Cost & aid
What it costs
In 2023–24, the average first-year paid an estimated $69,013 in total (tuition, housing, food, books and other costs, after grants), $44.7K more than the national median. The 91% who received grants paid $66,585 on average; the other 9% paid the full sticker price of $93,512.
- Full price
- $93,512 a year
- tuition, housing, food, books, and other costs
- Need-based aid
- Little need-based aid above $110K
- aid thins out for families above that income
- Merit aid
- 41% · avg $17K
- of first-years got a grant without federal aid (a proxy: at most colleges that's merit aid)
Cost by family income
Per year for a typical family of four with one child in college. Up to $110K it is the average price federal aid recipients paid (2023–24).
Hover, tap, or use the arrow keys to read the price at an income.
- Published federal figures
- With an average merit award: $77K · proxy: 41% got one. A possibility, not a promise
View as a table
| Family income | Price per year |
|---|---|
| $0–30K | $51K a year |
| $30–48K | $43K a year |
| $48–75K | $51K a year |
| $75–110K | $62K a year |
| $150K | Published data end at $110K |
| $200K | Published data end at $110K |
| $250K | Published data end at $110K |
| $300K | Published data end at $110K |
| $350K | Published data end at $110K |
| $400K and above | Published data end at $110K |
At $150K: Published data end at $110K
Published data end at $110K; use the college's net price calculator for a number.
Your own number depends on the details below, so use the college's calculator for it.
What can change this
- Savings and investments above a typical amount raise the price. The curve assumes typical assets.
$69,013
Tuition, housing, food, books & other expenses, after grants · 2023–24
91% got grants averaging $26,927; 9% got none.
Who pays what
Share of first-year students, 2023–24.
Housing and food use the college's on-campus rates, so the estimate runs high where many students live at home. “Other expenses” is the college's estimate of personal and transportation costs. Loans aren't subtracted because they're repaid.
$95,692 before aid
Tuition, fees, and on-campus food and housing · up 6% from 2023–24.
Continuing students pay $98,462 in later years.
Show the full next-year estimate
- Tuition, fees, food & housing$95,692
- Books and supplies$1,000
- Transportation$1,000
- Other expenses$1,500
- Total for a student living on campus$99,192
$23.5K
≈ $249/month for 10 years
3.3 yrs
of median salary to cover 4 years of net price
About 1 in 3 undergrads borrows federally.
Everyone who borrowed and left, whether or not they graduated.
Three years into repayment
Where former undergraduates stand on their federal loans.
- Paid in full23%
- Paying it down29%
- Payments paused27%
- Not paying it down18%
- Behind or in default2–3%
- Forgiven or discharged0–1%
Some shares are published as a small range to protect privacy.
Who actually gets aid
Aid generosity
ModerateGrants cover 26% of the $93,512 full price on average across all first-years (moderate), more than at 16% of colleges.
$24,499 in grants per first-year ÷ $93,512 full price.
Who gets grants and scholarships
Full-time first-year students (732), 2023–24
About 1 in 11 first-year students got no grant aid and paid the full sticker price of $93,512.
Where the aid comes from
Share of first-year students receiving each; averages are per recipient.
Aid by family income
The whole first-year class (732)
- Federal aid + grants364avg grant $35.4K
- Grants, no federal aid302avg grant $16.7K
- No grants66pay full price
Students with grants but no federal aid usually got the college's own need-based aid (without federal loans or Pell) or merit aid.
By family income: only students who received federal aid (364 of 732), because income is only reported for them.
From Pepperdine University's Common Data Set
First-years and all full-time undergraduates, 2024–25.
| First-years | All full-time | |
|---|---|---|
| Have financial need | 54%456 students | 51%1,729 students |
| Need met, on average | 76% | 73% |
| Need fully met | 19% | 22% |
| Average aid package | $58,830 | $55,247 |
| Average need-based grant | $41,568 | $43,070 |
| Average need-based loan | $4,923 | $5,541 |
| Merit aid without need | – | 34%average $16,493 |
| Athletic scholarships | – | 202average $40,240 |
22% of the college's own grant dollars were awarded without regard to need.
Each college decides what a family needs, so “100% of need met” can mean different prices at different colleges. Merit awards that went toward a student's need count as need-based here.
Applying for aid
For fall 2026 entrants.
Priority date: February 15 · Deadline: April 1 · Aid offers: about April 1 · Reply by: May 1
Dates for fall 2026 entrants; the next cycle's are usually similar.
What the college's own scholarships consider
| Athletics | ✓ | ✓ |
|---|
A blank means the college didn't mark it, not that it never counts.
International students
Merit aid offered.
Sources:IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, 2023–24;College Scorecard, most recent release;Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2026–27;Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2024–25;Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2026 entrants;Pepperdine University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD), 2025–26;Common Data Set, most recent releaseAbout the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)