Law school

Pepperdine Caruso School of Law

Malibu, CA

#46 in U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools (2026-27)

Published admissions data for the Fall 2025 entering class, an estimate of where your own numbers land, this cycle's deadlines, the school's own essay prompts and the ABA employment outcomes it reports.

Admissions profile

Median LSAT
164
Median GPA
3.85
Admit rate
23.4%
Entering class
227
Applications
4,272
Admitted
998

Source: Pepperdine Caruso School of Law — 2025 Standard 509 Information Report (Class of 2028) · Fall 2025 entering class

How competitive is Pepperdine?

Reported for the Fall 2025 entering class.

For the Fall 2025 entering class, Pepperdine reported a median LSAT of 164 and a median undergraduate GPA of 3.85.

Its published LSAT band runs 161 / 164 / 167: the 25th percentile sits three points below the median and the 75th sits three points above it.

Pepperdine admitted 998 applicants from 4,272 applications, an admit rate of 23.4%.

227 students enrolled.

What LSAT and GPA do you need for Pepperdine?

The ABA reports where the entering class landed — three percentiles, not a cut-off. No score is required, and none guarantees anything.

LSAT

Published LSAT: 25th 161 · median 164 · 75th 167.

GPA

Published GPA: 25th 3.61 · median 3.85 · 75th 3.94.

Percentiles: American Bar Association Standard 509 Information Report · Fall 2025 entering class

Add your own numbers — nothing is saved, and no account is needed.

See the full analysis

Two numbers only. The full analysis also weighs your softs, your residency, your application round and when you submit.

2026–27 application timeline

Dates the school publishes for this cycle, in the order they fall.

  1. Scholarship priority deadlineFebruary 1
  2. Regular decision deadlineApril 1

Source: Pepperdine Caruso Law — J.D. Application Requirements · verified August 29, 2026

Essay prompts

2026–27 cycle, quoted from the school. Never summarised, never behind a control.

Personal Statement

Required · 4 pages

Please include a two- to four-page, double-spaced personal statement indicating fully your reasons for wanting to study law, why you chose to apply to Pepperdine Caruso Law, significant extracurricular and/or civic activities, and any further information that you feel should be considered by the Admissions Committee.

Source: Pepperdine Caruso School of Law — JD application requirements

Optional Statements

Optional Statements You may choose to respond to either or both prompts below to provide the Admissions Committee with additional information about yourself and the contribution you would make to our unique Pepperdine Caruso Law community. #1 Christian Mission Pepperdine is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. Caruso Law's dedication to our Christian mission drives a deep desire to embody and imbue in our students the highest standards of ethics and morality. We are proud to have a strong Christian faculty that also includes several professors from other faiths. We welcome students of all faiths, as well as students who are not part of any faith tradition. Our complete mission and vision can be found here. Please share how you would contribute to this unique community. #2 Background, Life Experience, and Perspective Pepperdine Caruso Law is a community of belonging with students, faculty, and staff with different backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives. We are committed to creating a culture in which each person's voice and convictions enhance our shared community. Please share with the Admissions Committee how your background, life experiences, and perspective have shaped your courage, determination, and character and ability to contribute uniquely to the culture of the Pepperdine Caruso Law community.

Source: Pepperdine Caruso School of Law — JD application requirements

Resumé

Required

Please attach to your application for admission a resumé, including a record of employment, scholastic honors, extracurricular activities, and community involvement.

Source: Pepperdine Caruso School of Law — JD application requirements

Addendum

Optional

Can I submit an addendum? Yes, if an applicant feels that they wish to share information with the Admissions Committee that is not included in the required documents, an addendum will be accepted. Addendums can be emailed to lawadmis@pepperdine.edu and will be uploaded to your application for the admissions committee to review.

Source: Pepperdine Caruso School of Law — JD application instructions

Class of 2025 employment outcomes

Reported by the school to the American Bar Association, about ten months after graduation.

  • Employed in a professional position93.4%171 of 183 graduates

    Bar-admission-required + J.D.-advantage + professional-position + law-school-funded jobs / total graduates, about ten months after graduation. Excludes the ABA's non-professional 'Other Position', 'Undeterminable', and 'Start Date After' rows, so it reads lower than a school's headline employment figure.

    ABA Employment Summary

  • Bar admission required91.8%168 of 183 graduates

    Jobs requiring bar admission / total graduates. The ABA's Bar Admission Required/Anticipated row only — J.D. Advantage is a different measure and is NOT added to it.

    ABA Employment Summary

  • Firms of 501+ attorneys12.0%22 of 183 graduates

    Jobs at law firms of 501+ attorneys / total graduates. Exactly the ABA's 501+ band — not 251+, not 100+, not a private-practice share.

    ABA Employment Summary

  • Federal clerkship1.1%2 of 183 graduates

    Federal clerkships / total graduates. Excludes state, local, territorial, tribal and international clerkships.

    ABA Employment Summary

Share of the whole graduating class, counting every position the ABA reports (full- or part-time, long- or short-term), measured about ten months after graduation.

Sources and methodology

Last verified September 1, 2026.

Where each figure comes from

Admissions figures
Percentiles, admit rate and class size as reported to the American Bar Association under Standard 509, or published by the school in its own class profile. The source for each figure is linked beside it.
Deadlines and essay prompts
Taken from the school's own current-cycle application instructions and quoted exactly. A date or a prompt we have not re-verified for this cycle is withheld rather than carried over from last year.
Employment outcomes
Counts from the school's ABA Employment Summary for the class year shown, over one denominator: every graduate. The share is those two counts divided, and both are printed so it can be checked.
Chance estimate
Litigator One's own model, not school-published data and not a prediction of a decision. It reads your two numbers against this school's published percentiles and its overall admit rate.

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