Pepperdine vs Mills College

Pepperdine University and Mills College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Pepperdine, a private Christian university in Malibu, California, boasts a low acceptance rate of 33%, while Mills, a private liberal arts college in Oakland, California, has a more accessible acceptance rate of 67%. Pepperdine's student body is predominantly White (56%) and female (58%), while Mills' student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of students identifying as Asian (29%) and Hispanic (20%). Both institutions offer a range of popular majors, with Pepperdine excelling in business, communication, and psychology, and Mills excelling in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. With graduation rates of 86% and 75% respectively, both universities provide students with the necessary support to achieve academic success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic
Mills College logo

Mills College

Pepperdine University logo

Pepperdine University

Overview

Location Oakland, California Malibu, California
Campus setting City: Large Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 62.0% 93.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation Churches of Christ

Admission

Acceptance rate 79.8% 52.7%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $50
Undergraduate: $65

Graduate: $65
SAT range 1378 - 1413 1260 - 1440
ACT range 30 - 31 25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score 5.0% 19.0%
Students submitting ACT score 5.0% 3.0%
Total number of applicants 847 11,855
Total number of admissions given out 676 6,249
Admitted students who chose to enroll 39 1,024
Yield rate 5.8% 16.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $51,108 $80,152
Average net price $25,283 $40,945
Tuition $29,340 $59,450
Room & board $14,369 $16,700
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $22,278
96.0%
Average amount $36,967
Students receiving federal student loan 47.0%
Average amount $5,389
38.0%
Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $29,740
9.0%
Average amount $12,899

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 446
Men 0.4% Women 99.6%
3,708
Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students 371
Men 18.3% Women 81.7%
6,738
Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A 46.9%
International students 1.1% 8.3%
Campus local/setting City: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 705 2,579
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Social Sciences
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Legal Profession
  • Education
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 13:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 64.0% 83.0%
Dropout rate 36.0% 16.6%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business/Managerial Economics (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,948
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $70,496
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,134
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $57,979
Education, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,320
  • Year 2: $56,579
  • Year 3: $56,033
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $49,646
  • Year 3: $52,756
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,658
  • Year 3: $23,920
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,216
  • Year 2: $24,808
  • Year 3: $23,861
Music (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $22,841
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,229
  • Year 2: $34,526
  • Year 3: N/A
Literature (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,533
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $100,699
  • Year 2: $92,733
  • Year 3: $106,087
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,518
  • Year 2: $74,576
  • Year 3: $93,293
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,829
  • Year 2: $96,691
  • Year 3: $91,701
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,898
  • Year 2: $71,015
  • Year 3: $90,146
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,350
  • Year 2: $62,508
  • Year 3: $75,589
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,825
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $71,546
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,559
  • Year 2: $57,770
  • Year 3: $70,082
International Business (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,228
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $65,821
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,799
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $58,854
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,780
  • Year 2: $46,156
  • Year 3: $56,663

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