COVID-19 Information Hub for Admission

We do not anticipate any significant changes to our application process due to COVID-19 at this time, please see this link to learn more about our requirements. We are continuing to closely monitor the testing (SAT and ACT) options made available to students.

It is important for you to know that we have a holistic admission process and our decisions are based on a variety of criteria. While academic achievement is weighed heavily, the Admission Committee will take into consideration outside factors such as COVID-19 so we would encourage you to share as much information as you feel comfortable in your application.

We are continuing to closely monitor the testing (SAT and ACT) options made available to students. At this time, Pepperdine will still require all applicants to submit standardized test scores for the Fall 2021 semester. We will be accepting self-reported scores with your application rather than requiring them to be sent directly from the testing agency.

Please note that testing agencies are working to reschedule all standardized testing dates as soon as it is safe to do so.

If you are an International Student or a U.S. Citizen living abroad, please visit the Office of International Student Services webpage for further information.

We do not anticipate any changes to our application process due to COVID-19 as we do not have course requirements for first-year or transfer students. It is important for you to know that we have a holistic admission process and our decisions are based on a variety of criteria. While academic achievement is weighed heavily, the Admission Committee also strongly considers a variety of other factors such as leadership, service, and character as demonstrated in the application.

Credit/no credit or pass/fail courses will be accepted as transferable courses. These courses would be evaluated for transferable credit by the Office of the Registrar, should you be admitted to Pepperdine.

Unfortunately, our office will be unable to determine prior to a student's acceptance whether a course taken at a junior college, community college, or 4-year college will transfer into Pepperdine. Once a student is admitted, their coursework will be evaluated for credit transfer by the Office of the Registrar; you will receive this information before the enrollment confirmation deadline so you can include it in your decision process. Exceptions can be found in the articulation agreements Pepperdine has formed with several schools in the area. Please visit this website for further information. You may transfer no more than 64 units.

Students attending schools that do not have articulation agreements formed with Pepperdine should reference Pepperdine's General Education Requirements and the descriptions of the classes found in the Course Catalog. General education courses that appear comparable to those offered at Pepperdine have the best chance of being awarded credit.

For further information regarding transfer requirements, please visit our prospective students website.

It is important for you to know that we have a holistic admission process and our decisions are based on a variety of criteria. While academic achievement is weighed heavily, the Admission Committee will take into consideration outside factors such as COVID-19 so we would encourage you to share as much information as you feel comfortable in your application.

Pepperdine has been closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 both domestically and internationally. All campus visits have been canceled and our campus is closed to all visitors until further notice. The health and safety of our visitors and the Pepperdine community is our highest priority. You can find more information about how Pepperdine is responding to this situation on our COVID-19 Planning and Preparedness website.

The Office of Admission will begin conducting campus tours as soon as it is safe to do so, based on instruction from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to explore our virtual tour of campus via YouVisit, which provides tours of both the main campus and our residence halls.

We want to stay connected with you during these times! Please visit our Virtual Experience website to take advantage of our numerous virtual offerings, including a virtual student-led tour, a one-on-one appointment with an Admission Counselor, and a phone call with a current Pepperdine student.

We encourage you to picture yourself at Pepperdine through these online resources:  

• For an in-depth look into the experiences of our students, check out Rising Tide, a docuseries following five students as they navigate their college experience at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Started in the fall of 2015, Rising Tide has run for four seasons and concludes with the cast's graduation in April 2019.
• Watch Seaver Stories documentary short films that showcase the unique, transformative Seaver College experience from the eyes of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and more.
• Check out topical videos that highlight the Seaver College student experience including academics, spiritual life and service, student life, international programs, outcomes, and a peek into the men's and women's residence halls.
• Read Seaver Blog posts from the unique perspective of current college students, faculty, and administration on topics ranging from admission tips to where to dine on campus.
• Check out Seaver Voices to hear what our students have to say about the Pepperdine University community, studying abroad, service projects, spiritual development, student life, academics, faculty mentorship, and more!
• Download a copy of our digital viewbook so that you can learn more about Pepperdine and the things that interest you most.
• Explore our eight academic divisions and major and minor offerings online.

As outlined on our enrollment website, offers of admission are term-specific and cannot be applied to a future term. Pepperdine University does not have a policy allowing students to defer the term of their enrollment. If you would like to be considered for a future term, please visit our website to learn more about the reapplication process. Please note that reapplying does not guarantee admission for a future term.

Pepperdine has been closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 both domestically and internationally. All campus visits have been canceled and our campus is closed to all visitors until further notice. The health and safety of our visitors and the Pepperdine community is our highest priority. You can find more information about how Pepperdine is responding to this situation on our COVID-19 Planning and Preparedness website.

The Office of Admission will begin conducting campus tours as soon as it is safe to do so, based on instruction from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to explore our virtual tour of campus via YouVisit, which provides tours of both the main campus and our residence halls.

We want to stay connected with you during these times! Please visit our Virtual Experience website to take advantage of our numerous virtual offerings, including a virtual student-led tour, a one-on-one appointment with an Admission Counselor, and a phone call with a current Pepperdine student.

We encourage you to picture yourself at Pepperdine through these online resources:  

• For an in-depth look into the experiences of our students, check out Rising Tide, a docuseries following five students as they navigate their college experience at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Started in the fall of 2015, Rising Tide has run for four seasons and concludes with the cast's graduation in April 2019.
• Watch Seaver Stories documentary short films that showcase the unique, transformative Seaver College experience from the eyes of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and more.
• Check out topical videos that highlight the Seaver College student experience including academics, spiritual life and service, student life, international programs, outcomes, and a peek into the men's and women's residence halls.
• Read Seaver Blog posts from the unique perspective of current college students, faculty, and administration on topics ranging from admission tips to where to dine on campus.
• Check out Seaver Voices to hear what our students have to say about the Pepperdine University community, studying abroad, service projects, spiritual development, student life, academics, faculty mentorship, and more!
• Download a copy of our digital viewbook so that you can learn more about Pepperdine and the things that interest you most.
• Explore our eight academic divisions and major and minor offerings online.

After careful consideration, the college plans to resume in-person instruction and begin the academic year earlier than originally planned. The fall semester will begin on August 17, 2020, and end November 24, 2020, before the Thanksgiving holiday.

The fall calendar we have implemented will allow for 15 weeks of instruction, and completing the semester prior to Thanksgiving will reduce student travel for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Presently, we are tentatively planning for the 2021 spring semester to begin February 8, 2021, and end May 27, 2021. Under this scenario, the commencement date would be May 29. This calendar would allow for students to be away from campus between late November and early February during the height of the cold and flu season and when a second COVID-19 wave is most probable, should it occur. As the fall semester approaches, we will continue to update you as we move toward finalizing the details for the spring 2021 semester and our plans for the 2021 summer sessions.

This plan reaffirms Seaver College's deep commitment to providing each student a distinctive and exceptional educational experience regardless of the method of course delivery. At the same time, we know that students strongly desire the unique educational environment provided by our Malibu and international program campuses. We understand the benefits of our amazing location, world-class facilities, impressive learning environments, and co-curricular programs and strive to deliver them to you.

More information on safety measures, including testing and tracing plans, can be found in the Pepperdine Restoration Plan. The updated 2020–2021 academic calendar will be available on the Seaver College academic calendar website.