by our College Data Analytics TeamThis page focuses on the debt students take on to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa: 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 UH Manoa, 32% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, at roughly $7,050 each, across private and federal loan sources.
On the federal side, the average loan is $5,098, amounting to 92.7% 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 UH Manoa, 28% borrow through federal student loan programs, averaging $6,403 annually. This is 25.6% more than the freshman federal average of $5,098.
Borrowing the same amount each year would add up to roughly $12,806 after two years and $25,612 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 28% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,403 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 3,995 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $25,579,486 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at UH Manoa carry a median federal debt of $13,099 in federal borrowing.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $13,099 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $18,500 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,250 |
Withdrawn-student debt matters because those borrowers carry the loans without the degree that helps repay them.
Looking only at the median is misleading — these four percentiles describe the full debt distribution for borrowers at UH Manoa.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,250 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,375 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at UH Manoa.
The figures above count only the students own federal loans. Adding PLUS loans (borrowed by parents or graduate students) gives a fuller picture of total borrowing at UH Manoa.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 2203 | $27,461 |
| Completed (graduates) | 1179 | $30,988 |
| Did not complete | 1024 | $25,000 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $368.48/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 UH Manoa.
Stafford vs Non-Stafford (any year)
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 2124 | $28,054 |
| No Stafford loan | 79 | $15,163 |
Current-Year Stafford Borrowers
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 1862 | $28,454 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 341 | $22,983 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at UH Manoa.
The default rate measures how many borrowers fall behind and ultimately fail to repay their federal loans. Two-year cohort default-rate data for UH Manoa is shown below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 3.8% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 2644 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Borrowing varies by family income, by first-generation status, and by dependency status.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,000 |
| Middle income | $12,500 |
| High income | $13,099 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,750 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,750 |
| Independent students | $15,545 |
These pre-calculated indicators summarize the borrowing gaps between cohorts at UH Manoa.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Did You Know?
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.