State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in Hawaii
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 18 Hawaii colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- $5,137
- Cheapest net price
- $11,856
- Hawaii median
- 18
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The list in one line
Leeward Community College has the lowest average net price in Hawaii at $5,137/year, and the state's median net price is 31% below the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- $5,137
- cheapest ranked net price
- $11,856
- Hawaii median net price
- 10 public / 8 private
- schools in this ranking
- $19,165
- avg net price, <$30K income families
Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.
Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at Hawaii Pacific University, where in-state published tuition of $34,392 falls to an average net price of $29,657 after aid, a $4,735 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked Hawaii schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 18 ranked Hawaii schools, 10 are public institutions and 8 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.
Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.
Hawaii's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeward Community College Pearl City, HI · Public | $5,137 96% of the leader · rank #1 | $4,156 | $8,970 | $33,997 | 6,059 |
| 2 | Kapiolani Community College Honolulu, HI · Public | $5,202 96% of the leader · rank #2 | $4,068 | $9,229 | $38,265 | 5,822 |
| 3 | Honolulu Community College Honolulu, HI · Public | $7,458 94% of the leader · rank #3 | $6,672 | $7,534 | $36,127 | 3,204 |
| 4 | University of Hawaii Maui College Kahului, HI · Public | $8,061 93% of the leader · rank #4 | $7,386 | $13,040 | $28,263 | 2,647 |
| 5 | Windward Community College Kaneohe, HI · Public | $8,169 93% of the leader · rank #5 | $6,750 | $9,500 | $30,631 | 2,743 |
| 6 | Hawaii Community College Hilo, HI · Public | $8,942 92% of the leader · rank #6 | $7,964 | $10,500 | $29,704 | 2,260 |
| 7 | University of Hawaii-West Oahu Kapolei, HI · Public | $10,327 91% of the leader · rank #7 | $7,674 | $14,500 | $44,352 | 2,863 |
| 8 | Kauai Community College Lihue, HI · Public | $10,436 91% of the leader · rank #8 | $10,495 | $10,500 | $31,592 | 1,298 |
| 9 | Makana Esthetics Wellness Academy Honolulu, HI · Private for-profit | $11,824 90% of the leader · rank #9 | $11,824 | - | - | 68 |
| 10 | University of Hawaii at Hilo Hilo, HI · Public | $11,856 90% of the leader · rank #10 | $8,983 | $20,500 | $37,204 | 2,781 |
| 11 | University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI · Public | $15,664 86% of the leader · rank #11 | $10,675 | $18,500 | $45,701 | 19,256 |
| 12 | Brigham Young University-Hawaii Laie, HI · Private nonprofit | $16,774 85% of the leader · rank #12 | $11,623 | $9,413 | $39,316 | 2,836 |
| 13 | Hawaii Institute of Hair Design Honolulu, HI · Private for-profit | $20,970 82% of the leader · rank #13 | $20,657 | $5,793 | $17,489 | 70 |
| 14 | Pacific Rim Christian University Honolulu, HI · Private nonprofit | $23,151 80% of the leader · rank #14 | $22,972 | - | - | 169 |
| 15 | Chaminade University of Honolulu Honolulu, HI · Private nonprofit | $28,856 75% of the leader · rank #15 | $31,589 | $23,250 | $48,660 | 2,602 |
| 16 | Hawaii Pacific University Honolulu, HI · Private nonprofit | $29,657 74% of the leader · rank #16 | $25,758 | $22,000 | $48,773 | 4,748 |
| 17 | Hawaii Medical College Honolulu, HI · Private for-profit | $30,107 74% of the leader · rank #17 | $30,094 | $13,000 | $35,803 | 217 |
| 18 | Mauna Loa Helicopters Kailua Kona, HI · Private for-profit | $115,636 4% of the leader · rank #18 | $115,636 | - | - | 12 |
What this means for you
Use Hawaii's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.
- Leeward Community College reports the lowest average net price in Hawaii, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View Leeward Community College
- See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
- Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Hawaii safety
Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.
Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.