Honolulu Reporter

College tuition fees rose 1.7% in Honolulu County in the 2022-23 school year, according to the latest disclosure from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Data shows that students paid $13,821 on average to attend higher education courses at the time, $236 more than the previous school year.

Among the 13 institutions in the county, Hawaii Pacific University stood out with the highest tuition fees, reaching an average of $31,940. Chaminade University of Honolulu followed with an average of $28,544 per year. Windward Community College students were offered the lowest annual tuition fees at $3,245.

At the time, a total of $36.8 million in grants or scholarships were awarded to full-time undergraduates who started at the Honolulu County universities in the 2022-23 school year. Additionally, federal student loans reached $12.1 million.

Currently there are 13 higher education institutions in Honolulu County, including Windward Community College, Hawaii Pacific University, and University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Undergraduate education costs have seen a significant increase over the past few decades. Data shows a 169% rise in the average total cost, including tuition, fees, room, and board, between 1980 and 2020.

According to a 2023 College Board report, in-state students at public universities paid an average of $11,260, while out-of-state students paid $29,150 in the 2023-24 academic year.

Meanwhile, student loan debt has steadily increased over the last 30 years, reaching $1.75 trillion in 2024, averaging a total of $28,950 per borrower. Federal loans make up 92% of the debt, with over half of students at both public and private four-year colleges graduating with student loans.

Available data sometimes exceeds 100% due to rounding and administrative calculations.

Institution	Number of Students Receiving Grants	Total Amount of Grants Received	Average Amount of Grant Per Student	Number of Students Receiving Loans	Total Amount of Loans Received	Average Amount of Loans Per Student
Pacific Rim Christian University	6	$8,244	$1,374	5	$8,023	$1,605
Honolulu Community College	128	$706,736	$5,521	9	$41,941	$4,660
Kapiolani Community College	270	$1,308,055	$4,845	42	$221,774	$5,280
Windward Community College	116	$615,570	$5,307	7	$59,081	$8,440
Hawaii Pacific University	571	$10,210,500	$17,882	334	$3,266,917	$9,781
Hawaii Medical College	137	$918,339	$6,703	145	$1,334,560	$9,204
Brigham Young University-Hawaii	188	$889,835	$4,733	48	$72,095	$1,502
University of Hawaii-West Oahu	126	$902,480	$7,163	36	$198,147	$5,504
Chaminade University of Honolulu	282	$4,443,540	$15,757	92	$669,289	$7,275
Hawaii Institute of Hair Design	20	$104,451	$5,223	19	$152,828	$8,044
Leeward Community College	361	$1,543,795	$4,276	14	$74,542	$5,324
University of Hawaii at Manoa	1,987	$14,981,940	$7,540	933	$5,895,188	$6,319
Makana Esthetics Wellness Academy	35	$133,661	$3,819	28	$152,030	$5,430