Public · Community college

Honolulu Community College

Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city

#1 for grad earnings in Hawaii#3 best value in Hawaii

16%
Transfer rate: $7,458
Avg net price: 25%
Grad / completion: $45,105
Median earnings

Honolulu Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Honolulu, Hawaii (large city setting), enrolling 1,897 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,897 undergradsLarge cityMild wintersNear the coast

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: Associate
Nearest big city: 1 mile to Honolulu, HI
To the ocean: 1 mile
Nearest airport: 4 miles to Daniel K. Inouye (HNL) · major hub

How Honolulu Community College compares

Graduation rate25%

Higher than 8% · #11 of 12 in Hawaii

First-year retention55%

Higher than 15%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,105

Higher than 83% · #1 of 9 in Hawaii

Average net price$7,458

Cheaper than 80% · #3 cheapest of 11 in Hawaii

Median debt at graduation$7,534

Lower than 79%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment1,897

Larger than 81%

Percentiles compare Honolulu Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Hawaii.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women80042%
Men1,09758%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White7.4%
Black2.5%
Hispanic15%
Asian35%
Other or multiracial41%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,897
Student–faculty ratio: 18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 16%
First-generation students: 46%
Students over 25: 34%
Median family income: $24,734
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $91,809

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 423 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Hawaii95%
Other U.S. states4.3%
International0.9%

Most first-years stay in state — Honolulu Community College draws overwhelmingly from Hawaii.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $3,174
Out-of-state tuition: $8,310
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,360
Total cost of attendance: $13,151
Average net price: $7,458

Outcomes

Graduated: 25%
First-year retention: 55%
Transferred to another college: 16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $36,127
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $45,105
Median debt at graduation: $7,534
Students with federal loans: 4%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 46%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

25%

Low-income (Pell)

19%

First-generation

21%

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: No
Application fee: $25

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 6

Reported offenses in an average year

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

2.3reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

1.0

Arson

0.7

Aggravated assault

0.3

Motor vehicle theft

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

$6,672

$30–48k

$5,990

$48–75k

$8,768

$75–110k

$9,031

$110k+

$12,959

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.

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.

24%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$2,203

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 24% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,203. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 252 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): $45,105
Typical debt at graduation: $7,534
Debt vs. one year's pay: 17%
Out-earn a HS grad: 51%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.7 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

$36,868

Men

$55,956

Men out-earn women by $19,088 (52%) 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: 89°F
Winter low: 67°F
Annual rain: 16.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Honolulu Intl AP, HI US station (3.8 mi from campus).

What Honolulu Community College graduates study — and earn

Construction Trades, GeneralAssoc.

154 grads$87k 1 yr$106k 5 yr$13k debt

154$86,741$106,044$12,500 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

71 grads— 1 yr$33k 5 yr$9k debt

71—$33,150$9,236 Fire ProtectionCert.

61 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

61———Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsCert.

49 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

49———Fire ProtectionAssoc.

37 grads$38k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

37$37,817——CarpentersCert.

35 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

35———Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsAssoc.

29 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

29———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

24 grads$52k 1 yr$78k 5 yr— debt

24$52,460$78,144—Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

21 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

21———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———

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 Honolulu Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Honolulu Community College side by side →

Kapiolani Community College

Public

Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city · 4 mi to Honolulu

Students: 3,910
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $45k

Windward Community College

Public

Kaneohe, Hawaii · Midsize suburb · 8 mi to Honolulu

Students: 1,159
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $38k

Leeward Community College

Public

Pearl City, Hawaii · Large suburb · 10 mi to Honolulu

Students: 3,438
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $40k

Riverland Community College

Public

Austin, Minnesota · Distant town · 91 mi to Minneapolis

Students: 2,003
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $45k

Sussex County Community College

Public

Newton, New Jersey · Fringe rural · 46 mi to New York

Students: 2,086
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $45k

Hawaii Community College

Public

Hilo, Hawaii · Remote town · 212 mi to Honolulu

Students: 1,546
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $35k

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University of Hawaii at Manoa

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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.