Let’s walk through them together.
What kind of university it is
University of Hawaii at Manoa is in Honolulu, within Honolulu County, in an area the census classifies as a large city, with 250,000 residents or more. It is a public, four-year university and offers programs through the doctoral level. The federal Carnegie system—which classifies the country’s universities by what they do, not by what they promise—places it among doctoral institutions with the highest level of research activity on that scale. It also describes it as a large, primarily residential school: in the most recent period used by that classification, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing, and at least half studied full time.
There is one more fact worth keeping in mind if your child is coming from another university: Carnegie places it among institutions that receive many transfer students. That does not tell you how many credits your child will bring in or which ones will be lost along the way. If transferring is part of the plan, ask in writing, before enrolling, which courses will count and which will not.
It is also marked in the government’s official file as a Land Grant Institution—a historical designation shared by only 80 of the 3,012 institutions in this database. Do not read it as a verdict on quality. That label does not measure how much actual support your child will have there. You see that in things with names: which student center exists, which scholarship applies, and who answers the phone in April.
If your child plans to live at home while studying, do yourself a favor: drive the route on a weekday at the exact time of the classes. The real travel time is almost never what the map says.
A large school, with more people than you might think
University of Hawaii at Manoa reported 19,256 enrolled students in the most recent official fall count. It is a large school: the government places it in the band between 10,000 and 19,999 students, and compared with similar selective-admission schools, it is on the larger side of the group.
But that large number is a little misleading. It is divided into 14,576 undergraduate and 4,680 graduate students. If your child is beginning an undergraduate degree, the number that matters is not 19,256, but 14,576. The rest are people who have already completed a bachelor’s degree and are continuing their studies there.
Within the undergraduate population, there are more women than men—60 out of every 100 are women—and adults ages 25 to 64 are a minority, just 11 out of every 100. Slightly more than half of first-time students, 54 out of every 100, were from Hawaii itself when they applied. Hispanic or Latino students account for 14 out of every 100 undergraduates: a small minority, although slightly above the midpoint among the similar schools used for comparison. If this matters to your family, do not dismiss the school because of the number: during your visit, ask which Latino student groups exist, whether there is a cultural center, and whether anyone in the office speaks Spanish.
How the academic year is organized
The year is divided into semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university reported that it accepts credit from AP exams and also what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—independent study, adult courses, work experience, portfolios, licenses, or certifications, among other pathways—as well as credit for military training. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit, both within and outside formal dual-enrollment programs.
All of this sounds like a way to save time and money. But the university’s statement that it accepts AP does not mean it will award credit for every exam at every score, or that the credit will count toward the specific degree your child wants. Request the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
In a single year, University of Hawaii at Manoa awarded 3,049 bachelor’s degrees across 26 different fields of study. The largest field was business and management, with 21 out of every 100 degrees—no other area surpassed it, but it did not account for the bulk of the degrees either. Compared with similar schools, it ranks in the top quarter for the variety of fields represented in its offerings. That is a broad range of offerings, but 26 fields of study are not 26 majors: each field groups several programs, and some rows may report no degrees for that year. Verify the exact program your child is interested in, not just the general field.
As for instructional staff relative to students, the official ratio is 14 students for every full-time-equivalent instructional staff member, a low figure compared with similar schools. It is an institution-wide aggregate ratio: it does not tell you the size of first-year classes or how much individual attention your child will receive.
Academic pathways the university reports offering
University of Hawaii at Manoa reports study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, a complete program that can be taken only in the evenings or on weekends, and pathways for teacher preparation and certification, including state approval of the program for initial certification. Their reported status confirms that they exist as institutional options; it does not indicate available spaces, additional cost, or whether they apply to your child’s major. Ask about each one by its exact name.
Admission: who gets in and how
Here is one of the most important facts in the entire article, so let’s take it slowly.
University of Hawaii at Manoa does not have open admission. It reviews several pieces before saying yes. Of the nine considerations it evaluates, five are required: the high school record, grade point average, class rank, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, and an English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. Four others are not required but are considered if submitted: the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, and work experience. The undergraduate application fee is $70.
If your child studied outside the United States or completed high school in Spanish, ask now whether the English proficiency exam applies and what qualifies for an exemption. It is one of those things families discover late, and this university marks it as required when applicable.
Now for the figure you were probably looking for. In the most recent cycle, 19,211 students applied for first-year admission and 13,388 were offered a place: 70 out of every 100. Compared with similar selective public schools, its acceptance rate is on the lower side of the group—seven out of ten of those schools accepted a larger percentage. But it remains an accessible school, with thousands of applicants each year and seven out of ten receiving a yes. Your child has a reason to apply. Your child also has a reason to submit a complete application on time, because that figure comes from a single cycle: if more students apply in your child’s year and the number of available places does not grow, the rate will decline on its own. Check it again when it is your child’s turn.
Here is a figure that often surprises families: out of every 100 admitted students, only 23 enrolled. The other 77 had a place there and did not take it. Do not read that as a mark against the school—the federal record does not explain why each person made that decision—and do not let it frighten you either: what others did does not predict what your child will be offered. What does matter is waiting for the letter with the net price—what the year will actually cost your family—before crossing this school off the list or keeping it there.
As for tests, the SAT and ACT are not required. If submitted, they are considered; if not, the application remains under consideration just the same. Only 2 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted SAT scores, one of the lowest shares among schools of its type. Among those who did submit them, the middle half scored between 540 and 640 in reading and writing, and between 480 and 600 in mathematics. Those ranges describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants: that 540 is not a minimum that must be reached, and that 640 does not guarantee anything either.
And if your child arrives as a transfer student: in the most recent count, 1,477 undergraduate students entered for the first time after studying at another institution. That is a high number compared with similar schools. How many credits were accepted is a separate question—and one to ask the school directly, because the federal file does not answer it.
What it costs and what students actually pay
At University of Hawaii at Manoa, among 191 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and had EFC records showing family income below $30,000, the average net price was $7,397. Among 153 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $13,381; among 161 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $20,462. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (191 students) and the average for the highest-income band (161 students) is $13,065. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship or grant, the average was $14,557.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, this one falls in the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after scholarships and grants are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a fact worth considering when you build the list of schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with scholarships and grants, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. The aid letter sent specifically to you is what matters.
Financial aid and loans: keep the categories separate
In the most recently reported academic year, 55 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some form of aid that does not have to be repaid—scholarships or grants. That is more than half, but not everyone, and compared with similar schools, the share falls in the quarter where scholarships and grants reach fewer people. Among those who received that aid, the average for the year was $7,787.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—reached 25 out of every 100 students. That is less than the overall share receiving aid, and the difference may come from state, institutional, or other sources that this breakdown does not separate. Ask directly which programs make up that difference.
As for loans, 27 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan, and among those who borrowed, the average for the year was $1,815. Compared with similar schools, that share is on the lower side. That average covers only one year and only federal loans in the student’s name: it does not include Parent PLUS loans signed by parents, debt from banks, or credit cards, and it is not the total debt with which someone graduates. That figure is not in this report.
No percentage on this page determines which of these groups your child will fall into—the group that receives scholarships or grants, the group that borrows, or the group that needs neither. The written financial aid letter your child receives will determine that. Wait for it before dismissing the school and before committing to it.
The university also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan, in case it helps your family organize the year’s expenses differently.
Campus life, learning format, and reported support
University of Hawaii at Manoa has its own housing, with a reported capacity of 3,091 students on or off campus. Not everyone is required to live there—the university explicitly confirms this—but that does not tell you whether a particular program requires it. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. The existence of a room does not guarantee an available bed: ask in writing for this year’s rate, the housing application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
The university reported ROTC opportunities in all three branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force, with the Marine Corps option within Navy. Reporting all three is uncommon: of 3,012 universities in this database, only 135 do so. But that designation does not confirm that the program is taught on this specific campus, that space is available, or that a scholarship is offered. Ask about each branch by name before building a plan around it.
It competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. That is institutional membership, not a guaranteed place for your child: if athletics is part of the plan, write directly to the coach and ask about roster availability, division, and scholarships, all in writing.
It offers distance education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, although only 6 out of every 100 undergraduate students take all their classes that way; the other 94 take at least one class in person. It also reports at least one complete program that can be taken through distance education, but that does not confirm that the program is at the undergraduate level: verify the exact credential level and major.
The library operates with paid staff, spending above the threshold recorded by the government, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. Reported services and support include combined academic and career counseling, employment services, placement services for graduates, on-campus child care, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a point of contact for veterans and military personnel, a student veterans organization, and a webpage for disability services. Their reported status confirms that they exist as institutional services; it does not measure their quality or effectiveness for your child in particular. Ask about that directly, using specific names and dates.
How many stay and how many graduate
Here we come to the part that carries the most weight in the decision.
Of the first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in the most recent fall, 75 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. More stayed than left, although compared with similar schools, the figure falls slightly below the group’s midpoint. Among those who entered part time that same fall, the figure was 56 out of every 100—although that is a different cohort, with different circumstances, and it should not be compared directly with the full-time cohort.
As for graduation, from a cohort of 1,897 students who began a bachelor’s degree full time, 1,187 had graduated from the same institution within six years. That is 63 out of every 100. At four years—the timeline most families have budgeted for—the figure is 40 out of every 100, which is 23 points lower. That gap does not tell you how many additional semesters each person attended or how much they cost, but it does warn you about something real: before signing, ask in writing how long students usually take to complete the program your child is interested in, how its required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if a fifth year becomes necessary.
A broader view, over eight years: from a cohort of 4,048 undergraduate students who entered between 2015 and 2016—combining first-time students and those with prior college experience, as well as full-time and part-time students—63 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school by the August 2023 reporting point. Among those who had a Pell Grant, the figure was exactly the same: 63 out of every 100. Matching figures do not mean the path was the same for everyone. The report does not explain what happened to the rest: 23 out of every 100 had an unknown enrollment status, which means the system could not determine whether they remained enrolled elsewhere—not that they had dropped out.
None of these figures predicts what will happen to your child. They are averages from thousands of different stories. What you can do with them is ask, using specific names, what concrete support exists to keep your child’s degree from taking longer than necessary, and request the most recent outcomes the university itself can share.
How to use all of this
You now know one real part of University of Hawaii at Manoa: how it admits students, how much it costs at its two tuition rates, how net price changes with family income, how many students stay and how many graduate, and which forms of support it reports having. That is no small thing, but it is not the whole map either.
What is missing is what only your child can tell you: what they want to study, how far away they are willing to live, and how interested they are in this particular island. Also missing is what only your family can decide: how much you can and are willing to pay, and how that figure looks alongside the written financial aid letter you receive.
It is your child’s job to build the application, explore the options, and decide why they want to go there. It is your job to understand the money, review the deadlines, and ask the questions a teenager does not yet know need to be asked. Neither of you does the other’s work.
Put this piece together with the other two, and a plan will emerge.
Source note: the information in this article comes from official data reported to IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education for the cycles and periods identified in the text. Best College Aid does not represent University of Hawaii at Manoa or any government agency; this article is an informational guide and does not replace official or personalized information that the university itself may provide.