Pepperdine University is a small, private liberal arts University located in Malibu, California, thirty-five minutes west of Los Angeles. Highly selective, Pepperdine receives approximately 6,500 undergraduate applications for 650 fall spaces. The total student population is approximately 3,533 students, including ten percent international student from more than seventy-five countries. International students also benefit from having five full-time employees in the international student services office.

The average class size is 17 students, with a 12.5 to 1 student/teacher ratio. This low ratio allows students to benefit from individualized assistance through classroom instruction, meeting with teachers, and counselling.

Pepperdine University consists of five colleges and schools: Seaver College, the undergraduate liberal arts college, the School of Law, the Graduate School of Public Policy, the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, and the Graziadio School of Business and Management; all of which are affiliated with the Church of Christ. Students may choose from approximately 50 undergraduate majors under seven academic divisions. The three most popular majors are Business, Communication, and Natural science. These schools are all located on the 830-acre campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu.