Pepperdine University was ranked No. 46 among 312 universities around the nation, as announced by the U.S. News & World Report on Monday, Sept. 10. The university tied with two other colleges—University of Georgia and University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign—for the distinction.
The 2019 Best College Rankings is released annually as high school students and others prepare their applications for various colleges and universities. The rankings take a variety of factors into consideration, including outcomes (social mobility, graduation rate), faculty resources (class size, faculty salary), expert opinion (peer and high school counselor assessments), financial resources, student excellence (standardized tests, high school class standing) and alumni giving.
Pepperdine was also ranked at No. 20 in the Best College for Veterans ranking, No. 34 in the Best Undergraduate Teaching ranking, No. 39 in the Best Value Schools ranking and No. 40 in the High School Counselor Rankings ranking; in all categories, the school was tied for its standing.
In a separate ranking done by the nonprofit organization American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), the university received an “A” grade for a survey on general education requirements. According to a shared statement from the ACTA, the survey (What Will They Learn?) “reviews the core curricula of over 1,100 four-year public and private institutions across the country—including 72 colleges and universities in California—to determine the rigor of each school’s general education program.”
Pepperdine requires at least six of the core subjects the organization deems necessary for a well-rounded liberal arts education, which qualified it for the grade.