How to Apply

Look into which international program is best for you! We strongly recommend connecting with IP Staff, Faculty-in-Residence or Faculty Director, IP Ambassadors, and IP Alum throughout your application process. Students are strongly encouraged to set up a meeting with our IP Ambassadors or the Faculty-in-Residence for their first choice program. You can also contact the IP Office Monday thru Friday, 8am - 5pm and we are happy to answer all of your questions.

Here's how to get started:

1) Explore Options

Come to one of our events to learn more about our programs, meet IP staff, Faculty-in-Residence, Faculty Directors, IP Ambassadors, and IP alum. Check out our calendar page to see what's coming up soon.

Check out our course offerings for each of our programs to see which programs work best for you. Course offerings are posted on each program's page in August.

2) Consult the Experts

Before deciding which program(s) are right for you, we recommend consulting the following trusted advisors:

• Academic Advising 
  • Go to One Stop to get on-the-spot advice.
  • Contact your Major Advisor for major specific advice (check on your Wavenet account to find their contact details).
  • Contact the IP Office to set a meeting with Evelyn Valtier to receive IP-tailored advising. 
• Financial Aid Advising
  • Connect with the Seaver Financial Aid Office to ensure that you understand how your financial aid and/or scholarships will apply while you are abroad. You may also refer to the Financial Assistance website to answer your general questions and obtain contact information. 
• Family and Friends
  • It's important to talk through your decision to study abroad with your parents or guardians. Parents should refer to our Parent Resources page for more information, and contact us with questions.

• Mental Health

  • You will have access to low to no-cost mental health professionals through our GeoBlue insurance plan. Visit our Health and Safety page and contact international.programs@pepperdine.edu if you have further questions about GeoBlue. Contact the Pepperdine Counseling Center: 310-506-4210 or student.counseling.center@pepperdine.edu to discuss how your mental health needs can be met abroad.

• Physical Health

  • Those going to IP locations outside of the United States will have access to low to no-cost health professionals through our GeoBlue insurance plan. Visit our Health and Safety page and contact international.programs@pepperdine.edu if you have further questions about GeoBlue. Contact the Pepperdine Student Health Center regarding immunizations and support available: 310.506.4316.

• Prescriptions
  • Check with your provider, insurance and relevant customs department. Contact our health and safety concierge service, International SOS, about transporting prescriptions or availability of obtaining needed prescriptions abroad before commiting to an international program. Visit our health and safety page for further information.
• Special Considerations: The US Department of State has created information pages to help travelers consider how characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, faith background, sexual orientation, etc) can have an impact on their travel experience. 
• Accessibility Accommodations (including meals)
  • Students must apply for their accommodations through the Office of Student Accessibility (OSA) to be applied to their study abroad program. 
  • Not all housing accommodations can be met abroad. Please contact the Office of Student Accessibility before submitting your IP application.
  • Service animals (not emotional support animals) may possibly be allowed in our Washington, D.C. location but there are challenges with transporting and supporting service animals abroad. Please refer to the service animals section of our health and safety page for further information and contact the IP Office before submitting an application.
  • Meals:
    • Complete your due dligence on your diertary needs and/or preferences before submitting an application to one or more international programs.
    • OSA Registered Food Allergies: Dining accommodations are available for those with disability needs to the best of IP's ability. Please contact the Office of Student Accessibility (OSA) before applying to a program to ensure food allergies can be managed. If food allergies can be managed abroad, ensure you request your acoomodation be applied to your program at least three months before departure. Note that not all restaurants (especially in Europe and in our faculty led programs) are equipped to support a variety of food allergy concerns. For students registered with OSA the international program offices will work with restaurants used in program activities to safeguard your nutritional safety.
    • Student food preferences (not allergies or intolerances) are not always able to be accommodated abroad. While we try to offer a variety of options, students with food preferences without an accommodation from OSA (e.g., preferences like non-dairy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, no red meat, no seafood, etc.) are not automatically accommodated. Therefore, students with food preferences should contact OSA and the IP Office to understand what can be expected prior to submitting an application. 
    • Food services by campus location:
      • Students at all campus locations (not faculty led programs) will receive payments to purchase their personal meals for select meals every month. Many restaurants outside of the United States do not offer the variety of vegan and vegetarian options that one might be accustomed to in the US.
      • Students have access to a refrigerator and/or kitchen at all our international campus locations (not including summer faculty led programs)
      • London: community meals in London are hosted at restaurants with a variety of selections.
      • Switzerland: mostly on-campus through the University's catering company. Fruits are available at all breakfasts and salads at all campus-based meals. Restaurants for group meals have limited selection.
      • Heidelberg: mostly at restaurants with set meals.
      • Florence: Mixture of meals in the villa and at restaurants.
      • Buenos Aires students have most meals at their homestay and we endeavor to match students with the most suitable homestay.
      • Washington, D.C. students have more meal flexibility because students obtain most meals outside of the Pepperdine facility. 
      • Faculty led program meal options vary greatly. Contact the specific faculty led program director for further guidance.
  • Contact Office of Student Accessibility: 310.506.6500 or student.accessibility@pepperdine.edu and the IP Office if you have further questions.
• Student Veterans and Military-Connected Students Information Page
• Spiritual, Cultural, or Other Adaptation:
  • The Hub for Spiritual Life provides spiritual, religious, and philosophical advice and support.
  • The Student Care Team is committed to providing Pepperdine students with wellness and health resources.
  • The Intercultural Affairs Office provides students with diversity and inclusion resources. 

For additional questions, please come to the IP Office or contact us at 310-506-4230 or international.programs@pepperdine.edu.

How to Complete Your Online Application

1) Sign in to WaveNet, then click the "International Programs" link under "Popular Links":

2) Select your first choice program (ex. Buenos Aires, Argentina) from the dropdown menu. Then, select the term that you would like to apply for as your first choice (ex. Academic Year 2022-23) and click "Create Application."

3) Fill out and submit the online application. Be sure to save your application frequently. You can save, exit and return to your work at any time. You will be asked to complete the following:

• • Referral and Disciplinary Information:

    • What was most influential in your decision to apply for an international program?
    • Check here if you have ever been on academic probation in high school or college and explain below.
    • Check here if you have ever received any warnings, sanctions, or fees due to disciplinary violations.
    • Check here if you have any pending disciplinary actions and explain below.
    • Provide information on any previous disciplinary or academic probation(s), if applicable.
    • Indicate if you are a 1st Generation College Student, Transfer Student, and/or NCAA athlete.

  • Short Essay Questions:

    • IP applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with an academic advisor, financial aid advisor and their family before selecting their first choice program. Please list the specific actions you have taken in order to determine which IP program best fits your academic, personal and professional goals. For example, "Met with my academic advisor to review IP courses and four year plan"; "Attended IP Information Session"; "Met with the Faculty-in-Residence for my first choice program," etc. (200 words or fewer)

    • How have you experienced different cultural environments thus far in your life, and what have you learned from those environments? (This may include foreign language study, travel experiences, work or volunteer opportunities that led you outside your normal cultural environment, etc.) (200 words or fewer)

    • Please describe two things that you are proud of having done (200 words or fewer):
    • What are your specific reasons for choosing your first choice program? Please address both the location and the particular term/length of time. (150 words or fewer)
    • How do you plan to engage with the local culture and contribute to the Pepperdine community before, during and after your abroad experience? (200 words or fewer)

  • Video Question:

    • Please record a video of yourself (3 min. max.) answering the questions below, then paste the link to your video in the application. Detailed instructions and a sample video are available here.

      What are some of the challenges you expect to face before, during and after your study abroad program? What resources will you rely on to meet these challenges? Is there anything else we should know about you? (3 minutes maximum)

  • IP Scholarship:

    • OPTIONAL: You have the option to apply for the IP scholarship. You can complete the scholarship application before or after submitting your IP application, but we recommend that interested students apply before the priority deadline. To apply, please visit the scholarship page on the IP website.

  • Emergency Contacts:

    • You will be asked to provide contact information for at least two emergency contacts. Be sure that you have selected at least one email and one Telephone number as "Preferred" for each contact.

  • Consent:

    • You will be asked to consent to release the following information to my parents or legal guardians: Program Contract, Flight Contract, Flight Itinerary, and Program Application Status.

  • Alternate Choice Programs:

  • You can choose to indicate up to 6 additional programs and terms that you are interested in being considered for and rank them in order of your preference. To see which programs and terms are available as an alternate choice, click the magnifying glass. 
    • If you are not interested in being considered for any additional programs or terms, do not select any additional programs. If you are interested in being considered for one additional program and/or term, select that program and term below. If you are interested in being considered for two additional programs and/or terms, select those programs and terms below...and so on. You will be considered for all of the programs that you indicate.
    • You will first be considered for your first choice program (which is the program you selected when you initially opened your WaveNet application). If you are not selected, you will be considered for your second choice, etc. If you do not want to be considered for a program, do not list it. If you are NOT accepted into any of the programs you have selected, you will be placed on the waitlist for your first choice program and term. Please double check your selections as it is not possible to change your ranking after submitting your IP application.

4) When your application is complete, click "Submit Application." Students that apply by 12 noon Pacific Time on September 25, 2023 and complete an interview or audition (if required) by October 3 will receive a decision on October 13, 2023. After the priority deadline, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and you will receive a decision about 2 weeks after completing your application. Decisions are usually sent on Fridays.

IP Faculty-in-Residence are Seaver College Faculty Members who have been chosen to teach and serve in one of our abroad locations. Faculty-in-Residence travel abroad with the students and serve as mentors, professors, spiritual advisors, and much more.

You are strongly encouraged to connect with the Faculty-in-Residence for the programs you are considering before, during, and after the application process. Contact information for Faculty-in-Residence is available on each program's page.

Faculty-in-Residence are available to meet with you to discuss the program you wish to attend. You can email them to set up an appointment.

Ensure that you can receive a decision from the International Programs Office. To do this, you need to ensure your Pepperdine e-mail can receive email messages from Pepperdine faculty, staff, and the PeopleSoft application system.

1) We strongly recommend that you deactivate email filtering softwares or add-ons such as Boxbe. IP Office staff will not complete authentication steps for Boxbe or similar programs.

2) Ensure that notifications from the PeopleSoft system are not marked as spam:

• From your Gmail inbox, ​open the Spam folder​ and locate any email from the​ following ​senders:
  • DONOTREPLY@pepperdine.edu​
  • Wavenet.Student@donotreply.pepperdine.edu
  • international.programs@pepperdine.edu
• Select each relevant email​ by clicking the checkbox to the left of the sender name​ as such:

• With the email selected, click​ the ​"Not spam"​ button at the top of the window, under the search bar​:

​Contact the IT ​Service Desk at 310-506-HELP (4357) ​if you continue to have PeopleSoft notifications directed to your SPAM folder or need additional technical assistance.

Look into which international program is best for you! We strongly recommend connecting with IP Staff, Faculty-in-Residence or Faculty Director, IP Ambassadors, and IP Alum throughout your application process. Students are strongly encrouraged to set up a meeting with our IP Ambassadors or the Faculty-in-Residence for their first choice program. You can also contact the IP Office Monday thru Friday, 8am - 5pm and we are happy to answer all of your questions. 

Here's how to get started:

1) Explore Options

Come to one of our events to learn more about our programs, meet IP staff, Faculty-in-Residence, Faculty Directors, IP Ambassadors, and IP alum. Check out our calendar page to see what's coming up soon. 

Explore our summer program pages to check out our course offerings for each of our programs to see which programs work best for you.

2) Consult the Experts

Before deciding which program(s) are right for you, we recommend consulting the following trusted advisors:

• Academic Advisor
  • Go to One Stop to get on-the-spot advice.
  • Contact your Major Advisor for major specific advice (check on your Wavenet account to find their contact details).
  • Contact the IP Office to set a meeting with Evelyn Valtier to receive IP-tailored advising.
• Financial Aid Advisor
  • Connect with the Seaver Financial Aid Office to ensure that you understand how your financial aid and/or scholarships will apply while you are abroad. You may also refer to the Financial Assistance website to answer your general questions and obtain contact information. 
• Family and Friends
  • It's important to talk through your decision to study abroad with your parents or guardians. Parents should refer to our Parent Resources page for more information, and contact us with questions.

• Mental Health

  • You will have access to low to no-cost mental health professionals through our GeoBlue insurance plan. Visit our Health and Safety page and contact international.programs@pepperdine.edu if you have further questions about GeoBlue. Contact the Pepperdine Counseling Center: 310-506-4210 or student.counseling.center@pepperdine.edu to discuss how your mental health needs can be met abroad.

• Physical Health

  • Those going to IP locations outside of the United States will have access to low to no-cost health professionals through our GeoBlue insurance plan. Visit our Health and Safety page and contact international.programs@pepperdine.edu if you have further questions about GeoBlue. Contact the Pepperdine Student Health Center: regarding immunizations and support available: 310-506-4316.

• Prescriptions
  • Check with your provider, insurance and relevant customs department. Contact our health and safety concierge service, International SOS, about transporting prescriptions or availability of needed prescriptions abroad before commiting to an international program. Visit our health and safety page for further information.
• Special Considerations: The US Department of State has created information pages to help travelers consider how characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, faith background, sexual orientation, etc) can have an impact on their travel experience. 
• Accessibility Accommodations (including meals)
  • Students must apply for their accommodations through the Office of Student Accessibility (OSA) to be applied to their study abroad program. 
  • Not all housing accommodations can be met abroad. Please contact the Office of Student Accessibility before submitting your IP application.
  • Service animals (not emotional support animals) may possibly be allowed in our Washington, D.C. location but there are challenges with transporting and supporting service animals abroad. Please refer to the service animals section of our health and safety page for further information and contact the IP Office before submitting an application.
  • Meals:
    • Complete your due dligence on your diertary needs and/or preferences before submitting an application to one or more international programs.
    • OSA Registered Food Allergies: Dining accommodations are available for those with disability needs to the best of IP's ability. Please contact the Office of Student Accessibility (OSA) before applying to a program to ensure food allergies can be managed. If food allergies can be managed abroad, ensure you request your acoomodation be applied to your program at least three months before departure. Note that not all restaurants (especially in Europe and in our faculty led programs) are equipped to support a variety of food allergy concerns. For students registered with OSA the international program offices will work with restaurants used in program activities to safeguard your nutritional safety.
    • Student food preferences (not allergies or intolerances) are not always able to be accommodated abroad. While we try to offer a variety of options, students with food preferences without an accommodation from OSA (e.g., preferences like non-dairy, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, no red meat, no seafood, etc.) are not automatically accommodated. Therefore, students with food preferences should contact OSA and the IP Office to understand what can be expected prior to submitting an application. 
    • Food services by campus location:
      • Students at all campus locations(not faculty led programs) will receive payments to purchase their personal meals for select meals every month. Many restaurants outside of the United States do not offer the variety of vegan and vegetarian options that one might be accustomed to in the US.
      • Students have access to a refrigerator and/or kitchen at all our international campus locations (not including summer faculty led programs)
      • London: community meals in London are hosted at restaurants with a variety of selections.
      • Switzerland: mostly on-campus through the University's catering company. Fruits are available at all breakfasts and salads at all campus-based meals. Restaurants for group meals have limited selection.
      • Heidelberg: mostly at restaurants with set meals.
      • Florence: Mixture of meals in the villa and at restaurants.
      • Buenos Aires students have most meals at their homestay and we endeavor to match students with the most suitable homestay.
      • Washington, D.C. students have more meal flexibility because students obtain most meals outside of the Pepperdine facility.
      • Faculty led program meal options vary greatly. Contact the specific faculty led program director for further guidance.
  • Contact Office of Student Accessibility: 310.506.6500 or student.accessibility@pepperdine.edu and the IP Office if you have further questions.
• Student Veterans and Military-Connected Student Information Page
• Spiritual, Cultural, Other Adaptation:
  • The Hub for Spiritual Life provides spiritual, religious, and philosophical advice and support.
  • The Student Care Team is committed to providing Pepperdine students with wellness and health resources.
  • The Intercultural Affairs Office provides students with diversity and inclusion resources.

    For additional questions, please come to the IP Office or contact us at 310.506.4230 or international.programs@pepperdine.edu.

1) Sign in to WaveNet, then click the "International Programs" link under "Popular Links":

2) Select your first choice program (ex. Buenos Aires, Argentina) from the dropdown menu. Then, select the term that you would like to apply for as your first choice (ex. Summer 2023) and click "Create Application."

3) Fill out and submit the online application. Be sure to save your application frequently. You can save, exit and return to your work at any time. You will be asked to complete the following:

• Referral and Disciplinary Information:

  • What was most influential in your decision to apply for an international program?
  • Check here if you have ever been on academic probation in high school or college and explain below.
  • Check here if you have ever received any warnings, sanctions, or fees due to disciplinary violations.
  • Check here if you have any pending disciplinary actions and explain below.
  • Provide information on any previous disciplinary or academic probation(s), if applicable.
  • Indicate if you are a 1st Generation College Student, Transfer Student, and/or NCAA athlete.

• Short Answer Questions 

  • IP applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with an academic advisor, financial aid advisor and their family before selecting their first choice program. Please list the specific actions you have taken in order to determine which IP program best fits your academic, personal and professional goals. For example, "Met with my academic advisor to review IP courses and four year plan"; "Attended IP Information Session"; "Met with the Faculty-in-Residence for my first choice program," etc. (200 words or fewer)
  • How have you experienced different cultural environments thus far in your life, and what have you learned from those environments? (This may include foreign language study, travel experiences, work or volunteer opportunities that led you outside your normal cultural environment, etc.) (200 words or fewer)
  • Please describe two things that you are proud of having done (200 words or fewer):
  • What are your specific reasons for choosing your first choice program? Please address both the location and the particular term/length of time. (150 words or fewer)
  • How do you plan to engage with the local culture and contribute to the Pepperdine community before, during and after your abroad experience? (200 words or fewer)

• Video Question 

  • Please record a video of yourself (3 min. max.) answering the questions below, then paste the link to your video in the application. Detailed instructions and a sample video are available here.

What are some of the challenges you expect to face before, during and after your study abroad program? What resources will you rely on to meet these challenges? Is there anything else we should know about you? (3 minutes maximum)

• IP Scholarship:

  • OPTIONAL: You have the option to apply for the IP scholarship. You can complete the scholarship application before or after submitting your IP application, but we recommend that interested students apply before the priority deadline. To apply, please visit the scholarship page on the IP website.

• Emergency Contacts:

  • You will be asked to provide contact information for at least two emergency contacts. Be sure that you have selected at least one email and one Telephone number as "Preferred" for each contact.

• Consent:

  • You will be asked to consent to release the following information to my parents or legal guardians: Program Contract, Flight Contract, Flight Itinerary, and Program Application Status.

• Alternate Choice Programs:
  

  • Please note that programs that require an interview or audition (including Faculty-led programs, specialty programs, Language-Intensive programs, and internship programs) will not be available as an alternate choice. You must apply for one of these programs as a first choice, complete the interview and/or audition and provide any required supplementary materials in order to be considered.
  • You can choose to indicate up to 6 additional programs and terms that you are interested in being considered for and rank them in order of your preference. To see which programs and terms are available as an alternate choice, click the magnifying glass.
  • If you are not interested in being considered for any additional programs or terms, do not select any additional programs. If you are interested in being considered for one additional program and/or term, select that program and term below. If you are interested in being considered for two additional programs and/or terms, select those programs and terms below...and so on. You will be considered for all of the programs that you indicate.
  • You will first be considered for your first choice program (which is the program you selected when you initially opened your WaveNet application). If you are not selected, you will be considered for your second choice, etc. If you do not want to be considered for a program, do not list it. If you are NOT accepted into any of the programs you have selected, you will be placed on the waitlist for your first choice program and term. Please double check your selections as it is not possible to change your ranking after submitting your IP application.

4) When your application is complete, click "Submit Application." Students that apply by 12 noon Pacific Time on September 25, 2023 and complete an interview or audition (if required) by October 3 will receive a decision on October 13, 2023. After the priority deadline, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and you will receive a decision about 2 weeks after completing your application. Decisions are usually sent on Fridays.

Faculty-Led Programs

If you are applying for a Faculty-Led program you may be required to complete an interview or audition with the Faculty Director for your program. This is the faculty member that will travel abroad with you and teach classes as part of your program. You will schedule this interview/audition as part of the IP application. Attend your interview/audition at the scheduled date and time. If you need to change that scheduled date or time, please contact your Faculty Director prior to your interview/audition time. Contact information for your Faculty Director is available on your program's page. Please view our Summer Programs page to find out details of whether or not the program you'd like to apply for will require an interview or audition.

Internship Programs

If you are applying for a summer internship program such as Washington, D.C. Internship, you will be contacted if you have been invited to interview. You may also be asked to provide a sample resume and cover letter. If you are invited to interview, be prepared to discuss your career aspirations and to describe the type of internship you hope to secure.

Language-Intensive Programs

If you are applying to a language-intensive program such as Buenos Aires Upper Division Spanish, you will be required to complete an interview with the Faculty-in-Residence for your program. This is the faculty member that will travel abroad with you and teach classes as part of your program. You will schedule this interview as part of the IP application. Attend your interview at the scheduled date and time. If you need to change your interview date or time, please contact your Faculty Director prior to your interview time. Contact information for your Faculty Director is available on your program's page.

Campus-Based Programs

If you are applying to a summer campus-based program such as Florence GE or London GE, you are usually not required to complete an interview. However, you are strongly encouraged to connect with the Faculty-in-Residence for your program before, during and after the application process. Contact information for your Faculty-in-Residence is available on your program's page.

Interview tips:

• Treat this like a job interview. Dress nicely and arrive on time.
• Be yourself! Your Faculty-in-Residence wants to get to know you.
• Think about your answers to these questions:
  • Why did you apply for this specific program?
  • What do you hope to gain from this experience?
  • What challenges do you expect to face abroad and how will you manage them?

Ensure that you can receive a decision from the International Programs Office. To do this, you need to ensure your Pepperdine e-mail can receive email messages from Pepperdine faculty, staff and the PeopleSoft application system.

1) We strongly recommend that you deactivate email filtering softwares or add-ons such as Boxbe. IP Office staff will not complete authentication steps for Boxbe or similar programs.

2) Ensure that notifications from the PeopleSoft system are not marked as spam:

• From your Gmail inbox, ​open the Spam folder​ and locate any email from the​ following ​senders:
  • DONOTREPLY@pepperdine.edu​
  • Wavenet.Student@donotreply.pepperdine.edu
  • international.programs@pepperdine.edu
• Select each relevant email​ by clicking the checkbox to the left of the sender name​ as such:

• With the email selected, click​ the ​"Not spam"​ button at the top of the window, under the search bar​:

​Contact the IT ​Service Desk at 310-506-HELP (4357) ​if you continue to have PeopleSoft notifications directed to your SPAM folder or need additional technical assistance.