Graduates of Pepperdine University earn median 4-year earnings of $84,459, placing Pepperdine University in the 87.6 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,873 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Pepperdine University in the 84.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Pepperdine University #134 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Pepperdine University's concentration in business and professional fields. Business Administration is the largest program with 218 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $91,227, performing at 1.3x the national benchmark for the field. The Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication program graduates 127 students earning $81,417, while Psychology, General with 77 graduates reaches $61,353. Kinesiology rounds out the top programs with 64 graduates earning $65,100. Business Administration emerges as the highest aggregate-return major, combining substantial enrollment with strong earnings outcomes that drive the institution's overall return profile.
Graduates of Pepperdine University earn median 4-year earnings of $84,459, placing Pepperdine University in the 87.6 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,873 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Pepperdine University in the 84.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Pepperdine University #134 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Pepperdine University's concentration in business and professional fields. Business Administration is the largest program with 218 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $91,227, performing at 1.3x the national benchmark for the field. The Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication program graduates 127 students earning $81,417, while Psychology, General with 77 graduates reaches $61,353. Kinesiology rounds out the top programs with 64 graduates earning $65,100. Business Administration emerges as the highest aggregate-return major, combining substantial enrollment with strong earnings outcomes that drive the institution's overall return profile.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Pepperdine University earn median 4-year earnings of $84,459, placing Pepperdine University in the 87.6 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,873 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Pepperdine University in the 84.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Pepperdine University #134 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Pepperdine University's concentration in business and professional fields. Business Administration is the largest program with 218 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $91,227, performing at 1.3x the national benchmark for the field. The Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication program graduates 127 students earning $81,417, while Psychology, General with 77 graduates reaches $61,353. Kinesiology rounds out the top programs with 64 graduates earning $65,100. Business Administration emerges as the highest aggregate-return major, combining substantial enrollment with strong earnings outcomes that drive the institution's overall return profile.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Pepperdine University's program mix is anchored in business and professional fields, reflecting the university's positioning as a private institution with strong employer connections in Southern California. Business Administration is the largest program with 218 graduates, followed by Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, Psychology, General, Kinesiology, and Biology, General. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 893 students annually, several deliver strong four-year earnings outcomes aligned with regional labor-market demand. The earnings pattern reflects concentration in applied professional fields. Economics leads with median earnings of $104,943 four years after enrollment, followed by International Business at $100,595, Business Administration at $91,227, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at $81,417, and Political Science at $75,954. This clustering in business, finance, and management-adjacent fields aligns with Pepperdine University's curriculum emphasis and the broader Southern California professional services market. The program portfolio reflects a high-mobility orientation, with most graduates entering the workforce directly in business, finance, and management roles rather than pursuing graduate study. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how these dominant program families align with regional and national labor-market demand in professional services and business sectors.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Pepperdine University earn median 4-year earnings of $84,459, placing Pepperdine University in the 87.6 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,873 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Pepperdine University in the 84.2 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Pepperdine University #134 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings pattern reflects Pepperdine University's concentration in business and professional fields. Business Administration is the largest program with 218 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $91,227, performing at 1.3x the national benchmark for the field. The Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication program graduates 127 students earning $81,417, while Psychology, General with 77 graduates reaches $61,353. Kinesiology rounds out the top programs with 64 graduates earning $65,100. Business Administration emerges as the highest aggregate-return major, combining substantial enrollment with strong earnings outcomes that drive the institution's overall return profile.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
