---
title: University of Hawaii at Hilo — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Hilo, HI
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# University of Hawaii at Hilo

Hilo, HI · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $47,856 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $26,276 – $68,319 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $12,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 48% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $21,173 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 62% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.26× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $19,856 | derived |

**48% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $12,500 (≈ 26% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $23,105 to $97,234 across 16 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration. | First Professional Degree | $97,234 | $218,140 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $73,736 | $18,000 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $60,375 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $50,381 | $26,760 |
| Computer Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,437 | not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $39,610 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,399 | $17,000 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,192 | $18,751 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,085 | $20,505 |
| Agriculture, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,795 | $21,500 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,017 | $20,115 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,854 | $21,662 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,189 | $22,000 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,810 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,155 | not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $23,105 | $21,841 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore University of Hawaii at Hilo by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?141565

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/university-of-hawaii-at-hilo-hi.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`