Application Basics

• Start your program-specific application and submit the nonrefundable application fee:
  
  
  • Online Bachelor of Science in Management: $60
  • All other programs: $160
• Please use one email throughout the application process.
• International applicants: @163.com and @126.com addresses often have difficulty receiving Pepperdine emails. The International Student Data (ISD) form and financial support documents are not required at the time of application.

Within 3-5 business days of submitting your application, a system generated email from donotreply@pepperdine.edu will be sent to the email address listed on your application. The email will provide instructions to create your WaveNet student portal username and password credentials. These credentials will give you access to the Applicant Center to check the status of your application, including a To Do List with required materials needed to complete your application. Students admitted to Pepperdine Graziadio Business School will also be able to access an intent form, pay enrollment deposit/fee, access Financial Aid, and much more.

Tips: Create a password you will remember. Also, keep your username and password in a safe, accessible place as you will use it several times throughout the application cycle.

Applicants are required to provide an essay/personal statement with submission of their online application. A copy of the topic/prompt is below.

Essay/Personal Statement Prompt - At the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, one of our goals is to advance responsible business practice through education that is entrepreneurial in spirit, ethical in focus, & global in orientation. Describe how your past & future professional endeavors align with this goal. In your response, be sure to discuss your career goals for the next 3-5 years and how a degree from Pepperdine Graziadio will help you attain them. Format - double-spaced. Max Length - one page.

Special Circumstances
Applicants are encouraged to submit an ‘Optional Essay' to provide additional information to the Admission Committee regarding special circumstances that impacted your academic performance, test performance, and/or share information regarding gaps in your work experience.

A current resume is required at time of application submission for all programs. For questions about your resume, please contact one of our recruitment advisors.

Tips: A resume is required for all applicants. Here are some tips to stand out - Be sure it's an updated resume. Check for accuracy of dates. Ensure internships, professional work experience, volunteer involvement are clearly labeled. Include your involvement in college, professional, community organizations. Include awards, presentations, special papers, etc. Don’t forget to spell check.

Some of our programs require a minimum amount of work experience to qualify for admission. Please review the admission requirements for your specific program to see if your experience qualifies.

• Official transcripts from all regionally accredited colleges or universities you've previously attended are required. These transcripts include (but are not limited to) transcripts from transfer institutions, college courses completed post bachelor degree (where credit was awarded), Study Abroad and college courses taken while in high school.
• The official transcript(s) must be in English and issued electronically by the Registrar's secured transcript provider (preferred). Electronic transcripts should be sent to the Admission Office at pgbs.admission@pepperdine.edu. If entering a recipient's email address is not an option, specify Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.
  
  
  • Transcript Provider Instructions
    
    

    • Parchment: Select Pepperdine University – Graziadio Business School

    • National Student Clearinghouse: Student must provide delivery information
      • For electronic transcripts (preferred) - Enter Recipient Email Address: pgbs.admission@pepperdine.edu
      • For snail mail - Enter Recipient Address (see address below)

• If electronic transcripts are not available, an official transcript from the Registrar in a sealed envelope can be mailed to:

  Graziadio School Admission Office
  Pepperdine University
  6100 CENTER DRIVE FL 4
  LOS ANGELES, CA 90045-9206

• International Students: see the International Students webpage for translated, evaluated transcript information.
  
  For more information about Transcripts, visit the Transcripts FAQ at the end the page.

A recommendation form/letter is required by some programs. Review the admission requirements for your specific program. When completing the BusinessCAS application, students will be prompted to enter recommender details. The recommendation form will be emailed to the recommender. The recommendation form/letter should be completed by a direct supervisor or peer who can speak to your leadership, performance, and potential contributions to a business program.

A GMAT or GRE test is optional for our graduate programs. Tests taken within the last five years are valid. Official score reports are accepted electronically directly from the test provider (preferred) or in a sealed envelope directly from the test provider. 

Use the following codes for score reporting:
GMAT: Select Pepperdine University and the applicable program
GRE: 5996

Submit test scores if:

• You would like to strengthen your application for admission
• You would like to enhance your application for scholarship consideration

Applicants who earned their undergraduate/graduate degree(s) in a language other than English must submit one of the following to fulfill the English proficiency requirement:

• Academic transcript from an accredited U.S. college/university, reflecting a grade of "C" or better in a college-level English Composition course. ESL and remedial English courses are not accepted.

• Test scores taken within the past two years from one of the following providers:
  Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Use score reporting code 7485; TOEFL iBT is the only TOEFL exam accepted. TOEFL Essentials is not accepted. 
  
  
  International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - select Pepperdine University (Malibu) to send scores. 
  Pearson Test of English (PTE) -  select Pepperdine University (Malibu) to send scores

• International Students - see the International Students webpage for admission requirements.

Depending on the your program of interest, interviews may be required with the academic director, regional director, or faculty member. Review the admission requirements for your specific program.

Prospective students have the opportunity to apply for more than one program in a single term. An application fee is required for each application submitted. Prospective students are encouraged to learn more about our programs and speak with a recruitment advisor prior to submitting multiple applications.

If admitted to multiple programs, the admitted student may only submit an Intent to Enroll and enrollment deposit or fee for one program. Students may only be matriculated to one program at a time, unless participating in an approved joint University program.

To withdraw an application prior to an admission decision, applicants must request in writing, via email to PGBS.Admission@pepperdine.edu. The email should contain the student’s full name and CWID #.

If the applicant is interested in being considered for a future term and has not received an admission decision, a written request to change the application term is required. The email should be sent to PGBS.Admission@pepperdine.edu and include the student’s full name and CWID #.

The Admission Office maintains applicant records for 2 years. An applicant that did not enroll, may request to ‘reactivate' their application and does not need to submit a new application. The prospective student must send an email with a current resume to PGBS.Admission@pepperdine.edu. The prospective student must also indicate if he/she attended another college or university within the 2 years. A copy of the transcript(s) must be provided to the Admission Office.

If the student's application file is incomplete, the student will be notified by the Admission Office and will have access to their To Do List in WaveNet student portal. If the application file is complete, it will be forwarded to the admission committee for review. Once the 2 years have elapsed, the student must submit a new application and pay the application fee.

Veterans who seek admission are required to meet the regular admission requirements but also should contact the Office of the Registrar on the Malibu campus. This should be done as early as possible to expedite handling of applicants' VA forms and counseling. Many of Pepperdine University's programs are approved for veterans' benefits; however, because assignment and distribution of funds are controlled by the federal Veterans Administration office rather than by the University, Pepperdine University cannot assure that a student will receive veterans' benefits. Veterans must be admitted to the University before receiving benefits. Admitted Veterans are advised to consult the “Academic Policies” section of this Graziadio Business School catalog under “Information for Veterans”.

Denied students who wish to be reconsidered for the same program, in the same term, must submit a written request accompanied with new academic information. New academic information consists of updated test scores or updated course grades that were not available at the time of application review.

The written request and new academic information must be emailed to PGBS.Admission@pepperdine.edu by the final deadline specified for the same program in the same term. The email subject line should include the following: Appeal Request - Student Full Name - CWID #.

Students will receive acknowledgement of the appeal request and be notified of the appeal decision within 14 business days of the acknowledgement date.

All documents submitted to the Graziadio Business School Admission Office become the property of Pepperdine University. Documents will not be returned or duplicated for any purpose.

How to Transfer into the BS in Management Program

• An equivalent of two years of lower-division coursework is required: 60 lower level semester units at a regionally accredited college or university, including a minimum of 30 general education units at a regionally accredited college or university.
• An Associates of Arts/Science degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 from a regionally accredited college or university is required and English Composition and Math (College Algebra or higher).
• College-Level Examination Program (CLEP): A maximum of thirty‐two (32) units of CLEP credit will be accepted toward admission and graduation. Sixteen (16) units of CLEP credit taken will be accepted towards general education requirements, and sixteen (16) units of CLEP credit taken will be accepted towards elective requirements.

Note for international students: The Bachelor of Science in Management program is a part-time program. As such, Pepperdine University cannot sponsor visas for students interested in pursuing this degree.

Lower Division Requirements

English Composition: 3 Semester Units
BSM students must complete a course in English composition with a grade of "C" or better.

Mathematics: 3 Semester Units
BSM students may meet this requirement by taking a college-level mathematics course with a grade of "C" or better. Examples of mathematics subjects include college algebra, geometry, trigonometry, or calculus.

Social Science: 6 Semester Units
Courses in subject areas such as economics, history, political science, psychology, or sociology with a grade of "C" or better fulfill this requirement. Lower-division courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics are strongly recommended as preparation for the Online Bachelor of Science in Management program.

Humanities and/or Fine Arts: 6 Semester Units
Courses in subject areas such as art, music, speech, English, religion, foreign language, or history with a grade of "C" or better fulfill this Pepperdine Online BSM requirement.

Natural Science: 3 Semester Units
A course in a subject area such as natural science, physical science, or life science with a grade of "C" or better fulfills this requirement.

Additional General Education Courses: 9 Units Minimum
Four units of physical education and up to 15 units of computer science with a grade of "C" or better may be applied toward this requirement.

Electives: 30 Semester Units
To complete the minimum of 120 units required for the bachelor of business degree, students may choose elective courses from any area of study from an accredited college or university. Courses taken at other colleges and universities by a student already enrolled at Pepperdine University must be approved in advance by the registrar if they are to be applied toward a degree from Pepperdine.

Learn about our transfer admission guarantee. 

The Executive Doctor of Business Administration program is designed for seasoned, top-tier executives looking to cultivate new ideas and solve complex business problems through rigorous, applied research. In order to create a strong program cohort of qualified individuals, candidates will be evaluated by a two-phase process. 

Part-Time MBA Pathway Program or the Online MBA Pathway Programs

Candidates must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply for the Part-Time MBA Pathway Program or the Online MBA Pathway Program: 

Eligibility Requirements:

1. Graduated from the Graziadio School BSM Program within five years of intended start term

   -OR-

   Current BSM student with a minimum of 40 units completed in the program

2. Attained a minimum Program grade point average of 3.0 upon completion of the BSM degree

3. Minimum of two years of professional work experience

MS-to-MBA Pathway Program

Candidates must meet the following criteria to be eligible to apply to the MS-to-MBA Pathway Program

Eligibility Requirement:

1. Graduated from the Graziadio School Master of Science Program

Supplemental Application Information:

• Minimum of two years of professional work experience preferred
• International Applicants - Score of 95 or higher on the TOEFL or an overall band score of 6 or higher on IELTS