Private nonprofit · University

Hawaii Pacific University

Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city

85.9%
Admit rate
$29,657
Avg net price
35%
Graduation rate
$59,593
Median earnings

Hawaii Pacific University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Honolulu, Hawaii (large city setting), enrolling 2,392 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,392 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 86% admitNCAA Division II without footballMild wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Hawaii Pacific University's admitted students.

Admit rate
85.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
998–1200
Avg GPA (est.)
3.19

Enter a test score to see where you land against Hawaii Pacific University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Hawaii Pacific University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. Evidence of the first settlement of Honolulu by the original Polynesian migrants to the archipelago comes from oral histories and artifacts. These indicate that there was a settlement where Honolulu now stands in the 11th century. The Bishop Museum is Honolulu's largest museum. It has the state's largest collection of natural history specimens and the world's largest collection of Hawaiiana and Pacific culture artifacts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
Honolulu, HI
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
4 miles to Daniel K. Inouye (HNL) · major hub

How Hawaii Pacific University compares

Selectivity85.9%

More selective than 34% · #3 most selective of 6 in Hawaii

SAT average1111

Higher than 33%

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 17% · #7 of 7 in Hawaii

First-year retention56%

Higher than 10%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$59,593

Higher than 67% · #1 of 7 in Hawaii

Average net price$29,657

Cheaper than 16% · #7 cheapest of 7 in Hawaii

Median debt at graduation$22,000

Lower than 59%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment2,392

Larger than 62%

Percentiles compare Hawaii Pacific University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Hawaii.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,780students
  • Undergraduate2,39263%
  • Graduate1,38837%

Undergraduates by gender

2,392undergrads
  • Women1,66169%
  • Men73131%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White28%
  • Black6.5%
  • Hispanic25%
  • Asian16%
  • Other or multiracial25%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,392
Graduate enrollment
1,388
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
21%
First-generation students
36%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$42,913
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$85,941
Endowment
$51,399,092

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
85.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
998–1200
SAT average
1111
SAT reading
510–610
SAT math
488–590
ACT composite
19–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.19

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,392
Room & board
$21,050
Books & supplies
$872
Total cost of attendance
$50,674
Average net price
$29,657

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
35%
Graduated on time (4 years)
26%
First-year retention
56%
Transferred to another college
45%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,773
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$59,593
Median debt at graduation
$22,000
Students with federal loans
23%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
56%

About 9% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
26%
Low-income (Pell)
23%
First-generation
22%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
712
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
30%
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
259 (105 men · 154 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Soccer50
Baseball44
Basketball29
Gymnastics26
Volleyball24
Softball23
Beach Volleyball19
Tennis17
Cross Country15
Golf12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
22

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (4,921 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

11reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year7.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
5.7
Rape
2.3
Burglary
1.7
Robbery
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Murder
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$25,758
$30–48k
$24,413
$48–75k
$28,979
$75–110k
$30,450
$110k+
$33,540

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$127,503

$28,979/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$15,750
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 99% — get grant money from Hawaii Pacific University itself, averaging $15,750, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 573 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$59,593
Typical debt at graduation
$22,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
37%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$57,531
Men
$63,346

Men out-earn women by $5,815 (10%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
88°F
Winter low
66°F
Annual rain
20.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waikiki 717.2, HI US station (3.8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Hawaii Pacific University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Hawaii Pacific University side by side →

Colleges near Hawaii Pacific University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.