Pepperdine vs National University (NU)

Pepperdine University and National University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students with diverse aspirations. Pepperdine, a private Christian university in Malibu, California, boasts a picturesque campus and a strong emphasis on faith-based education. National University, a private nonprofit university with multiple campuses in California and online programs, prides itself on its flexible learning options and career-focused curriculum. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	National University	Pepperdine University
Overview
Location	La Jolla, 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	Non Traditional	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	100.0%	93.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	54.5%	52.7%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1260 - 1440
ACT range	N/A	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score		19.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	154	11,855
Total number of admissions given out	84	6,249
Admitted students who chose to enroll	38	1,024
Yield rate	45.2%	16.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$36,459	$80,152
Average net price	$9,966	$40,945
Tuition	$13,320	$59,450
Room & board		$16,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $8,610	96.0% Average amount $36,967
Students receiving federal student loan		38.0% Average amount $5,171
Students taking out private loans		9.0% Average amount $12,899

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,648 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	9,487 Men 28.7% Women 71.3%	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	46.9%
International students	0.6%	8.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	2,579
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Psychology Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	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	46.7%	83.0%
Dropout rate	N/A	16.6%
Transferred out	43.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,452 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $97,514 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,429 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $94,326 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $85,563 Year 2: $84,367 Year 3: $90,127 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,898 Year 2: $83,505 Year 3: $87,794 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,729 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $82,008 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,709 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $81,966 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,545 Year 2: $75,989 Year 3: $77,049 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,576 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $76,724 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,716 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $74,055 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,949 Year 2: $65,657 Year 3: $73,109	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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