Master's · Malibu, California
Is Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at Pepperdine University worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 18 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $71,561
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $79,003
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $119,067
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published)
- $126k (likely $126k – $126k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $10k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 18 years (likely 12.0–20+)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$266k (likely −$338k – −$189k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- −$116k (likely −$283k – $42k)
- Today's dollars
Change income, residency or loans Compare Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at other schools
Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.
Other majors at Pepperdine University
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$141,949
- Educational/Instructional Media Design (Doctoral)$133,031
- Law (Doctoral)$126,561
- Human Resources Management and Services (Master's)$123,307
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral)$120,410
- Dispute Resolution (Master's)$110,166
- Economics (Bachelor's)$104,943
- Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral)$103,432
- International Business (Bachelor's)$100,595
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's)$95,306
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's)$91,227
- Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's)$82,200
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at other schools in California
- University of San Diego$148,235
- Loyola Marymount University$140,519
- University of San Francisco$136,623
- Golden Gate University$131,366
- University of California-Los Angeles$112,923
- University of the Pacific$87,881
- University of Southern California$84,932
- Northcentral University$56,539