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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Pepperdine University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/pepperdine-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/pepperdine-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/pepperdine-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/pepperdine-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/pepperdine-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Pepperdine University cost after financial aid?

Pepperdine University publishes a cost of attendance of $93,512, with tuition and fees at $69,918 and room and board at $21,750. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported sticker charges of $832 in required fees and $20,490 for on-campus food and housing.

After financial aid, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) — what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships — is $58,098, a savings of $35,414 against the sticker price. That average net price sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $30,727.

Azimuth ranks Pepperdine University #1,391 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. A high sticker price and a net price well above the peer median point the same way: affordability is the university's weakest pillar.

The average aid package covers about 38% of the published cost, leaving a substantial out-of-pocket figure even after grants and scholarships.

Affordability lands at the 2nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, the weakest of the four pillars. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients pay an average of $58,098, $30,727 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

For the lowest income band, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $50,560; for the highest, it is $65,081. Completers who borrowed hold a median of $23,510 in federal loans, $689 below the peer median. Price runs far above the peer median, yet debt sits slightly below it.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s — what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships — by family-income band: under $30,000: $50,560; $30,001–$48,000: $42,674; $48,001–$75,000: $51,063; $75,001–$110,000: $61,851; over $110,000: $65,081. Pell Grant recipients make up 20.2% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,521.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$50,560

**$30–48K**
$42,674

**$48–75K**
$51,063

**$75–110K**
$61,851

**$110K+**
$65,081

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$58,098**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The published cost of attendance is $93,512. After grants and scholarships, the average aid recipient pays $58,098, a reduction of $35,414.

Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The pattern across income bands is not a straight line.

The lowest-income band averages $50,560, while families earning $30,001 to $48,000 see a lower average of $42,674. The middle band averages $51,063, and the two highest bands average $61,851 and $65,081.

Pepperdine University’s published cost of attendance is $93,512, with tuition and fees of $69,918 and room and board at $21,750. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients actually pay—varies by family income.

For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $50,560; for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000), it is $51,063; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $65,081. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,521, which reflects how aid scales across the income spectrum.

Azimuth ranks Pepperdine University #1,391 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $35,414 against the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $58,098, which sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $30,727. While the sticker price is high, the aid structure brings costs down meaningfully for many families, though the net price remains above the peer median.

Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $23,510. About 91.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

That median debt is below the peer median of $24,199 by $689. For a graduate at the median four-year earnings, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $267 a month if repaid over ten years.

Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) hold a separate median of $41,309.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowing is widespread at Pepperdine University, where 91.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, yet the median federal student debt at completion sits below the peer median. Graduates who borrow carry a median federal student debt of $23,510.

That median is $689 below the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). For a separate population of parent borrowers, the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan is $41,309.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 6% of its 864 bachelor's graduates held private loans, with an average cumulative principal of $67,992 per private borrower. The federal debt figures and the private-loan average describe different populations and are not directly comparable.

Graduates of Pepperdine University earn about $8,170 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 79th percentile nationally. Four years after completion, the median earnings reach $84,459.

That is above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $16,209. This places the university in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios derived from the program mix show a typical earnings level of $84,459, with a downside scenario of $55,137 and an upside scenario of $95,850. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $23,510, which is below the peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $267 a month if repaid over ten years. Strong earnings that outpace both the model and peer medians, combined with a manageable median federal debt, point in the same direction for return on investment.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $41,309. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $267.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$41,309

**Estimated parent payment**
$525/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$23,510

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$41,309

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$267/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$525/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$792/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $84,459, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.2%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=pepperdine-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.