Pepperdine University, School of Law Admission
Pepperdine University, School of Law Undergraduate Program
Pepperdine University, School of Law Application

The Facts

Pepperdine University is a rather small, private institution located in the town of Malibu, California, and is affiliated with the Roman Catholic church. The university has a combined graduate and undergraduate population of over 8,000 students, however, the university's School of Law is significantly smaller, and is home to about 720 graduate law students. The average age of enrollment is around 23, and it is fairly rare for any students to enter the school directly from their undergraduate education. The school is perhaps best known for its gorgeous campus, its ties within the Southern California legal and professional community, as well as for its unwavering emphasis on practical legal skills. The school offers degrees in the LLM in dispute resolution, the 3 year JD, as well as joint degrees in the 4 year JD/MBA, the 3 to 4 year JD/MDR, the 4 year JD/MPP< as well as the 5 year JD/MDiv. Some of the most popular programs of study include courses in the areas of commercial law, corporation securities law, dispute resolution, intellectual property law, international law, as well as taxation.

Admission to Pepperdine University's School of Law is quite competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 3,456 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 880 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 250 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average LSAT score ranging from 157 to 161, as well as an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.5. Students are notified of their admissions status on a rolling basis, and there is currently no early application program in place.

The school of law has 91 faculty members, all of whom come from very diverse legal and professional backgrounds. Students rave about their accessibility and approachability, saying that they are always there to help and give advice. The school has a rather manageable student to faculty ratio of about 19:1, and the small classes allow for plenty of interaction and discussion between students and their professors.

Employment Facts

Students at Pepperdine University's School of Law don't seem terrifically concerned about finding jobs after graduating; in fact, over 94% of the most recent graduating class were able to find jobs within a few months of graduating, and had an average starting salary of about $83,390. Students are most frequently hired by employers in the areas of business and industry, various governmental organizations, judicial clerkships, as well as various private practice law firms.

What's Good

"The faculty here is extremely dedicated to the school and to their students, which makes it a very supportive environment in which to learn."

"I really appreciate the emphasis the school places on experiential learning. We have plenty of opportunities to get our hands dirty, so to speak."

"The campus is gorgeous, and the setting is really peaceful, so you can get a lot of work done, it you want to, that is."

What's Bad

"There are some students who seem to think that they are still undergraduates. There is a lot of gossip that goes on here."

"The students get really competitive with one another, even when there is really no need to."

"The computers here need a lot of work. It's best just to get a lap top."

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