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
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$102.1KHighest
Pepperdine$82.9K
Graduation rate
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute85%Highest
Pepperdine84%
Retention rate
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute91%Highest
Pepperdine88%
Borrowing
Median debt
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$23.8K
Pepperdine$23.5KLowest
Undergrads with a federal loan
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute51%
Pepperdine37%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$23.3K
Pepperdine$22KLowest
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute72%
Pepperdine76%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute85%
Pepperdine85%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute10%
Pepperdine10%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute78%
Pepperdine75%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute84%
Pepperdine78%
Pell graduation gap
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute6 pts lower
Pepperdine2 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Pepperdine |
|---|---|---|
| White | 86% | 86% |
| Asian | 88% | 82% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 83% | 81% |
| Black | 68% | 86% |
| Two or more races | 81% | 82% |
| International | 78% | 77% |
On-time progress, from the colleges' Common Data Sets
| Finished within | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Pepperdine |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 64% |
| 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 65% |
| 4 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 67% |
| 5 years: Pell recipients | Not published | 74% |
| 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | 77% |
| 5 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | 78% |
Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About 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