University/Private Financial Assistance

George Pepperdine Achievement

The George Pepperdine Achievement Award is a merit scholarship awarded to students that qualify at the time of admission. This scholarship is awarded to students who display academic achievement and overall strength as an applicant. This scholarship is renewable for up to four years at Pepperdine, and the scholarship amount remains the same from year to year. Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and Satisfactory Academic Progress to continue receiving this scholarship each semester.

No additional application process is required for incoming first-year students to be considered for these merit scholarships.  Because merit scholarship funds are often exhausted in the fall semester, merit scholarships are limited for entering spring semester students. For those students who apply and qualify for need-based financial assistance, the merit scholarship will become part of the financial assistance package, coordinated with other awards. These scholarships can only apply to tuition charges, and they will be prorated if the student drops below full-time status (12-18 units).

For those who do not qualify for merit scholarships at the time of admission but display academic excellence while at Pepperdine, the university also offers a Faculty Staff Scholarship. Learn about our Faculty Staff Scholarship.

Pepperdine Grant

Pepperdine Grant funds are made available from University resources. This need-based grant is offered to students who qualify at the time of admission based on financial need (as demonstrated by the FAFSA). The Pepperdine Grant is awarded as a supplement to a student's financial assistance package.

This grant is offered upon the time of admission and is renewable for up to four years at Pepperdine. The grant remains the same in dollar amount from year to year. Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and Satisfactory Academic Progress to continue receiving this grant each semester. To be considered for this grant, incoming students must have a correct FAFSA submitted and sent to Pepperdine by the priority deadline of February 15 for fall admission or October 15 for spring admission. Besides the FAFSA, no additional application process is required for an incoming student to be considered for this grant . Once awarded, returning students with the Pepperdine Grant do not need to apply for the FAFSA each year for the grant to be renewed. This grant will be prorated if the student drops below full time status (12-18 units) during their time at Pepperdine. This award can only apply to tuition charges.

Other Institutional Grants and scholarships – Tyler Trust End Scholarship, Malibu Seaver Scholarship, Frank R. Seaver End Scholarship, and University Supplemental Grant.

These grants/scholarships are offered to students that qualify and are renewable for up to four years at Pepperdine. The grant/scholarship will remain the same in dollar amount from year to year as long as the student continues to qualify. Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative Pepperdine GPA, full-time enrollment, and Satisfactory Academic Progress to continue receiving this award each semester. This award will be prorated if the student drops below full-time status (12-18 units) during their time at Pepperdine. The grant/scholarship may only apply to tuition charges and is not refundable.

Regents Scholarship

Pepperdine University's Regents Scholars Program is incredibly competitive. Only the top 8%-10% of the admitted first-year class are selected to receive this award. Students are evaluated on their academic merit, which is measured by their unweighted, recalculated GPA and SAT/ACT scores. As admission to Pepperdine is already highly selective, scholarship recipients are exemplary students who have earned the highest combination of GPA and test scores in the incoming class. The two scholarships available in the program include:

• Regents Scholarship
• Blanche E. Seaver Scholarship 

Regents Scholars Program scholarships start at $20,000 a year and are renewable for as many as four years or eight semesters total. Regents Scholars and Blanche E. Seaver Scholars must maintain a 3.25 Pepperdine cumulative GPA, full-time status and may not be placed on academic probation while at Pepperdine.

Please Note: While Pepperdine is test optional, SAT/ACT scores are required in order to be considered for the Regents Scholars Program scholarships. You can visit the FAQ page for more information about our testing policy. 

Many of the departments at Pepperdine offer scholarships to students who demonstrate strong talent in the areas of athletics, music, art, theatre, debate, science, etc. For many divisional scholarships, the student must complete a certain number of units in their major and maintain a specific GPA in order to be eligible. If you are interested in applying for special achievement scholarship pertaining to your major, please contact the appropriate academic division regarding application requirements and deadlines.

Department	Phone
Athletics Department	310.506.4150
Business Department (Click here to email.)	310.506.4237
Communication/Journalism Department (Click here to email.)	310.506.4211
Fine Arts Department (Click here to email)	310.506.1111
Humanities and Teacher Education Department	310.506.4225
International Studies and Languages Department	310.506.7446
Natural Science Department	310.506.4321
Religion and Philosophy Department	310.506.4352
Social Science Department	310.506.4372
Pepperdine University General Number	310.506.4000

Pepperdine is committed to providing church-related scholarship assistance to students from the Church of Christ tradition. There are two Christian scholarship opportunities for applicants that demonstrate active participation in their home Church of Christ congregation.

 

1. Christian Leadership Award ($5,000)

STEP 1: Submit the general Pepperdine admission application by the November 1 deadline for Early Action or January 15 deadline for Regular Decision admission.

STEP 2: Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 15.

STEP 3: After you submit your application, you will receive access to the Pepperdine Application Portal, where you can request a Church of Christ recommendation. Your recommender will then receive an email with a link to fill out your recommendation.

 

2. Pepperdine Legacy Partners (PLP) Helen Young Scholarship ($5,000)

Formerly known as the Associated Women for Pepperdine (AWP) Scholarship

STEP 1: Complete the Christian Leadership Award application process (Steps 1-3 above).

STEP 2: Submit a recommendation from a Church of Christ leader (minister, youth minister, elder, or deacon) and the Helen Young Scholarship form by February 15. You can access the recommendation and scholarship form through the Pepperdine Application Portal. If you already submitted a Church of Christ recommendation for the Christian Leadership Award, then you do not need to submit an additional recommendation.

These awards are automatically renewed for the same dollar amount each year as long as the student continues to meet the Terms and Conditions of the PLP contract. Students must maintain a cumulative 2.5 Pepperdine GPA and Satisfactory Academic Progress for the award to be renewed. These awards can only apply to tuition charges.

Private scholarships, many of which are based on merit or special criteria, are an increasingly important source of funding for students. Pepperdine administers private scholarships which are called "restricted scholarships." Please see below for additional information. You may also research outside/private scholarship sources in scholarship books which can be found in most libraries, or refer to some suggested sites on our Outside/Private page. Outside/ Private scholarships must be coordinated with need-based awards according to established University policies. You may also research outside scholarships on the internet.

Pepperdine University has many restricted scholarship and loan programs which are administered by the Office of Student Financial Assistance. These funds are provided by private donors who strongly believe in the importance of assisting worthy students who demonstrate ability to benefit from the educational system offered by Pepperdine University. Recipients of these scholarships are selected on the basis of financial need and/or merit by the appropriate foundation or scholarship agency or by the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

Our scholarship platform will provide the General Application at https://pepperdine.academicworks.com. Follow the instructions below, if you wish to apply. Use your Wavenet credentials to sign into the system. You will be required to provide your First Name, Last Name, select "Yes" to confirm you are a Seaver Undergraduate student, and select "None of the above" for the Graduate Student question. Once you hit "submit," you will be provided a Seaver College - Scholarship Questionnaire. You are welcome to complete this application to be considered for other possible Pepperdine University Restricted Scholarships for which you might qualify. You will be notified if you are selected as a scholarship recipient.

This scholarship was established to benefit students with financial need who are pursuing a bachelor's degree at Seaver College. Preference will be given to students whose academic work or personal involvement has demonstrated a commitment to promoting the health (mental or physical) and wellness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community. Emphasis will be on the actual service, volunteerism, employment, and extracurricular activities.

Our scholarship platform will provide the General Application at https://pepperdine.academicworks.com. Follow the instructions below, if you wish to apply. Use your Wavenet credentials to sign into the system. You will be required to provide your First Name, Last Name, select "Yes" to confirm you are a Seaver Undergraduate student, and select "None of the above" for the Graduate Student question. Once you hit "submit," you will be provided a Seaver College General Application. You are welcome to complete this application to be considered for other possible Pepperdine University Restricted Scholarships for which you might qualify. You will be notified if you are selected as a scholarship recipient.

Pepperdine's Foster Youth Horizon Scholars Program supports current and former foster youth through dedicated professionals who offer services encouraging students to become self-supporting, role models, successful professionals, and conscious community leaders, while fulfilling their goals and dreams in higher education.