by our College Data Analytics TeamAre students coming back to Pepperdine after their first year? Are Pepperdine students graduating in a timely manner? What happens to the students who don't graduate? Get all your questions answered here.
Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.
With 85% students making it past their freshmen year, Pepperdine has freshmen retention rates above the national average.
Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.
When looking at just colleges and universities in California, the average is 73.07%.
| Retention Rate | |
|---|---|
| Pepperdine | 85% |
| Nationwide | 70.57% |
| California | 73.07% |
How many of the estimated 806 students in the class of 2015 completed their degree within eight years?
77% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 83% in six years, and 84% in eight years.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student is considered to have graduated on time if they complete their degree within six years, making the official Pepperdine graduation rate 83%.
The average length of time it takes an Pepperdine undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.09 years.
| Completion Within | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 728 | 75% |
| Six Years | 806 | 83% |
| Eight Years | 5 | 1% |
| Did Not Complete | 159 | 16% |
Approximately 159 students or 16% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.
What happened to the 159 students who did not complete their degree?
1 are still enrolled.
124 transferred to another institution.
Pepperdine lost contact with the remaining 34 who we assumed dropped out.
| Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.6% |
| Transferred | 124 | 78.0% |
| Dropped Out | 34 | 21.4% |
| Race/Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| Asian | 88% |
| Black / African-American | 82% |
| Hawaiian | 100% |
| Hispanic | 92% |
| International | 78% |
| Multi-Ethnic | 93% |
| Unknown | 100% |
| White | 88% |
Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.
Traditional Students:
First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.
Non-Traditional Students:
Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.
The majority of students at Pepperdine are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.
Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.
First-time / full-time students at Pepperdine University represent 71% of the students in the class of 2015, and 72.46% of Pepperdine bachelor's degree graduations.
With a four-year graduation rate of 77%, first-time students in the Pepperdine class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.
After six years, the Pepperdine graduation rate was 85%, and by the eight year mark, 85% of the cohort had completed their degree.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.
| First-Time / Full-Time Completions | Pepperdine | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 77% | 37.92% |
| Six Years | 85% | 46.43% |
| Eight Years | 85% | 47.82% |
102 first-time / full-time students or 15% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
1 are still enrolled.
86 transferred to another institution.
Pepperdine lost contact with the remaining 15 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Full-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 1 | 0.98% |
| Transferred | 86 | 84.31% |
| Dropped Out | 15 | 14.71% |
Unfortunately, we don’t have access to data on Pepperdine first-time, part-time students.
162 Pepperdine students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 16.70% of the students in the class of 2015.
Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.
With a six year graduation rate of 81%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 81%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.
| Returning / Full-Time Completions | Pepperdine | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 49.57% |
| Six Years | 81% | 53.83% |
| Eight Years | 81% | 55.07% |
30 non first-time / part-time students or 19% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
24 transferred to another institution.
Pepperdine lost contact with the remaining 6 who we assumed dropped out.
| First-Time / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 24 | 80.00% |
| Dropped Out | 6 | 20.00% |
120 Pepperdine students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 12.37% of the students in the class of 2015.
With a six year graduation rate of 76%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.
After eight years, the graduation rate was 78%.
Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.
| Returning / Part-Time Completions | Pepperdine | Nationwide |
|---|---|---|
| Four Years | 0% | 30.46% |
| Six Years | 76% | 36.03% |
| Eight Years | 78% | 37.80% |
27 non first-time / part-time students or 22% did not complete their degree within eight years.
Of those who did not finish:
0 are still enrolled.
14 transferred to another institution.
Pepperdine lost contact with the remaining 13 who we assumed dropped out.
| Returning / Part-Time Non-Completions | Undergraduates | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Still Enrolled | 0 | 0.00% |
| Transferred | 14 | 51.85% |
| Dropped Out | 13 | 48.15% |
