Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute costs about $28.1K less per year on average than Pepperdine ($40,877 vs. $69,013, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's grants cover 50% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at Pepperdine

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute grads earn $19.1K more ten years out than Pepperdine's ($102,051 vs. $82,939)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's SAT midpoint is 108 points higher than Pepperdine's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has 1.6× as many undergrads as Pepperdine

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    Pepperdine has 4 pts more first-gen students than Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (18% vs. 14%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute admits 63%, Pepperdine 67%; both have the same yield, 12%.

Acceptance rate
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute63%
Pepperdine67%
Quad's selectivity
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteVery selective
  • PepperdineSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
1375–1510
Pepperdine
1240–1410
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteGPA, school record, rank, and prep program required
  • PepperdineRigor and GPA very important34%

Who's on each campus

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has 1.6× as many undergrads as Pepperdine; both have the same Pell share, 20%.

Undergrads
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute5.7K
Pepperdine3.6K
Pell Grant share
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute20%
Pepperdine20%

Majors and faculty

Computer Science leads at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Business Administration and Management at Pepperdine.

Students per faculty member
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute14 to 1
Pepperdine12 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteComputer Science21%
  • PepperdineBusiness Administration and Management, General17%

What each costs

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute costs about $28.1K less a year than Pepperdine on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$40.9K
Pepperdine$69K
Aid generosity
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute50%
Pepperdine26%

What each pays off

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's former students earn more, a median $102.1K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$102.1K
Pepperdine$82.9K
Graduation rate
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute85%
Pepperdine84%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Pepperdine but held steady at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteSteady−8%
  • PepperdineGrowing+29%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why