by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Hawaii Pacific University: median debt, the percentile spread, total borrowing including PLUS loans, and the cost to repay. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
For incoming students at Hawaii Pacific University, 50% of new students use loans toward freshman-year expenses, averaging $8,822 per student, private and federal loans combined.
The typical federal loan comes to $5,238, amounting to 95.2% of the $5,500 cap on first-year federal borrowing for the typical dependent student. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Hawaii Pacific University, 34% take out federal student loans, borrowing on average $6,597 per year. It comes to 25.9% greater than the $5,238 freshmen take on.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $13,194 after two years and $26,388 by the fourth year. These figures assume identical federal borrowing each year and omit private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 34% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,597 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 860 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $5,673,497 |
The middle borrower at Hawaii Pacific University owes $12,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $12,000 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $22,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $6,250 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
Half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles shown below for Hawaii Pacific University.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,500 |
The spread between the lowest- and highest-debt deciles summarizes how variable outcomes are at Hawaii Pacific University.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Hawaii Pacific University.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 441 | $24,635 |
| Completed (graduates) | 238 | $29,362 |
| Did not complete | 203 | $22,109 |
On a standard 10-year plan, the median completing borrower would pay about $349.15/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Hawaii Pacific University.
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 365 | $26,845 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 76 | $15,831 |
Repayment burden translates the debt figures into what a borrower actually pays each month. Hawaii Pacific University.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Hawaii Pacific University appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.0% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 1258 |
This rate follows a borrower cohort from the start of repayment through the two-year window the Department of Education uses.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Borrowing by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500 |
| Middle income | $12,000 |
| High income | $11,790 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,151 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,482 |
Dependent vs Independent Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,000 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at Hawaii Pacific University.
Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loans
Unsubsidized federal student loans accrue interest every month — even while you are still enrolled. Unless you pay that interest as it builds, the balance you owe at graduation can be noticeably higher than the amount you originally borrowed.
Important to Remember
Declaring bankruptcy does not erase federal student loan debt. If you stop paying, the federal government can garnish a portion of your wages until the loans are repaid.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.