Public · Community college

Leeward Community College

Pearl City, Hawaii · Large suburb

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

14%
Transfer rate: $5,137
Avg net price: 35%
Grad / completion: $39,899
Median earnings

Leeward Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Pearl City, Hawaii (large suburb setting), enrolling 3,438 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,438 undergradsLarge suburbMild wintersNear the coast

About Pearl City, Hawaii

Pearl City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the ʻEwa District and City & County of Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu, in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Early-day Pearl City had an array of rice paddies and fields that were plowed with water buffalo that hauled a 9 two-wheeled cart. In the early 1880s, Pearl City was the final stop for Benjamin Franklin Dillingham's Oahu Railway, a mud wagon driven by a four-horse team. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 10 miles to Honolulu, HI
To the ocean: < 1 mile
Nearest airport: 6 miles to Daniel K. Inouye (HNL) · major hub

How Leeward Community College compares

Graduation rate35%

Higher than 20% · #7 of 12 in Hawaii

First-year retention72%

Higher than 47%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,899

Higher than 68% · #3 of 9 in Hawaii

Average net price$5,137

Cheaper than 91% · #1 cheapest of 11 in Hawaii

Median debt at graduation$8,970

Lower than 66%

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment3,438

Larger than 88%

Percentiles compare Leeward 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

Women2,15463%
Men1,28437%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White6.8%
Black2.1%
Hispanic17%
Asian34%
Other or multiracial39%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,438
Student–faculty ratio: 21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 18%
First-generation students: 45%
Students over 25: 30%
Median family income: $26,098
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $90,531

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 733 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Hawaii99%
Other U.S. states0.5%
International0.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Leeward 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: $3,214
Out-of-state tuition: $8,350
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,360
Total cost of attendance: $12,507
Average net price: $5,137

Outcomes

Graduated: 35%
First-year retention: 72%
Transferred to another college: 14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $33,997
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $39,899
Median debt at graduation: $8,970
Students with federal loans: 4%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 39%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

35%

Low-income (Pell)

21%

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: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.3reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape

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

$4,156

$30–48k

$4,596

$48–75k

$5,206

$75–110k

$7,798

$110k+

$11,554

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.

57%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,275

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 57% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,275. 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 496 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): $39,899
Typical debt at graduation: $8,970
Debt vs. one year's pay: 22%
Out-earn a HS grad: 45%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 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

$38,541

Men

$41,900

Men out-earn women by $3,359 (9%) 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: 87°F
Winter low: 62°F
Annual rain: 17.1″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ewa Beach Usgs 702.2, HI US station (5.5 mi from campus).

What Leeward Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

574 grads$22k 1 yr$38k 5 yr$9k debt

574$21,784$37,813$9,387 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

52 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

52———Teaching Assistants/AidesAssoc.

48 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

48———Natural SciencesAssoc.

47 grads— 1 yr$74k 5 yr$11k debt

47—$73,547$11,068 Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

39 grads— 1 yr$58k 5 yr— debt

39—$58,040—Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

31 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

29 grads— 1 yr$47k 5 yr— debt

29—$46,727—Computer Software and Media ApplicationsAssoc.

23 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23———Special Education and TeachingCert.

23 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

22 grads— 1 yr$39k 5 yr— debt

22—$38,631—Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Accounting and Related ServicesCert.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———

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 Leeward Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Leeward 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

Honolulu Community College

Public

Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city · 1 mi to Honolulu

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

Columbia State Community College

Public

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Students: 3,897
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 17%
Earnings: $40k

Snow College

Public

Ephraim, Utah · Remote town · 98 mi to Salt Lake City

Students: 3,549
Tuition: $4k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $41k

Virginia Western Community College

Public

Roanoke, Virginia · Small city · 2 mi to Roanoke

Students: 3,898
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $39k

University of Hawaii Maui College

Public

Kahului, Hawaii · Small city · 94 mi to Honolulu

Students: 1,700
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $34k

Colleges near Leeward Community College

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Hawaii Pacific University

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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.