Frequently Asked Questions of New Students
How will I register for classes?
First-year students will be registered for their courses by an academic advisor. Students are able to make adjustments to their schedule, without fee or financial penalty, when the Add/Drop period opens. See the Academic Advising page for more information on how to meet with your academic advisor and to help answer your questions.
I'm a transfer student - How will I register for classes?
Transfer students will be contacted by their academic divisions to register for classes. For general questions about class registration, see the Academic Advising page.
What happens if I can't get my immunizations in time?
If you are unable to obtain the required immunizations prior to NSO you should still complete and upload your Health History form and the Immunization section by following the directives at https://seaver.pepperdine.edu/new-students/healthcenter/letter.htm by the deadline. Failure to comply with this deadline and all requirements will result in a registration hold on your account. The Health Center will be able to give you these immunizations on campus, but NSO is a very busy time so we urge you not to wait until then, if possible.
How often should I check my Pepperdine E-mail?
Frequently! The University will use this address to communicate with you about classes, deadlines and all official information. Also, if you want to communicate with us via e-mail, you should use your Pepperdine email as it is the only one we consider to be officially from you.
Is there a pre-enrollment reading/writing assignment?
Yes. Incoming freshmen with less than 30 A.P. or college transfer units should complete the First Year Seminar Voyage readings and writing assignment before arriving on campus for orientation (access the readings).
When can I check in for orientation?
International and domestic students will check in on Monday, January 4, 2024 between 8-10 AM.
Will guests be allowed in the residence halls?
Yes, guests will be allowed in the residence halls.
When does orientation end?
Spring Orientation ends Sunday, January 7, 2024. The parent and family member portion of NSO will end Friday, January 5, 2024 at 3 PM.
Which cell service works on campus?
The location and physical terrain of the Malibu campus present significant challenges for cellular service coverage. The university Information Technology group continues to work with cellular service providers to offer better coverage options to our campus community. Unfortunately, this negotiation process is slow due to regulatory and technical constraints. In addition, we have been challenged by some of the recent acquisitions in this market (current status of cellular coverage).
What do the residence halls look like?
New students are usually assigned to a suite-style residence hall. Each two-person bedroom is approximately 170 square feet and each suite (including four bedrooms) is approximately 1,014 square feet. For more information, please visit the Housing and Residence Life Suite-Style Hall page.
Why do you pre-assign students a course schedule rather than letting them choose their own courses for their first term?
We have created a schedule of courses for new freshmen for a variety of reasons.
Academic advisors have created schedules for each incoming student, and idea that most other students have an ideal schedule and you received the only difficult schedule is a myth. By pre-enrolling all students together, we have been able to provide all incoming students with "fair" schedules; no students are privileged with better schedules to the detriment of their peers.
- The schedule you receive utilizes the following information you have provided:
- AP scores and other transfer units
- Foreign language scores (so that we can place the student in the appropriate language class)
- Intended major
- Desire to go abroad
- For students involved in college athletics, we have also factored in practice times provided by the Athletics Office.
- By pre-enrolling you in the appropriate General Education and major courses, we can guarantee that any course taken during the first semester will satisfy either a GE requirement or a major requirement. The schedule you will receive has been reviewed by several people in Academic Advising and in the respective academic divisions.
- If we have created a schedule that is not viable based on misinformation or information we did not have, we will have a time period during NSO when incoming students can adjust their schedules.
- We only pre-select courses for students the first semester. In subsequent semesters all students will select courses for themselves. Numerous students have expressed their appreciation to us later when they discovered the challenges of creating their own schedule.
Do parents and guests have to pay the NSO fee if they are only moving their student into their residence hall on that first day of NSO?
No. Parents and guests only need to pay the $150 fee if they are planning to stay for the entire 2 day parent program in January for Spring NSO.