by our College Data Analytics TeamWith all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Top Hawaii Colleges ranking is part of that endeavor.
Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Hawaii to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. To come up with this ranking, we look at more than 20 factors that are all objective measurements. These factors include freshman retention, graduation rate, student-to-faculty ratio, and post graduate earnings, among other things.
Find out more about our ranking methodology.
We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Honolulu Community College tops this year’s ranking as the best school in Hawaii for overall quality. This small public school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 756 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Honolulu CC is $40,612 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Hawaii. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Colleges in Hawaii list. Brigham Young University - Hawaii is a small private not-for-profit school located in Laie, Hawaii that handed out 759 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from BYU - H make an average of $49,232 a year.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in Hawaii list means University of Hawaii at Manoa is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. This fairly large public school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 4,461 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $52,862 during the early years of their career..
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chaminade University of Honolulu. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Colleges in Hawaii list. Chaminade University of Honolulu is a small private not-for-profit school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 653 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Chaminade University of Honolulu make an average of $44,647 a year.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in Hawaii list means Kapiolani Community College is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Kapiolani CC is a public institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1,084 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $44,467 during the early years of their career..
Hawaii Pacific University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Hawaii ranking. Hawaii Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a small population, and it awarded 777 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $56,483 during the early years of their career..
University of Hawaii at Hilo did quite well in the 2023 Best Colleges in Hawaii ranking, coming in at #7. UH Hilo is located in Hilo, Hawaii and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 775 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UH Hilo is $43,823 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, University of Hawaii - West Oahu did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Hawaii list. Located in Kapolei, Hawaii, the small public school handed out 706 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UH West Oahu make an average of $48,268 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #9, Leeward Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Hawaii list. This medium-sized public school is located in Pearl City, Hawaii, and it awarded 1,293 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $38,747 during the early years of their career..
University of Hawaii Maui College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Colleges in Hawaii ranking.Kahului, Hawaii is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 572 students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, graduates from UH Maui College make an average of $39,250 a year.
Hawaii Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Colleges in Hawaii list. Hawaii CC is a small public school situated in Hilo, Hawaii. It awarded 530 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $31,054 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #12, Windward Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Colleges in Hawaii list. Windward CC is located in Kaneohe, Hawaii and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 279 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $35,517 during the early years of their career..
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
