Hawaii Higher Education Outcome Report

Hawaii At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

15

40,464 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~4,766

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
32nd pct

$45,105

34th of 50 states
Mobility Score

3.2%

Limited data (under 5 schools)
Talent Retention
20th pct

69%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
94th pct

4.4x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Business
Humanities
Healthcare

Executive Summary

Hawaii graduates earn a median of $45,105 a decade after entry, 8% below the national state average, ranking 34th of 50 states.
Degree production is led by Business and Humanities, which together account for 40% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Sciences is the standout sector: graduates earn $54,284, +5.3% versus the national median. That premium points to a real wage advantage rather than sheer volume.
Trades shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 22.9% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Hawaii returns 4.4x earnings per dollar of net price, among the strongest cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is Chaminade University of Honolulu, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 3.4% rate, the highest in Hawaii.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

-0.1%

Median graduate earnings in Hawaii are below the national average by 0%.
Cost vs National

+13.2%

Net price in Hawaii is higher than the national average by 13%.
Mobility Rate

+1.43pp

Upward mobility rate is 1.4 percentage points above the national average.
Completion Rate

-4.2pp

Hawaii's graduation rate is 4.2 percentage points below the national average.
Best Value

8.6x

Top value school: Kapiolani Community College ($44,599 earnings vs $5,202 net price).
Low-Income Access

14.5%

15% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Business (21% of graduates) and Humanities (20% of graduates) dominate Hawaii's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $49,905.

Business

21%

$49,905 avg
Humanities

20%

$42,039 avg
Healthcare

12%

$46,961 avg
Social Sciences

11%

$52,878 avg
Sciences

7%

$53,575 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 13

Outcome Performance

Hawaii's highest-ROI degree cluster is Trades (Culinary & Personal Services), where graduates average $39,789 against a net cost of $6,960, a 5.7x return. That's -22.9% vs the national median. At the other end, English & Literature produces $53,896 at a 2.6x return, less than half what the top cluster delivers.

Culinary & Personal Services
5.7x

$39,789 earnings $6,960 net -22.9% vs natl
Mechanic & Repair Tech
5.2x

$38,587 earnings $7,400 net -25.2% vs natl
Precision Production
4.9x

$39,998 earnings $8,200 net -22.4% vs natl
Construction Trades
4.7x

$38,150 earnings $8,154 net -26% vs natl
Humanities
3.5x

$46,462 earnings $13,113 net -9.9% vs natl
Business & Marketing
3.4x

$47,540 earnings $14,048 net -7.8% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Hawaii's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Business & Marketing 21%
Humanities 19%
Health Professions 12%
Biology & Biomedical 6%
Computer Science & IT 6%

Highest-Earning Fields

Engineering $58,108
Biology & Biomedical $53,690
Psychology $53,394
Communications $53,148
Social Sciences $52,368

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Hawaii's graduate supply.

Engineering $58,108 3% of grads
Psychology $53,394 6% of grads
Communications $53,148 3% of grads
Social Sciences $52,368 6% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Hawaii's colleges post an average mobility rate of 3.2%. 15% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.36, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

3.2%

▲ +1.51pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

15%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

22%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

41%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

69%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.36

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Hawaii's Sciences programs produce graduates earning $54,284, +5.3% relative to the national median. Trades graduates, however, earn 22.9% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Business
21% of enrollment

$47,540 -7.8% vs natl

10 schools
Humanities
20% of enrollment

$44,600 -13.5% vs natl

10 schools
Healthcare
12% of enrollment

$47,337 -8.2% vs natl

7 schools
Social Sciences
11% of enrollment

$53,593 +3.9% vs natl

6 schools
Sciences
7% of enrollment

$54,284 +5.3% vs natl

4 schools
Trades
7% of enrollment

$39,789 -22.9% vs natl

5 schools

Overperforming Sectors

Sciences: +5.3% vs national earnings ($54,284)

Potential Oversupply Signals

Trades: -22.9% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Humanities: -13.5% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Healthcare: -8.2% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Hawaii's higher education system includes 1 research-oriented, 2 specialized, 1 access-oriented, 11 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

1

Research Universities
11

Regional Universities
1

Access-Oriented Institutions
2

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

University of Hawaii at Manoa $57,624

Access-Oriented Institutions

Pacific Rim Christian University 72% Pell

Cost & Access Corridors

62% of Hawaii's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $42,165 at 10 years.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

8

62% of schools
Avg earnings: $42,165
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

3

23% of schools
Avg earnings: $50,070
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

2

15% of schools
Avg earnings: $55,968

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Hawaii

Hawaii is home to 20 colleges and universities, from 10 public institutions to 5 private nonprofits. University of Hawaii at Manoa anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $43,778 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Honolulu, Hilo and Kapolei, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Humanities, Business & Marketing and Health Professions. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Hawaii

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $20,457 a year across Hawaii. University of Hawaii-West Oahu stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Hawaii's economy leans on tourism & hospitality, defense and marine science, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Humanities, Business & Marketing and Health Professions feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Hawaii level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Hawaii earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$43,778

▼ $-59 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$20,457

▼ +$2,381 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2.1x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

Is Hawaii Right for You?

Hawaii is a strong fit if you want to build a career in tourism & hospitality and defense, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

FAQ

How many colleges are in Hawaii?

There are 20 colleges and universities in Hawaii in our dataset — 10 public, 5 private nonprofit.

What is the highest-earning college in Hawaii?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Hawaii Pacific University leads, followed by schools like University of Hawaii at Manoa and Chaminade University of Honolulu.

How much does college cost in Hawaii?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $20,457 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Hawaii?

Hawaii's economy is anchored by tourism & hospitality, defense and marine science, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Hawaii?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. University of Hawaii-West Oahu, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 20 schools in Hawaii

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

20 institutions in Hawaii

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.