How to Apply to Economics at Pepperdine University: The BA in Economics Sits in Seaver College’s Social Science Division, You Apply to Seaver Without a Separate Major Bar, and Calculus and Statistics Come First, for U.S., International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Pepperdine University is in Malibu, California, and its undergraduate college is Seaver College. Economics is taught in Seaver’s Social Science Division, and the degree is the Bachelor of Arts in Economics. You apply to Pepperdine’s Seaver College. This guide sets out what Pepperdine’s pages say for fall 2027 entry for U.S. applicants, international applicants (including those from China) and transfer students. Pepperdine is a Christian university, and its application includes a required essay question about faith conversations.

1. What the programs are

• Economics major: the only economics degree listed is the BA; there is no BS and no separate tracks. The catalog says the major gives a foundation in economics to students interested in graduate work and careers in business, law and government.
• Economics minor: the department page says 30 units in economics; the catalog describes the minor as the foundation courses, the three core courses and one 400-level economics elective.
• Double majors: the department page says the requirements leave room to double major, and past students have paired economics with political science, business administration, history, journalism and mathematics.
• STEM designation, honors: the economics page and the catalog do not say; this is not published there, so ask admission or the Social Science Division.
• Department activities: the PEP Talks Research Seminar (philosophy, economics and political science), an economics reading group, and an Economics Club among student organizations.
• Business administration has its own guide on this site and is not covered here.

2. How admission works: apply to Seaver, with no major bar

• You apply to the college: first-year students apply to Pepperdine through the Common App. The application page does not say you must choose a major, and it does not describe a separate economics standard or quota; ask admission whether the application asks for an intended major.
• Entering the major: the catalog says students may have no declared major, and each admitted student is assigned an adviser from Academic Advising. The department page says switching majors “mid stream” would not cost time or units. No GPA threshold for entering the major is published; the catalog only requires at least a C in each foundation and core course to move on.
• Grade rules inside the major: at least a C is needed in each class to take later courses or receive credit in the major. Most 400-level electives require a C or higher in each foundation and core course and the required math course. Finish the foundation and core courses by the end of junior year.
• Internal transfer: the pages read describe no separate procedure for moving into economics.

3. Prerequisites and course sequence

• High school preparation: the catalog says there is no rigid pattern of required classes, but recommends a strong college-preparatory program with humanities, science, social science and several years of mathematics, English and foreign language. No economics-specific high school math requirement is published.
• Foundation courses (14 units): ECON 210 Introduction to Microeconomics (3), ECON 211 Introduction to Macroeconomics (3), ECON 212 Statistics for Economists (4), and one of MATH 140 Calculus for Business and Economics (4) or MATH 150 Calculus I (4).
• Core courses (12 units): ECON 320 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory, ECON 321 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory and ECON 330 Introduction to Econometrics, 4 units each.
• Electives (16 units): all majors take 16 units of 400-level electives, excluding ECON 490 and ECON 499. The catalog lists 400-level courses including Applied Econometrics, Game Theory, Money and Banking, American Economic History, Public Finance, Economics of Sports, Industrial Organization, Economic Analysis of Legal Institutions, Labor Economics, Behavioral Economics, International Trade and Finance, Environmental Economics, Urban and Regional Economics and Comparative Economic Systems.
• First year: the catalog says ECON 210 or 211 satisfies the Seaver Core requirement in Human Institutions and Behavior (substituting for ECON 200) and both should be taken in the first year; MATH 140 or 150 is a prerequisite for ECON 330 and should be taken in the first year as the Core Mathematical Reasoning course.
• Math placement: MATH 140 needs a C- or better in MATH 103 or an appropriate math placement exam score; MATH 150 needs a C- or better in MATH 103 and 104, or an appropriate placement score. ECON 320 and 321 list MATH 140 or 150 as prerequisites.
• Graduate study: the department page recommends MATH 150, 151, 250, 260 and 340 for students considering a PhD in economics, and says only about 3% of economics majors go on to graduate economics programs.
• Catalog inconsistency: the catalog lists both ECON 310 (Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics) and ECON 330 (Introduction to Econometrics); the major requirements name ECON 330 and ECON 212. Follow the major requirements.

4. AP and IB credit

• The catalog says most AP tests earn credit at 3 or higher (some need 4), most IB Higher Level exams need 5 or 6, and at most 32 units can be earned by examination (AP, CLEP and IB combined).
• Which AP microeconomics, macroeconomics or calculus scores map to which courses is not stated on the pages read (the AP page the catalog points to was not read); ask Academic Advising.
• IB results must come directly from the IB organization to be evaluated for advanced standing, and A-level results must be sent directly by the exam board (CIE, Edexcel, AQA and so on).

5. Rounds, deadlines and materials (fall 2027 entry)

• Early Action (non-binding): November 1, decisions by December 21, reply by May 1.
• Early Decision I (binding): November 1, decisions by December 21, enrollment deadline February 1. Pepperdine says students admitted through Early Decision are guaranteed at least US$25,000 in merit aid.
• Early Decision II (binding): January 15, decisions by February 1, enrollment deadline March 1.
• Regular Decision: January 15, decisions by March 19, reply by May 1.
• Conflicting dates: the international first-year page gives Early Action decisions by January 10 and Regular Decision decisions by April 1, which differ from the general application page (December 21, March 19). Both are given here.
• Application: Common App with Pepperdine’s questions and writing supplement. Fee: US$70 on the application pages, US$65 in the catalog; the two disagree, so follow the current application page.
• Materials: a high school transcript (a cumulative transcript through grade 11 at application, then the final transcript with graduation date); one academic recommendation from a core-subject teacher or counselor (math, science, English, history, foreign language or religion); the Common App personal essay; and the required Pepperdine question (300–500 words) on why you are interested in a Christian university and how you would contribute to conversations of faith on campus.
• Testing: SAT, ACT or CLT scores are optional and get the same consideration whether or not you submit them, but scores are required for the Regents Scholars Program. If you test, take it by October for the November 1 deadline or by December for January 15.
• Interview: optional.
• Spring entry: a limited number of places; priority deadline October 1 and final deadline November 1 (the international page lists only October 1).

6. By reader

U.S. applicants

• Follow the Common App process above. Pepperdine is private, and the cost page lists a single tuition figure with no in-state or out-of-state distinction and no stated local preference.
• Testing is optional, but submitting scores makes you eligible for Regents Scholars Program consideration. Merit scholarships are decided at admission with no separate application.
• For need-based aid, the deadlines page lists FAFSA deadlines of November 1 (Early Action and ED I), January 15 (ED II) and February 15 (Regular Decision).

International applicants

• English (scores no more than two years old): TOEFL iBT 85 or above (“MyBest Scores” not accepted), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 120, LanguageCert Academic 70, Cambridge C1/C2 186, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 600, ACT Reading 24, a B or better in a US college English composition course, a C or better in UK AS/A-level English, IB English 5 or above, or four years at an English-medium high school verified by an admission counselor. Optional InitialView or Vericant interviews can supplement.
• Testing is optional for international applicants too.
• Transcripts and credential evaluation: each high school attended must send its transcript directly; non-English documents need English translations; systems with external exams must submit certified results. The catalog says first-year transcripts are reviewed by credential evaluators in the Office of International Student Services (OISS); for transfer courses from international institutions, OISS evaluates them internally and does not use outside vendors.
• Visa: the I-20 is issued after you submit the enrollment form and deposit; International Student Data form deadlines are July 15 (fall) and December 9 (spring).
• Scholarships: international students are considered for the Regents Scholars Program; all admitted students are automatically considered for the Blanche E. Seaver International Scholars’ Awards (limited, no separate application); other awards include the Lydia Hayne scholarship for African citizens and Church of Christ scholarships. How need-based aid works for international students is not described on the pages read. Loans need a U.S. citizen or permanent-resident co-signer.

Applicants from China

• Transcripts: the China secondary-credential sheet says the Chinese national curriculum is three years. Students still in school send transcripts for grades 10 and 11 (高一, 高二); graduates send grades 10, 11 and 12 plus official copies of the secondary school diploma and graduation certificate. Every school attended must send transcripts directly, with English translations. For the most competitive application, have the graduation certificate sent directly by CHESICC.
• Gaokao: that sheet does not say how gaokao results are used and does not mention school-exam (huikao) materials; this is not published there. Ask the Office of International Student Services (admission-oiss@pepperdine.edu).
• Email: if your Common App email is on a Chinese domain such as @163.com, @126.com or @yeah.net, Pepperdine asks you to send an alternate non-Chinese email address to admission-oiss@pepperdine.edu so you receive all communications.
• Dedicated scholarship: the Charles Lam Scholarship is for citizens of Mainland China, US$8,000–$10,000 per year, offered each semester to two or three incoming first-year or transfer students at the university’s discretion.

7. Costs (2026-27)

• New undergraduate on-campus costs: flat-rate tuition (12–18 units a semester) US$74,370, housing and food $20,490, wellness fee $580 and campus life fee $252, direct costs $95,692; with books $1,000, transportation $1,000, personal $1,500 and loan fees $66, the stated cost of attendance for new students is US$99,258. Another table on the same page lists transportation at $1,500.
• Students without family or group coverage may be charged about $1,362 a semester for health insurance.
• Below 12 units, tuition is $2,335 per unit per semester; above 18 units it is the flat rate plus $2,335 per extra unit.
• International cost page (2025–2026, one year behind the application page): tuition $71,860, estimated living costs $22,480 and other costs $4,380, total $98,720, estimated by the Office of International Student Services for immigration purposes.
• Undergraduate scholarships: George Pepperdine Achievement Award, US$16,000–$35,000 a year for first-years (an unweighted recalculated GPA of 3.60 or higher automatically earns at least $16,000) and $5,000–$20,000 for transfers with 30 or more units; the Regents Scholars Program, $40,000–$45,000 a year for roughly the top 8%–10% of admitted first-years, which requires SAT/ACT/CLT scores; and the Christian Leadership Award, $5,000 a year. All are considered at admission with no separate application, and most renew for four years.

8. Internships and research

• The catalog says upper-division Social Science Division students can take internships such as the Washington, DC program and the Sacramento Legislative Seminar.
• The economics page says 80% of students take part in an international program; the department runs the PEP Talks Research Seminar and an economics reading group.
• It reports outcomes for the class of 2025 within six months of graduation: 65% employed, 17% in further study, 82% settled.

9. Transfer

• Who counts as a transfer: someone who has graduated from high school and completed college units. Pepperdine says there are no course requirements and no minimum number of completed college credits. Students who have not graduated from high school but have taken college courses (including dual enrollment) apply as first-years.
• Application: Pepperdine’s own Transfer Application (the Common App is for first-years only), with a US$70 fee; a 250–650-word essay on your educational path plus the same faith-conversation question (300–500 words); a high school transcript showing graduation date and official transcripts from every college attended; one recommendation from a college counselor or professor; testing optional.
• Deadlines: fall January 15, decisions by March 19, enrollment by May 1; spring priority October 1 and final November 1. College transcripts must include final grades through the term before the deadline.
• Credit: the catalog accepts grades of C or higher from regionally accredited colleges within seven years of matriculation; at most 64 units transfer; at least 64 units, including the last 28 units of requirements, must be taken at Seaver; transferred grades do not count in the Pepperdine GPA; students entering with 30 or more transferable units skip FOR 101.
• Into economics: Pepperdine says students who complete a California Associate Degree for Transfer can finish economics (among ten majors) within two years, but admission is not guaranteed and only grades of C or better are accepted. Map your courses to the foundation courses and math above; the pages read give no extra condition for transfer students entering the major.
• International transfer deadlines: fall January 15, spring October 1.

Checklist

U.S. applicants:

• Apply through the Common App by November 1 (EA, ED I) or January 15 (ED II, RD); fee US$70 (the catalog says $65)
• Personal essay plus the faith-conversation question (300–500 words), one core-subject recommendation, transcript through grade 11
• In the first year take ECON 210, ECON 211 and MATH 140 or 150, and earn at least a C in each course

International applicants:

• English: TOEFL iBT 85, IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 120 or another accepted option; testing is optional
• Each high school sends its transcript directly with English translation; the I-20 follows admission and the deposit

Applicants from China:

• Grade 10–12 transcripts and the graduation certificate, ideally sent directly via CHESICC; ask the Office of International Student Services how gaokao results are used
• Do not rely only on a 163 or similar Chinese email address in the Common App

Transfer applicants:

• Pepperdine Transfer Application by January 15 for fall; no minimum credits; up to 64 units transfer

Sources: Pepperdine University, Seaver College: Economics major and minor; 2026–2027 Seaver academic catalog (PDF); Catalog page; Application deadlines; First-year applicants; Transfer applicants; Undergraduate cost of attendance; Scholarships; International first-year applicants; International transfer applicants; International cost and scholarships; China secondary-credential requirements (PDF). The deadline pages do not print a year for each date; confirm on Pepperdine’s site that they are for fall 2027 entry.