The college was first founded in downtown Los Angeles in 1937 by George Pepperdine, an auto parts supplier and affiliate of the Churches of Christ, who felt that in establishing his college, he might teach students the tenants of a Christian life.
The first graduating class had four students. In 1944, a master of arts in religion was added to the educational roster, with a class of 60 ministers-to-be. By the late 1940s, Pepperdine's schools had grown to today's size, with the college at more than 1,800 students.
In the late 1950s, Pepperdine established their international campuses, and in 1970, they broke ground on their main campus high on a hill in Malibu; Governor Ronald Reagan was on hand to dedicate the property.
The campus is a famous marker for many travelers on the Pacific Coast Highway, as it is both on the edge of the city of Los Angeles and because it sports a giant cross on its verdant front lawn.
Admissions for the fall of 2009 for all the schools included 6,900 applicants, and 3,200 accepted and enrolled, with 2,900 U.S. applicants, and 300 foreign.
U.S. applications to Pepperdine for 2009 included 50 percent from California, 12 percent from other parts of the western United States, 9 percent from Alaska and Hawaii, 11 percent from the southwest, 7 percent from the Midwest, 6 percent from the Northeast and 5 percent from the Southeast.
Pepperdine offers more than 150 majors and minors to choose from at both the college and graduate school levels. These include courses in religion, the sciences and social sciences, law, language and the arts and many majors specific to the Los Angeles-based entertainment industry, such as production design, screen writing and radio and television production.
In 1937, when Pepperdine first opened its doors, annual tuition with room and board for the college was $420, with non-boarding students paying $135. In 2010, Pepperdine's annual tuition costs are $37,730. Seventy-five percent of students are on financial aid.
Pepperdine prides itself on its diverse student body; they suggest they have a "Christian rationale for diversity," and they make diversity their goal. The ethnic make-up of the student body is 63.5 percent Caucasian, 10.7 percent Hispanic, 9.6 percent Asian, 7.6 percent African-American, 7.5 percent international, 7.1 percent undeclared and 1.5 percent Native American.
Pepperdine's endowment in 2010 is $853 million. It has 80,000 alumni worldwide.