Key differences on Outcomes
- 1
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute grads earn $19.1K more ten years out than Pepperdine's ($102,051 vs. $82,939)
Median earnings, 10 yrs - 2
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduates 1 pts more of its students than Pepperdine (85% vs. 84%)
Graduation rate
Outcomes
Outcomes
Earnings and finishing
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Pepperdine$82.9K
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$102.1KHighest
Graduation rate
Pepperdine84%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute85%Highest
Retention rate
Pepperdine88%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute91%Highest
Borrowing
Median debt
Pepperdine$23.5KLowest
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$23.8K
Undergrads with a federal loan
Pepperdine37%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute51%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Pepperdine$22KLowest
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$23.3K
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Pepperdine76%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute72%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Pepperdine85%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute85%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Pepperdine10%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute10%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Pepperdine75%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute78%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Pepperdine78%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute84%
Pell graduation gap
Pepperdine2 pts lower
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute6 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Pepperdine | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
|---|---|---|
| White | 86% | 86% |
| Asian | 82% | 88% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 81% | 83% |
| Black | 86% | 68% |
| Two or more races | 82% | 81% |
| International | 77% | 78% |
On-time progress, from the colleges' Common Data Sets
| Finished within | Pepperdine | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years: Pell recipients | 64% | Not published |
| 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | 65% | Not published |
| 4 years: all first-time full-time | 67% | Not published |
| 5 years: Pell recipients | 74% | Not published |
| 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | 77% | Not published |
| 5 years: all first-time full-time | 78% | Not published |
Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)
Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why