Public · Community college

Windward Community College

Kaneohe, Hawaii · Midsize suburb

#5 for grad earnings in Hawaii#5 best value in Hawaii

12%
Transfer rate: $8,169
Avg net price: 31%
Grad / completion: $38,439
Median earnings

Windward Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Kaneohe, Hawaii (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 1,159 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,159 undergradsMidsize suburbMild wintersNear the coast

About Kaneohe, Hawaii

Kāneʻohe is a census-designated place included in the City and County of Honolulu and in Hawaiʻi state District of Koʻolaupoko on the island of Oʻahu. Kāneʻohe was home to the early rulers of the Hawaiian Kingdom and consisted of 30 royal fishponds. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 8 miles to Honolulu, HI
To the ocean: 2 miles
Nearest airport: 9 miles to Daniel K. Inouye (HNL) · major hub

How Windward Community College compares

Graduation rate31%

Higher than 14% · #9 of 12 in Hawaii

First-year retention63%

Higher than 29%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,439

Higher than 62% · #5 of 9 in Hawaii

Average net price$8,169

Cheaper than 78% · #5 cheapest of 11 in Hawaii

Median debt at graduation$9,500

Lower than 57%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment1,159

Larger than 74%

Percentiles compare Windward 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

Women77667%
Men38333%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White12%
Black1.1%
Hispanic19%
Asian12%
Other or multiracial56%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,159
Student–faculty ratio: 19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 15%
First-generation students: 48%
Students over 25: 33%
Median family income: $21,000
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $89,163

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 334 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From Hawaii98%
Other U.S. states1.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Windward 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: $3,194
Out-of-state tuition: $8,330
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,360
Total cost of attendance: $15,522
Average net price: $8,169

Outcomes

Graduated: 31%
First-year retention: 63%
Transferred to another college: 12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $30,631
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $38,439
Median debt at graduation: $9,500
Students with federal loans: 2%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 31%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

31%

Low-income (Pell)

27%

First-generation

26%

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): 5

Reported offenses in an average year

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

2.0reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

1.0

Motor vehicle theft

0.7

Aggravated assault

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

$6,750

$30–48k

$8,123

$48–75k

$9,900

$75–110k

$10,873

$110k+

$13,794

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.

35%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,960

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 35% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,960. 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 202 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): $38,439
Typical debt at graduation: $9,500
Debt vs. one year's pay: 25%
Out-earn a HS grad: 41%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 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

$36,205

Men

$43,916

Men out-earn women by $7,711 (21%) 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: 50.9″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Kaneohe 838.1, HI US station (1.4 mi from campus).

What Windward Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

202 grads$27k 1 yr$38k 5 yr$12k debt

202$27,200$37,876$12,000 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group StudiesAssoc.

59 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

59———Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/TechniciansCert.

32 grads— 1 yr$35k 5 yr$6k debt

32—$35,365$6,299 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

28 grads$38k 1 yr$36k 5 yr$14k debt

28$38,109$36,222$14,490 Natural SciencesAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/TechniciansCert.

5 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

5———

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 Windward Community College

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

Hawaii Community College

Public

Hilo, Hawaii · Remote town · 212 mi to Honolulu

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

Kauai Community College

Public

Lihue, Hawaii · Fringe rural · 109 mi to Honolulu

Students: 716
Tuition: $3k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $37k

University of Hawaii Maui College

Public

Kahului, Hawaii · Small city · 94 mi to Honolulu

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

Honolulu Community College

Public

Honolulu, Hawaii · Large city · 1 mi to Honolulu

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

Flathead Valley Community College

Public

Kalispell, Montana · Remote town · 95 mi to Missoula

Students: 1,202
Tuition: $5k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $39k

Cayuga County Community College

Public

Auburn, New York · Distant town · 21 mi to Syracuse

Students: 1,187
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $39k

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University of Hawaii at Manoa

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Hawaii Medical College

Honolulu, HI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 194 students

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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.