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Best Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii

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2023 Best Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices

10 Schools Ranked
$12,891 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$17,227 Avg Student Debt*

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools and bootcamps that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii ranking. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in Hawaii to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

407 Total Awards
$8,414 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named University of Hawaii Maui College the best value school in Hawaii for students working on their associate degree. UH Maui College is a small public school situated in Kahului, Hawaii. It awarded 407 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UH Maui College are $8,414 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,825 in student loans.

UH Maui College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 88% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

UH Maui College also made our Best Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii list, coming in at #1.

Read More…

#2

Kapiolani Community College

Honolulu, Hawaii
857 Total Awards
$8,420 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kapiolani Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii list. Kapiolani Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 857 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Kapiolani CC are $8,420 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $16,042 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.

Kapiolani CC does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 90% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Kapiolani CC is ranked #2 for overall quality in Hawaii.

Full Kapiolani Community College Report

#3

Honolulu Community College

Honolulu, Hawaii
562 Total Awards
$8,310 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 10 schools in Hawaii that were part of this year’s value ranking, Honolulu Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Honolulu CC is located in Honolulu, Hawaii and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 562 associate degrees to qualified students.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Honolulu CC are $8,310 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $12,126 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Honolulu CC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 92% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Honolulu CC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii list.

Read full report on Honolulu Community College

#4

Leeward Community College

Pearl City, Hawaii
1,038 Total Awards
$8,345 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Leeward Community College is a great place for students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Leeward CC is a medium-sized public school situated in Pearl City, Hawaii. It awarded 1,038 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Leeward CC are $8,345 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,271 in student loans.

Some students may be able to take online classes at Leeward CC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 96% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Leeward Community College Report

#5

Kauai Community College

Lihue, Hawaii
124 Total Awards
$8,388 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Kauai Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii list. Lihue, Hawaii is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 124 students in 2020-2021.

Kauai CC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,388 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $13,972 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Kauai CC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 89% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Full Kauai Community College Report

#6

Hawaii Community College

Hilo, Hawaii
362 Total Awards
$8,340 Average Tuition & Fees

Hawaii Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for students to get an associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Hilo, Hawaii is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 362 students in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hawaii CC are $8,340 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $13,800 in loans while pursuing their degree.

Some students may be able to take online classes at Hawaii CC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 93% took at least some of their classes online.

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#7

Windward Community College

Kaneohe, Hawaii
247 Total Awards
$8,330 Average Tuition & Fees

Windward Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii list. Windward CC is located in Kaneohe, Hawaii and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 247 associate degrees to qualified students.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Windward CC are $8,330 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $15,193 in loans while pursuing their degree.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Windward CC does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 84% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.

Full Windward Community College Report

39 Total Awards
$6,068 Average Tuition & Fees

Brigham Young University - Hawaii ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii list. BYU - H is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Laie, Hawaii. It awarded 39 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU - H are $6,068 per year.

Since BYU - H is primarily an online school, it is an excellent choice for undergraduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.

Read full report on Brigham Young University - Hawaii

63 Total Awards
$27,454 Average Tuition & Fees

Chaminade University of Honolulu landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree programs. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 63 associate degree awards in 2020-2021.

Chaminade University of Honolulu undergraduate students pay an average of $27,454 in tuition and fees each year.

Online courses are available at Chaminade University of Honolulu, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 65% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Chaminade University of Honolulu also took the #5 spot in our Best Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii rankings.

Full Chaminade University of Honolulu Report

#10

Hawaii Pacific University

Honolulu, Hawaii
70 Total Awards
$30,020 Average Tuition & Fees

Hawaii Pacific University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii list. Hawaii Pacific University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 70 associate degrees in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hawaii Pacific University are $30,020 per year.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Hawaii Pacific University does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 47% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Hawaii Pacific University not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Associate Degree Schools in Hawaii list.

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Best Value Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 10 schools only.

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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