Overview

Applicants
2,704
Acceptance Rate
46%
Median Undergrad GPA
3.59
Accepted Applicants Who Attend
227

Test Scores

LSAT
25th-75th percentile
(enrolled students)
153 - 162

Deadlines

Application Deadlines
April 1

Application Process

Rolling Admissions
Yes

CAS Service Used
Yes

Applicants accepted in terms other than fall
No

Transfer Applicants Accepted
Yes

Deferred Admission
No

Other Admission Factors

Academic

LSAT Score
Undergraduate GPA

Selectivity Rating

Faculty Information

Student/Faculty
13:1
Total Faculty
99

28
Female
12
Underrepresented Minorities


Students Say

It’s hard not to lead with the most obvious benefit of choosing Pepperdine for law school: “the panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island as you enter just about make law school tolerable.” Pepperdine’s law campus is in fact located in stunning Malibu, CA, just outside Los Angeles, but to emphasize the beauty of its location would “wrongly connote a culture that may lack rigor or seriousness.” Indeed, among Pepperdine’s legal strengths are “top-notch dispute resolution curricula, wide variety of faculty from myriad professional and ideological backgrounds, and its top-tier student body.” “The administration is currently in the process of evolving to update themselves with modern times and beliefs,” and students see its recent changes as mostly positive ones that are “not yet complete” but “moving at a promising rate:” “Our new dean is spectacular, and will continue to improve our law school in any way needed.” “Dean Tacha could not be more optimistic, outgoing, or encouraging if she tried.” Though Pepperdine is historically, and still, a Christian university, they recently instituted an LGBT student group, and students say Pepperdine’s “is a growing community of diversity.” Despite the fact that “technology has been updated recently,” many students do echo the need for further updates: the “WiFi speed” is “miserable,” and “the interior of the Law Building looks as though it was plucked straight out of 1985.” More importantly, a lot of students feel some lack in the school’s career services, saying Pepperdine “could use heavy improvement in its career development office,” but there’s a “large alumni base in Los Angeles,” where there’s also an abundance of legal jobs.
Professors, for the most part, receive high marks from students: they’re “absolutely excellent,” “have a genuine open-door policy,” and “have been nothing less than completely exceptional.” “They truly invest in and care about the students and it makes law school much less stressful.” A few voices dissent with this characterization, noting the prevalence of “very wealthy, conservative men, which makes expressing your (differing) opinions difficult.” In spite of that, “I haven’t met one professor who didn’t seem completely passionate about both teaching law and encouraging every student to succeed.” Beyond Malibu, “the overseas study opportunities are numerous and very well run,” and students praise Pepperdine’s program in “dispute resolution,” noting that “classes through the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution…fill up quickly.”

Career overview

Pass Rate for First-Time Bar Exam
78%
% of graduates who are employed within ten months of graduation
79%

Career Services

On campus summer employment recruitment for first year JD students
Yes

On campus summer employment recruitment for second year JD students
Yes

# of Employers that Recruit on Campus Each Year
250

Employers who most frequently hire graduates
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Haur & Feld; Best, Best & Krieger; Brayton Purcell; Bremer, Whyte, Brown & O’Meara; Bryan Cave; Chapman, Glucksman, Dean, Roeb & Barger; Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles; Collins, Collins, Muir & Stewart; Deloitte; District Attorneys’ Offices (Various Locations); Federal Bankruptcy Court Judges (various locations); Federal District Court Judges (various locations); Federal Court of Appeals Judges (various locations); Fisher & Phillips; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Greenberg Traurig; Gresham, Savage, Nolan & Tilden; Hanger, Steinberg, Shapiro & Ash; Hosp, Gilbert, Bergsten & Hough; JML Law; Jones Day; K&L Gates; Keesal, Young & Logan; Latham & Watkins; Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith; Littler Mendelson; Milstein Adelman; Northrup Schlueter; Internal Revenue Service – Office of Chief Counsel; Public Defenders’ Offices; Schuler & Brown; State Court Judges (various locations); The Amin Law Group; United States Air Force, Army, Marine, and Navy JAG Corps; United States Department of Justice; Vanderford & Ruiz; William Morris Endeavor; White & Case; Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman; WTAS

Graduates Employed by Area

14%
Business/Industry
9%
Government
8%
Judicial Clerkships
8%
Academic
2%
Public Interes

Prominent Alumni

Beverly Reid O'Connell
U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California

Jennie Dorsey
U.S. District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Neveda

André Birotte Jr.
U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California

James M. Rishwain, Jr.
Firm Chair of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Jeffrey S. Boyd
Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas

Dates

Financial Aid Rating
Apr 1

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Annual Total Aid Package Awarded
$64,400

% Students Receiving Some Aid
88%

Expenses per Academic Year

Estimated On-Campus Room and Board
$17,230
Estimated Off-Campus Room and Board
$17,230
Estimated Cost for Books / Academic Expense
$1,200

Student Body Profile

Total Enrollment
605
Parent Institution Enrollement
3,370

Number of Foreign Countries Represented
4
Average Age at Entry
24

% Out-of-State
45%
% International
2%

Demographics

28.00%
% Under-represented Minorities

100% are full time
0% are part time
50% female
50% male

Campus Life

Students Say

It’s hard not to love your time at Pepperdine when the “campus is set in an absolutely beautiful location,” and students appreciate their “Wonderful peers as a result of such a warm environment.” While “the competition is extremely high,” “The student body is generally very warm.” The staff also “promotes both personal and intellectual growth:” “The leadership and location are unmatched. Pepperdine’s School of Law has been an extremely welcoming environment.”
As a Christian university, Pepperdine leans right and could, according to some, be “more open to diversity in viewpoints,” but “in my three years at Pepperdine I have never once felt out of place as a non-religious, liberal Democrat.” Even if higher-ups tend in conservative directions, “there are plenty of conservatives and liberals alike among the students,” which creates a vibrant culture of discussion. “Because most students who choose Pepperdine share its religious values, it can create a dividing line among students. That being said, the faculty, staff, and students are all very welcoming and kind to every single student at Pepperdine regardless of their religious and political affiliations.” Pepperdine is also “second to none among law schools in America today” in its commitment to making its law education available to veterans: “From being one of three top tier law schools in the country to offer full Yellow Ribbon support, housing allowance based on the Malibu Beach zip code, to dinner at the Dean’s house on Veteran’s Day, this law school truly strives to serve those who have served their country.”

More Information

% of Classrooms with Internet Access
100%

Admissions Office Contact

Contact
Shannon Phillips
Assistant Dean

Address
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA 90263

Phone
310-506-4631

Email
lawadmis@pepperdine.edu