Hawaii Pacific University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes

Honolulu, Hawaii · Private nonprofit · Open access

Acceptance rate
84%
Avg SAT
1180
In-state tuition
$33,020
per year, before aid
Net price (avg)
$30,557
after aid, what families pay
Quick answer

Hawaii Pacific University is a private nonprofit university in Honolulu, Hawaii that admits about 84% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $30,557 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 5.8 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.

Hawaii Pacific University is a private institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. For the most recent reporting cycle, Hawaii Pacific University admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 84%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1180 and an ACT composite around 25. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $30,557 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Hawaii Pacific University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.

What GPA does my child need for Hawaii Pacific University?

Hawaii Pacific University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.

SAT and ACT scores Hawaii Pacific University typically admits

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 520–630, with an EBRW midpoint near 584. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 21–29. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.

How much does Hawaii Pacific University actually cost?

Published tuition is $33,020 for in-state students and $33,020 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,042 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $30,557 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 20% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.

Most popular majors at Hawaii Pacific University

The most popular undergraduate programs at Hawaii Pacific University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General. Across all programs, Hawaii Pacific University confers roughly 356 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing program report a median income of about $111,432 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.

MajorGraduates / yearMedian earnings (5 yrs out)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing114$111,432
Business Administration, Management and Operations80$55,789
Psychology, General36$49,019
Criminal Justice and Corrections34$56,760
Biology, General25$40,060
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology25$47,552
Computer Science23
Human Resources Management and Services19
Bachelor's-degree completions from federal IPEDS data; earnings from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Is Hawaii Pacific University safe? Campus crime & safety

In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Hawaii Pacific University disclosed 14 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 5.8 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 2 violent offenses and 3 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.

Total offenses
14
5.8 per 1,000 students
Violent crime
2
0.84 per 1,000
Sexual assault / VAWA
3
1.25 per 1,000
Burglary
3
reported incidents
Clery Act disclosures (2024) cover on-campus, noncampus, and adjacent public-property incidents; rates use an enrollment of 2,392 students.

Other colleges in Hawaii parents ask about

How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Hawaii Pacific University

Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Hawaii Pacific University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.

Common questions parents ask about Hawaii Pacific University

What GPA do I need for Hawaii Pacific University?

Hawaii Pacific University has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.

What SAT or ACT score does Hawaii Pacific University typically admit?

The middle-50 SAT Math range is 520–630, with an EBRW midpoint near 584. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 21–29.

How much does Hawaii Pacific University actually cost after financial aid?

The average net price at Hawaii Pacific University after grants and scholarships is $30,557 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.

Is Hawaii Pacific University realistic for my child?

Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Hawaii Pacific University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.

What is the acceptance rate at Hawaii Pacific University?

Hawaii Pacific University accepts about 84% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.

Is Hawaii Pacific University a public or private school, and where is it located?

Hawaii Pacific University is a private nonprofit institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii.

What are the most popular majors at Hawaii Pacific University?

The largest undergraduate majors at Hawaii Pacific University by annual graduates are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Psychology, General. The school awards about 356 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.

Is Hawaii Pacific University safe? What is its campus crime rate?

Hawaii Pacific University reported 14 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 5.8 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.

Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.