Pepperdine University: merit scholarships by GPA
Pepperdine University awards automatic merit aid from a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 3.6 GPA. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, a hundredth of a GPA point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and what the next band needs.
Read this first
The deciding GPA is unweighted and recalculated by Pepperdine, so a self-reported weighted figure will over-qualify a student. The $16,000 is a stated minimum — the award runs to $35,000 by Pepperdine's discretion and it publishes no thresholds inside that range. It applies to tuition only and cannot be held alongside the Regents award. An "Early Decision guaranteed at least $25,000" claim appears in search summaries and not in the page text, so it is not carried here.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
George Pepperdine Achievement Award
At least $16,000 a year, within a published range of $16,000 to $35,000
Pepperdine awards this on GPA alone, so an ACT score does not change it. A higher score can still matter for admission, for honours programmes, and at other schools on the list — but not for this award.
The ACT doesn't move the money here — but it still decides admission, honours eligibility, and what they is worth at the other schools on the list, where most awards are score-keyed.
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The published Pepperdine merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from Pepperdine University’s own pages for the current cycle. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
George Pepperdine Achievement Award
Automatic at a recalculated unweighted 3.60. Renewable up to four years, applied to tuition only, and the amount stays the same each year.
At least $16,000 a year, within a published range of $16,000 to $35,000
George Pepperdine Achievement Award
No score needed · GPA 3.60
| Award | With a score | No score | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Pepperdine Achievement Award | — | GPA 3.60 | At least $16,000 a year, within a published range of $16,000 to $35,000 |
Source: Scholarships · verified 2026-10-25
Does Pepperdine superscore for scholarships?
Yes. Pepperdine combines best sections across sittings but leaves the ACT science section out of the superscore — so a student optimising for Pepperdine can deprioritise one of the four sections.
“Pepperdine superscores the SAT, ACT, and CLT … ACT science section [is] not factored into superscores”
So the number that matters here is your superscore, not your best single test. Work out your superscore and look that score up in the grid above — it may sit a band higher than the one you have been planning around.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
Pepperdine scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Early decision I and early action | November 1 |
| Early decision II and regular decision | January 15 |
Scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive, and official reports sent to schools can take longer, so the last useful test date is several weeks before the printed deadline. Check which test dates still make it.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from Pepperdine University’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- A recalculated unweighted 3.60 guarantees at least $16,000 a year.
- Pepperdine strips the weighting and recomputes the GPA, so a weighted 3.8 on a transcript may land below the line.
- The $16,000 is a floor; the award runs to $35,000 with no published thresholds in between.
- No score is needed for this award, and a score is required for the Regents programme.
- Regents pays $40,000 to $45,000 to the top 8 to 10% of admits and cannot be held alongside this award.
- Pepperdine superscores but excludes the ACT science section from the superscore.
- The money is applied to tuition only.
- Renewal needs only a 2.0, gentle for an award this size.
- Christian Leadership and Special Achievement awards need a letter, audition or portfolio, so they are not bands here.
Check before you rely on it. Grids change by entry year and schools update them without notice. This page is a reproduction with a date on it, not a guarantee, and it is not financial aid advice. ClutchACT is not affiliated with Pepperdine University.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at Pepperdine?
Pepperdine University publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is Pepperdine test-optional?
Optional for admission and for this award — but required for the Regents programme. For merit aid the answer is different: a score does nothing for the Achievement Award, which Pepperdine says plainly. It is the entry ticket to Regents, at $40,000 to $45,000 for the top 8 to 10% of admits — the only award larger than this one. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
Does Pepperdine superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Yes. Pepperdine combines best sections across sittings but leaves the ACT science section out of the superscore — so a student optimising for Pepperdine can deprioritise one of the four sections. Pepperdine superscores the SAT, ACT, and CLT … ACT science section [is] not factored into superscores
When are Pepperdine scholarship deadlines?
Early decision I and early action: November 1. Early decision II and regular decision: January 15. The application and the official score report are both due by that date, and ACT scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive — so the last useful test date is several weeks earlier than the deadline suggests.
Is this Pepperdine scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from Pepperdine University's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-25. The sources are linked at the bottom of the page with that date. Grids change by entry year, so check the source before relying on a figure for a decision.
Other schools to check
What to do next
Pepperdine awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though Pepperdine is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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