine’s 40-year Great Books tradition.

Beginning this fall, undergraduate students will also have the opportunity to take a new artificial intelligence skills course. The course is designed to help students work with a range of AI tools while strengthening their judgment about when and how to use AI responsibly and effectively.

“The goal of this course is to get our students thinking critically about AI,” said Ben Postlethwaite (‘96), a professor of organizational behavior and management at Seaver College and the leader of the new AI skills course. “We want to help our undergraduates enhance their skills as AI practitioners, while also leading them to understand the societal implications of the new technology.”

Students arriving this fall will also see Pepperdine preparing to open The Mountain at Mullin Park, a major investment in the student experience scheduled to open in fall 2026. The project includes a 3,600-seat arena, fitness and recreation facilities, parking, and new gathering spaces designed to strengthen community, wellness, athletics, and campus life.

NSO also gives students opportunities to connect with the arts through music and theatre auditions and meetings with Fine Arts faculty. The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts will begin its 2026–27 season in September, bringing professional performances and student productions to Pepperdine and Southern California audiences. A complete schedule is available on the Center for the Arts events page. 

Seaver College and the College of Health Science’s School of Nursing begin classes August 24. The incoming JD class at the Caruso School of Law begins on August 14. The School of Public Policy begins August 31, while Pepperdine Graziadio Business School programs begin in late August and many Graduate School of Education and Psychology programs begin September 8.

About Pepperdine University

Founded in 1937, Pepperdine University is an independent, Christian university located 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles in scenic Malibu, California. The University enrolls approximately 10,300 students across its flagship liberal arts school, Seaver College; the College of Health Science, and four graduate schools—the Caruso School of Law; the Graziadio Business School; the Graduate School of Education and Psychology; and the School of Public Policy. Pepperdine is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. Follow Pepperdine on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

 

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