Top Online Colleges and Best Value Schools (ROI) in Hawaii

Distance education is becoming increasingly popular in Hawaii. A report revealed that about a quarter of all students registered in Hawaiian colleges and universities attend at least one of the many online classes covering a wide variety of interests. Hawaii is a member of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Learning that, among other things, pushes for a tuition reciprocity program for low tuition rates.

Several universities and colleges in Hawaii have numerous online programs catering to the different educational needs of students in the state. Students prefer the online programs of Hawaii since they offer affordability and flexibility, and others may want to pursue careers like ecology, biology, or disaster management. Those in the military benefit from concurrent programs.

Moreover, there are online programs provided by Hawaiian organizations that are ideal for the needs of Hawaiian students. For instance, students may obtain credentials in specific fields, such as that of disaster preparedness, indigenous language, as well as culture, travel and leisure. Other online programs help fill Hawaii’s essential needs for social workers, nurses, teachers, and business leaders. Being in an online academic institution is considered the first step to acquire a high-paying career in Hawaii. There are also online degrees for those living on neighboring islands and for out-of-state students.

There are academic institutions in Hawaii that succeed in delivering online programs while there are others that mainly concentrate on the traditional approach of higher education. For students busy with family duties and work, online degrees exist in numerous universities and colleges and are considered a resource for the completion of advanced education while balancing other areas of life.

Even for those residing outside Hawaii, the completion of an online degree from the state’s best universities and colleges is considered an excellent alternative for acquiring university education. Numerous academic institutions in Hawaii provide various online degrees, which opens doors of opportunities for students interested in any field of study.

METHODOLOGY

As for the various alternatives given by Hawaiian academic institutions, the choice of the best program may appear to be a challenging task. It is for this very reason that we have put together the 5 Top Online Schools in Hawaii. Our staff at OnlineSchoolsCenter.com created this list in an aim to assist individuals who are considering the online learning route but may be unsure about making that decision.

Upon evaluation of the online academic institutions, we found the common features that make these five online schools stand out. We determined that these online schools prove to be superior for these reasons:

A virtual learning platform that promises ease of coursework access and provides immediate technical help to students,
Top-skilled online faculty members with unquestionable expertise and experience,
Rigorous coursework that rivals the best traditional degree programs in colleges and universities,
Accreditation from relevant accrediting bodies, demonstrating a commitment to maintaining high college standards.

Check out our Methodology Page to find out more about our ranking process.

University of Hawaii-Manoa

Founded in 1907, the University of Hawaii-Manoa is regarded as the main campus of the University of Hawaii system. It is a public research university that has a population of about 19,000 students. The university also houses about 19 bachelor, master, and doctoral online degree programs and has numerous grants in terms of space, sea, and land. Certificate alternatives involve disability studies, teaching, and online learning. Examples of online degree programs are Advanced Population Health Nursing (M.S.), Interdisciplinary Studies (B.A.), Learning Design and Technology (M.Ed.), Rehabilitation Counseling (M.S.), and Nursing (Ph.D.). Students may also earn a bachelor’s in Economics or choose from among the interdisciplinary programs. The flexible interdisciplinary program requires students to complete 36 major credits. A post-baccalaureate certificate in secondary education is also offered along with graduate certificates for different education topics.

There are also additional alternatives for online education in terms of other colleges within the university system as well as through the Western University Exchange. Online coursework is delivered asynchronously or synchronously through the ITS (Interactive Television Service) or Laulima. An online library with a database of scholarly articles, an online job board, and technical support can be accessed. The course curriculum is very interactive, as it has an integrated computer, video, and audio technology. Aside from this, distance learning students may also use the institution’s online tutoring program.

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Admission Requirements:

Minimum GPA of 2.0 for Hawaii residents and 2.5 for non-residents
SAT and ACT Scores required

Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

Hawaii Pacific University

Founded in 1965, Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) is a private research university that has joint affiliations with the Oceanic Institute, one of the marine research organizations in the windward coast of the state. The Hawaii Pacific University along with the Hawaii Loa College and the HLC are three campuses forming the largest academic institutions in Hawaii. It highly focuses on its students and liberal arts courses. The population of Hawaii Pacific University is about 7,000 enrolled students.

HPU offers at least 14 online programs, including an online doctor of the nursing practice degree program as well as other online MBA courses. Online bachelor’s degrees in this university can be completed in four years, as these programs have 36 general education credits, degree-specific coursework, a blend of upper division and lower division courses, and a practicum or capstone project before graduation. There are also online non-credit career advancement courses offered in HPU. Some of its areas of study are business, aquaculture, marine biology, diplomacy and military studies, history, and psychology, nursing, computer science and there are numerous alternatives for specific fields of specialization depending on the degree program. These bachelor’s degree programs enable graduates to be fully prepared to enter major-related career areas while pursuing graduate studies.

The university uses webinars often, and there are online “Smarthinking” tutorials for enrolled students. Reference librarians are accessible 24/7 through chat. Its student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1, and the graduation rate is 44%. The university also provides a one-time $500 visit grant to potential students who enroll in a program. Hawaii Pacific University also has an annual tuition of $25,980.

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Admission Requirements:

Average GPA of at least 3.5
SAT and ACT scores required
Official High School and academic transcripts
$55 non-refundable application fee
Proof of English Language Proficiency
Statement of Financial Sponsorship
Copy of Passport’s Photo Page
Bank Statement of Government Sponsorship Letter

Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

Chaminade University of Honolulu

Founded in 1955 by Father William Joseph Chaminade, the Chaminade University of Honolulu is regarded as a private Roman Catholic university that has about 2,000 enrolled students in six academic divisions. It has about 50 online bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and certificate programs offered to military students, adult working professionals, and those that need flexibility in terms of schedule. Its online programs are offered through the Office of Professional and Continuing Education.

Some of its online bachelor’s degree programs are psychology, early childhood education, criminal justice, and liberal arts. Online master’s degree programs include criminal justice, business, and education as fields of concentration. Most of these programs are 120-credit programs with different special requirements needed before graduation like Praxis II testing, student teaching credits, licensure preparations for secondary education programs, and community services internships for religious studies. The university has a four-year graduation guarantee, which means that a full-time, daytime bachelor’s degree student who needs additional time may complete their courses without the extra cost.

There are resources which students can easily access, and these include an online library, scholarly article database, and online tutorials. Coursework is delivered entirely online every semester in an accelerated, ten-week format, and this enables students to graduate earlier in their respective degree programs. Its student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1 and utilizes rolling admissions for students who are interested in applying to the university. The graduation rate at Chaminade University is 54%.

The university also provides several campus services and activities through the Office of Student Activities and Leadership, aside from co-curricular and out-of-classroom experiences. This allows students to enhance leadership and communication skills. There are also on-campus ministry activities that offer Christian-centered events, community services, worship services, and unique retreats. The university’s annual tuition is $25,374. About 97 percent of the students obtain scholarships and financial aid.

Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Admission Requirements:

GPA of 3.42
Official high school transcripts
SAT or ACT scores required
Personal statement

Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

University of Hawaii-West Oahu

Founded in 1976, the University of Hawaii-West Oahu is a four-year liberal arts university at West Oahu. It has about 3,000 enrolled students and has about 30-degree programs and 100 faculty members. The university is considered to be one of the ten campuses forming the University of Hawaii system, which provides online learning to students residing on other islands in the state and Oahu. It also has several online bachelor’s degree programs and certification programs. Online bachelor’s degree programs include early childhood education, accounting, and political science. There are also bachelor’s degree programs that are regarded as transfer programs and are ideal for students who have finished lower division coursework on campus, or through related schools under the University of Hawaii system. Some certificate programs, on the other hand, deal more on emergency management, healthcare administration, and disaster preparedness. Other online degree programs include psychology, political science, early childhood education, social sciences, and business.

The university also has affordable bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts and professional studies to more than 2,900 students while maintaining the stability of an 18:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students may choose from seven certificate programs and six bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 fields of study. The university also has a new program which is the STEM Center of Excellence, meant for providing aid for the enhancement of laboratory space, development of undergraduate programs in facilities management and establishment of a portal to determine and demonstrate seismic activities and existing weather conditions.

Online resources that are accessible to students are online writing assistance, online tutorials, online test proctoring, scholarly article database, and live chat with the librarian. Students enter the program as juniors and eventually complete the upper division courses online in two to three years. Programs used for online classes include a collaboration system, the UH’s course management, Blackboard Collaborate, and Laulina, and interactive television service.

The annual tuition for in-state residents of the university is $7,512, while the tuition for out-of-state residents is $20,742. Student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1, and the graduation rate is 39%.

Location: Kapolei, Hawaii

Admission Requirements:

Completion of at least 24 transferable college-level semester credits
GPA of at least 2.0
SAT and ACT scores required

Accreditation: WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

The University of Hawaii-Hilo

The University of Hawaii-Hilo is considered a public, liberal arts university founded in 1947 and has a total of 4,139 students. It has five fully online programs, two of which are offered through video conferencing, the Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program and Master of Arts in Indigenous Language and Culture Education. These programs have obtained certification through the State Approved Teacher Education Program. Among its online programs are an RN to BSN degree, Masters of Education, and Doctor of Nursing Practice.

The University of Hawaii at Hilo has 120-credit, two-year bachelor’s programs with prerequisites focused on psychology students as well as nursing students with RN licenses. Psychology students have the option to finish all 45 online, upper-division courses, yet such courses have limitations, and there is selective admission as well. Prerequisites for these programs, along with other bachelor’s degrees are offered online, and video conferencing with face-to-face instruction is required for nursing majors in the simulation lab. Both nursing and psychology need clinical rotations. The university also utilizes rolling admissions.

Location: Hilo, Hawaii

Admission Requirements:

GPA of at least 3.0
ACT and SAT Scores required for advising and placement purposes
Official High School transcript of records

Accreditation: Senior Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WSCUC)

Hawaii is most famous for being one of the most sought-after vacation sites in the world for honeymooners and adventurous families because of its massive chain of volcanoes, breathtaking beaches, laid-back locals, high-class resorts, and extreme water sports. Hawaii universities and colleges are the leading academic institutions in terms of exciting, new opportunities, specifically in providing financial aid incentives to students who may tend to drop out of school. Students in pursuit of a college degree may benefit from online learning, enabling in-state residents to achieve the same, high-quality college degree programs similar to students residing in the bigger cities of Hawaii.

Despite the small land size, Hawaii has several post-secondary alternatives for students looking for careers in industries of high demand like oceanography, business administration, marine biology, and the social sciences, and this makes the search for a school a lot more challenging. There are students bound for college who seek a more desirable location, a highly reasonable program duration, and maximum cost-efficiency in comparing undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the state.

If you want to earn a less expensive bachelor’s degree in this state, Hawaii has about 25 academic institutions of higher learning, and this includes two-year private and state community colleges and four-year universities and colleges, variable terms schools, religious-focused institutions, and graduate institutions.

In the search and comparison of online schools in Hawaii, it is very important to consider the tuition cost or cost of attendance. Although it is tempting to go for the most affordable program offered, regardless of the academic institution, it is most advisable to choose an online college or university according to what it offers best.

For instance, even if a university offers an annual tuition of only $1,000 but does not have a major or degree program you are interested in, you will only waste time and money for a degree that is meaningless to you. Moreover, you need to look for an academic institution that provides high-quality education, aside from considering affordability. If a college or university has a low graduation rate, this may be indicative of something about the school itself. It may mean that students expect a high tuition rate to reflect the quality of education that the school has to offer, or they may be disappointed with regards to the competence of the faculty members. It may also mean that they are not receiving the best academic support that they are supposed to have.