Public · University

University of Hawaii-West Oahu

Kapolei, Hawaii · Large suburb

95.3%
Admit rate
$10,327
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$52,075
Median earnings

University of Hawaii-West Oahu is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Kapolei, Hawaii (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,519 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,519 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 95% admitMild wintersNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Hawaii-West Oahu's admitted students.

Admit rate
95.3%
SAT (mid 50%)
931–1103
Avg GPA (est.)
2.84

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Hawaii-West Oahu's admitted students.

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

About Kapolei, Hawaii

Kapolei is a planned community in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, United States, on the island of Oʻahu. In 1955 the Kapolei master plan was drafted and revised 3 different times beginning in 1974. In 1977 the new General Provision Plan adopted the Oʻahu General Plan which dubbed Kapolei "second urban center" on the island of Oʻahu. Ka Makana Ali‘i, a mall that opened in October 2016, has 1.4 million square feet of retail space and more than a hundred stores. Macy's, a department store chain, is an anchor for the mall. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
13 miles to Honolulu, HI
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Daniel K. Inouye (HNL) · major hub

How University of Hawaii-West Oahu compares

Selectivity95.3%

More selective than 13% · #6 most selective of 6 in Hawaii

SAT average985

Higher than 7%

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 38% · #4 of 7 in Hawaii

First-year retention78%

Higher than 56%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,075

Higher than 45% · #4 of 7 in Hawaii

Average net price$10,327

Cheaper than 90% · #1 cheapest of 7 in Hawaii

Median debt at graduation$14,500

Lower than 92%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment2,519

Larger than 64%

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

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

2,519undergrads
  • Women1,77270%
  • Men74730%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White6.6%
  • Black1.7%
  • Hispanic16%
  • Asian37%
  • Other or multiracial39%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,519
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
43%
Students over 25
39%
Median family income
$28,758
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$104,085
Endowment
$299,037

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 238 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Hawaii99%
  • Other U.S. states0.8%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Hawaii-West Oahu 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
95.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
931–1103
SAT average
985
SAT reading
473–575
SAT math
458–528
ACT composite
15–21
Average GPA (estimated)
2.84

Cost

In-state tuition
$7,584
Out-of-state tuition
$20,544
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,350
Total cost of attendance
$18,410
Average net price
$10,327

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)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
29%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,352
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,075
Median debt at graduation
$14,500
Students with federal loans
21%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
54%

About 21% 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
29%
Low-income (Pell)
47%
First-generation
47%

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
$50

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

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,814 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.

0.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
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
$7,674
$30–48k
$7,077
$48–75k
$10,247
$75–110k
$13,155
$110k+
$17,718

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
$47,474

$10,247/year × about 4.6 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.

59%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,053
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 59% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,053. 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 188 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)
$52,075
Typical debt at graduation
$14,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
28%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$51,223
Men
$58,816

Men out-earn women by $7,593 (15%) 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
65°F
Annual rain
13.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.12.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ewa Kalaeloa AP, HI US station (2.7 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 University of Hawaii-West Oahu

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

Colleges near University of Hawaii-West Oahu

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.