US News & World Report Best Colleges | 2020 Rankings for Pepperdine University

Source: US News & World Report, Best Colleges 2020 2

I. Pepperdine ranked 50th among the 2020 Best Colleges (National Universities) in the US

Pepperdine ranked 50th (out of 399 National Universities) in the 2020 edition of the US News & World Report (USN&WR) Best Colleges. This rank was higher than Pepperdine’s average rank over the past 20 years (M = 52nd), but lower than Pepperdine’s rank for the past two academic years (46th).

Figure 1. Pepperdine’s USN&WR rankings (2001-2020)

Mean = 52

Median = 53

Mode = 54

Standard deviation = 4

Lowest rank = 58

Highest rank = 46

46

58

Source: US News & World Report, Best Colleges 2020 3

2016-18 2019 2020 Outcomesa 30.0% 35.0% 35.0%

Graduation and retention (22.5%) (22%) (22%) Average 6-yr graduation rate (past four years) {18%} {17.6%} {17.6%} Average first-year retention rate (past four years) {4.5%} {4.4%} {4.4%}

Graduation rate performance (actual-predicted) (7.5%) (8%) (8.0%) Social mobilityb - (5%) (5%)

Actual 6-yr Pell Grant graduation rate - - {2.5%} Pell Grant graduation rate performance - - {2.5%}

Expert opinionc 22.5% 20.0% 20.0% Peer assessment (15%) (15%) (20%) High school counselor assessmentd (7.5%) (5%) -

Faculty resources 20.0% 20.0% 20.0% Class size (8%) (8%) (8%)

Classes with fewer than 20 students {6%} {6%} {6.0%} Classes with 20 to 49 students {2%} {2%} {2.0%}

Faculty salary (7%) (7%) (7%) Proportion of faculty with highest degree in field (3%) (3%) (3.0%) Student-faculty ratio (1%) (1%) (1.0%) Proportion of faculty who are full-time (1%) (1%) (1.0%)

Student excellencee 12.5% 10.0% 10.0% Standardized test (8.1%) (7.75%) (7.75%) High school class standing (3.1%) (2.25%) (2.25%) Acceptance ratef (1.3%) - -

Financial resources 10.0% 10.0% 10.0% Alumni giving 5.0% 5.0% 5.0%

aAlso known as “graduation

and retention rank.” bNew indicator as of 2019.

Refers to a school's success

at promoting social mobility

by graduating students who

receive federal Pell Grants. cPreviously known as

“assessment of excellence.” dIndicator removed in 2020. ePreviously known as

“student selectivity rank.” fIndicator removed in 2019.

Percentages in parenthesis

refer to the sub-indicator

percentage points that

comprise the respective

weight. For more information

on rankings and methodology,

see the USN&WR Methodology

Report.

USN&WR Edition Indicators and sub-indicators Weights 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Changes USN&WR OVERALL RANK - 52 50 46 46 50 Declined Outcomes rank 35.0% 54 55 49 37 41 Declined

Average first-year retention rate (past four years) (4.4%) 92% 93% 92% 92% 91% Declined Average graduation rate (past four years) (17.6%) 82% 82% 84% 85% 85% No change Graduation rate performance (actual - predicted) (8.0%) +7% +7% +11% +9% +3% Declined

Actual 6-yr graduation rate - 84% 84% 87% 85% 83% - Predicted 6-yr graduation rate - 77% 77% 76% 76% 80% -

Social mobility - - - - - - Actual 6-yr Pell Grant graduation rate (2.5%) - - - 83% 84% Improved Pell Grant graduation rate performance (2.5%) - - - - - -

Expert opinion rank 20.0% - - - - - Peer assessment score (out of 5) - 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.4 Improved

Faculty resources rank 20.0% 39 34 37 33 36 Declined Classes under 20 (6.0%) 69% 69% 69% 71% 70% Declined Classes 50 or more (2.0%) 2% 2% 2% 2% 3% Declined Full-time faculty with terminal degree (Univ) (3.0%) 90% 88% 88% 89% 88% Declined Student-faculty ratio (1.0%) 13:1 13:1 14:1 13:1 14:1 Declined Full-time faculty (Univ) (1.0%) 78% 78% 79% 81% 80% Declined Faculty salary (7.0%) - - - - - -

Student excellence rank 10.0% 69 74 79 73 65 Improved

SAT/ACT 25th-75th percentile (enrolled first-years) (7.75%) 1120-1330

1100-1320

1110-1330

1200-1390

1220-1420 Improved

Freshmen in top 10% high school grad. class (2.25%) 46% 48% 49% 49% 57% Improved Financial resources rank 10.0% 62 66 66 65 65 No change Alumni giving rank 5.0% 148 175 152 122 147 Declined

Percentage (2-year rolling average) - 8% 7% 8% 9% 9% No change

Table 1. Pepperdine’s detailed ranking

Unless otherwise noted, data are based on Seaver College.

Table 2. Ranking weights and indicators, 2016-2020

Source: US News & World Report, Best Colleges 2020 4

II. Peer & Competitor Schools | Ranking Comparison

Peer institutions are universities that are comparable to Pepperdine in one or more characteristics. These characteristics may include mission, size, enrollment, selectivity, or program offerings. While no one institution is a perfect match, peer institutions can be a resource for comparison when examining practices, policies, curriculum, or programs. Table 3 summarizes rankings of both peer and competitor schools for the past eight issues of USN&WR for schools that are categorized as “National Universities.” USN&WR assigns more than 1600 four-year colleges to a rankings group (i.e., National Universities, National Liberal Arts, and Regional Universities) based on the categories of higher education institutions developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Thus, several Pepperdine peer schools (e.g., Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount University, Chapman University, Calvin College, among others) are ranked in different categories, such as “National Liberal Arts Colleges,” or “Regional Universities.”

Table 3. Ranking history of peer and competitor schools (national universities) Ranking year School Description 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 University of Notre Dame Competitor 17 18 16 18 15 18 18 15 Univ. of Southern California Competitor 24 23 25 23 23 21 22 22 Georgetown University Competitor 21 20 21 21 20 20 22 24 Wake Forest University Competitor 27 23 27 27 27 27 27 27 New York University Competitor 32 32 32 32 36 30 30 29 University of Rochester USN&WR peer 33 32 33 33 32 34 33 29 Boston College Competitor 31 31 31 30 31 32 38 37 Boston University USN&WR peer 51 41 42 41 39 37 42 40 Tulane University USN&WR peer 51 52 54 41 39 40 44 40 Pepperdine University - 54 57 54 52 50 46 46 50 Southern Methodist Univ Current peer (OIE/WSCUC) 58 60 58 61 56 61 59 64 George Washington Univ USN&WR peer 51 52 54 57 56 56 63 70 Baylor University Current peer (OIE/WSCUC) 77 75 71 72 71 75 78 79 University of San Diego Current peer (OIE/WSCUC) 92 91 95 89 86 90 85 91 University of the Pacific Competitor 106 112 116 108 111 110 106 125

Note: schools sorted by current ranking. USN&WR peer: Universities that are historically ranked near Pepperdine in USN&WR Best Colleges. Current peer (OIE/WSCUC): Universities that are currently used for institutional research/effectiveness, accreditation for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), or reporting purposes.

Source: US News & World Report, Best Colleges 2020 5

III. Pepperdine ranked 43rd among the Best Value Schools (National Universities) in the US

Pepperdine ranked 43rd among the nation’s Best Value Schools according to USN&WR, which declined from 2019’s ranking of 38th (see orange box, Figure 2). The calculation used to determine this particular ranking takes into account a school’s academic quality, based on USN&WR Best Colleges ranking, and the 2018-2019 net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid. The higher the quality of the program and the lower the cost, the better the value for students. Only schools ranked in or near the top half of their categories (which indicates that they are above average academically) are included.

Figure 2. Top best value schools (national universities)

Source: US News & World Report, Best Colleges 2020 6

IV. Pepperdine received a campus diversity rating of 0.60 (National Universities)

USN&WR edition Diversity index

(1 = highest) 2013 0.59 2014 0.63 2015 0.66 2016 0.65 2017 0.62 2018 0.59 2019 0.60 2020 0.60

Table 4. Pepperdine’s diversity index score

V. Other US News & World Report rankings

USN&WR identifies colleges where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from diverse ethnic backgrounds, by factoring in the proportion of minority students—leaving out international students—and the overall mix of groups in each institution’s Fall 2018 student body. The ethnic categories used in the calculations were African-American (non-Hispanic), Hispanic, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, White (non-Hispanic), and multiracial (two or more races). The formula produces a diversity index that ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. The closer a school’s number is to 1.0, the more diverse the student population (i.e., the closer the number is to 1.0 the more likely it is for students to encounter students from a different ethnic group). Pepperdine maintained its score of 0.60 (see Table 4).

Ranking

(1 = highest) School Program or Ranking 2019 2020 Pepperdine Graziadio Business School Best Business Schools 72 74

Best Part-time MBA 51 52 Best Online MBA Programs 19 21

School of Law Best Law Schools - 51 Dispute Resolution 1 2

Graduate School of Education and Psychology Clinical Psychology 143 143 Best Education Schools - 186 School of Public Policy Public Affairs 64 74 Seaver College Best Undergraduate

Business Programs 44 50

Best Colleges for Veteransa 20 24 Academic Programs to Look

For: Study Abroadb - 11

Top Performers on Social Mobilityb

- 96

aThe top-ranked schools that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees. bNew ranking for 2020. Rankings based on data available from USN&WR on 9/09/19.

Table 5. Other USN&WR rankings for Pepperdine