Public · Community college

Kauai Community College

Lihue, Hawaii · Fringe rural

10%
Transfer rate
$10,436
Avg net price
48%
Grad / completion
$36,868
Median earnings

Kauai Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Lihue, Hawaii (fringe rural setting), enrolling 716 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 716 undergradsFringe ruralMild wintersNear the coast

About Lihue, Hawaii

Līhuʻe is an unincorporated community, census-designated place and the county seat of Kauaʻi County, Hawaii, United States. In ancient times, Līhuʻe was a small village. Līhuʻe means "cold chill" in the Hawaiian language. Līhuʻe is in the ancient district of Puna, the southeastern coast of the island, and the land division (ahupuaʻa) of Kalapaki. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Lihue (LIH) · major hub

How Kauai Community College compares

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 34% · #6 of 12 in Hawaii

First-year retention61%

Higher than 25%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,868

Higher than 56% · #6 of 9 in Hawaii

Average net price$10,436

Cheaper than 69% · #7 cheapest of 11 in Hawaii

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 78%

Undergraduate enrollment716

Larger than 68%

Percentiles compare Kauai 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

716undergrads
  • Women47967%
  • Men23733%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White12%
  • Black0.8%
  • Hispanic18%
  • Asian26%
  • Other or multiracial43%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
716
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
25%
First-generation students
50%
Students over 25
21%
Median family income
$23,399
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$92,988

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 200 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Hawaii99%
  • Other U.S. states1.0%

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

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
$3,252
Out-of-state tuition
$8,388
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,360
Total cost of attendance
$18,742
Average net price
$10,436

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
48%
First-year retention
61%
Transferred to another college
10%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,592
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$36,868
Median debt at graduation
$10,500
Students with federal loans
2%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
45%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
48%
First-generation
28%

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

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%.

Campus safety

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,335 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
0.3
Burglary
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
$10,495
$30–48k
$9,324
$48–75k
$11,850
$75–110k
$9,500
$110k+

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.

61%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,034
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 61% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,034. 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 99 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)
$36,868
Typical debt at graduation
$10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
28%
Out-earn a HS grad
45%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 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
$33,404
Men
$41,832

Men out-earn women by $8,428 (25%) 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
85°F
Winter low
66°F
Annual rain
36.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
60°80°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lihue Wso AP 1020.1, HI US station (3.7 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 Kauai Community College

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

Colleges near Kauai Community College

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.