Public · Community college

Kapiolani Community College

Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city

#2 for grad earnings in Hawaii#2 best value in Hawaii

21%
Transfer rate: $5,202
Avg net price: 22%
Grad / completion: $44,599
Median earnings

Kapiolani Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Honolulu, Hawaii (large city setting), enrolling 3,910 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,910 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: 4 miles to Honolulu, HI
To the ocean: 1 mile
Nearest airport: 9 miles to Daniel K. Inouye (HNL) · major hub

How Kapiolani Community College compares

Graduation rate22%

Higher than 6% · #12 of 12 in Hawaii

First-year retention63%

Higher than 29%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,599

Higher than 82% · #2 of 9 in Hawaii

Average net price$5,202

Cheaper than 90% · #2 cheapest of 11 in Hawaii

Median debt at graduation$9,229

Lower than 65%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment3,910

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare Kapiolani 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

Women2,37661%
Men1,53439%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White9.4%
Black1.8%
Hispanic13%
Asian38%
Other or multiracial38%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,910
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 19%
First-generation students: 42%
Students over 25: 35%
Median family income: $24,805
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $92,943

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 935 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Hawaii82%
Other U.S. states4.0%
International14%

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

14% 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: $3,284
Out-of-state tuition: $8,420
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,360
Total cost of attendance: $11,992
Average net price: $5,202

Outcomes

Graduated: 22%
First-year retention: 63%
Transferred to another college: 21%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $38,265
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $44,599
Median debt at graduation: $9,229
Students with federal loans: 6%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 52%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

22%

Low-income (Pell)

22%

First-generation

23%

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: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 3

Reported offenses in an average year

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

1.0reported offenses a year

0 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

1.0

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

$4,068

$30–48k

$5,369

$48–75k

$6,367

$75–110k

$7,820

$110k+

$10,591

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.

39%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,962

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 39% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,962. 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 422 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): $44,599
Typical debt at graduation: $9,229
Debt vs. one year's pay: 21%
Out-earn a HS grad: 56%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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

$43,307

Men

$46,888

Men out-earn women by $3,581 (8%) 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

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waikiki 717.2, HI US station (1.1 mi from campus).

What Kapiolani Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

308 grads$33k 1 yr$38k 5 yr$11k debt

308$33,307$38,019$10,500 Natural SciencesAssoc.

59 grads— 1 yr$77k 5 yr— debt

59—$77,330—Culinary Arts and Related ServicesAssoc.

50 grads$27k 1 yr$36k 5 yr$10k debt

50$26,882$36,477$10,087 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

44 grads— 1 yr$105k 5 yr$16k debt

44—$105,313$16,168 Hospitality Administration/ManagementCert.

39 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

39———Hospitality Administration/ManagementAssoc.

37 grads$21k 1 yr$33k 5 yr— debt

37$20,557$33,030—Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssoc.

35 grads$86k 1 yr$96k 5 yr$19k debt

35$85,511$96,327$18,751 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

22 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

22———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssoc.

22 grads$42k 1 yr$47k 5 yr$15k debt

22$42,172$47,021$15,496 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

18 grads— 1 yr$52k 5 yr— debt

18—$52,486—Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

15 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

15———Legal Support ServicesCert.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———

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 Kapiolani Community College

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

Leeward Community College

Public

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

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

Honolulu Community College

Public

Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city · 1 mi to Honolulu

Students: 1,897
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $45k

Wharton County Junior College

Public

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Students: 4,585
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 30%
Earnings: $45k

Northern Essex Community College

Public

Haverhill, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 25 mi to Manchester

Students: 3,685
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $43k

Mercer County Community College

Public

West Windsor, New Jersey · Fringe rural · 34 mi to Philadelphia

Students: 5,404
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $43k

Spokane Community College

Public

Spokane, Washington · Midsize city · 3 mi to Spokane

Students: 4,533
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $42k

Colleges near Kapiolani Community College

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Honolulu, HI · Public · Bachelor's · 15,029 students

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Hawaii Institute of Hair Design

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Honolulu Community College

Honolulu, HI · Public · Associate · 1,897 students

6 mi

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.