Quad

Head-to-head

Seattle
Pepperdine

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Seattle costs about $30.7K less per year on average than Pepperdine ($38,297 vs. $69,013, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Seattle's grants cover 48% of its full price on average, vs. 26% at Pepperdine

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Pepperdine graduates 9 pts more of its students than Seattle (84% vs. 75%)

    Graduation rate
  4. 4

    Pepperdine grads earn $7.7K more ten years out than Seattle's ($82,939 vs. $75,272)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Seattle is more diverse (index 0.79 vs. 0.74)

    Diversity index
  6. 6

    Seattle has 3 pts more Pell recipients than Pepperdine (24% vs. 20%)

    Pell Grant recipients

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

Pepperdine admits 67%, Seattle 77%; Seattle's yield is higher, at 14%.

Acceptance rate
Seattle77%
Pepperdine67%
Quad's selectivity
  • SeattleSelective
  • PepperdineSelective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Seattle
1200–1430
Pepperdine
1240–1410
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • SeattleGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • PepperdineRigor and GPA very important34%

Who's on each campus

Seattle is a bit larger than Pepperdine (4,062 vs. 3,553 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Seattle4.1K
Pepperdine3.6K
Pell Grant share
Seattle24%
Pepperdine20%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at Seattle, and Business Administration and Management at Pepperdine.

Students per faculty member
Seattle10 to 1
Pepperdine12 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • SeattleRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse22%
  • PepperdineBusiness Administration and Management, General17%

What each costs

Seattle costs about $30.7K less a year than Pepperdine on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Seattle$38.3K
Pepperdine$69K
Aid generosity
Seattle48%
Pepperdine26%

What each pays off

Pepperdine's former students earn more, a median $82.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 70% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Seattle$75.3K
Pepperdine$82.9K
Graduation rate
Seattle75%
Pepperdine84%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • SeattleGrowing+15%
  • 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

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Pepperdine University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;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