Graduation rates at seven of the University of Hawaii’s campuses increased in 2022, according to a news release.

What You Need To Know

  • UH Manoa’s four-year graduation rate is at 44%, a record high for the 12th straight year

  • Across UH campuses in fall 2022, there were 7,201 first-time freshmen enrolled, a 2.7% increase from last year

  • Enrollment across the University of Hawaii’s 10-campus system decreased slightly in fall 2022

  • The decrease is caused in part by the high graduation rates

Increases in graduation rates were seen at UH Manoa, UH Hilo, UH West Oahu, Honolulu Community College, Kauai Community College, Leeward Community College and Windward Community College. 

UH Manoa’s four-year graduation rate is at 44%, a record high for the 12th straight year. During the past 12 years, the percentage has gone up by 26.6%. The six-year graduation rate is at 62.3%, another record high. 

At UH West Oahu, a record in its four-year graduation rate was set at 28.6%, a 5.6% increase from the previous year’s record high. The graduation rate has been steadily increasing since 2013. 

In the news release, UH West Oʻahu Chancellor Maenette Benham acknowledged the increased rates, crediting the work of many on campus. "The success of our touchpoint campaign is due in large part to a campus-wide effort by faculty, administrative and operational staff members joining the good work of our enrollment and student services team," she wrote.

At UH Hilo, a record high four-year graduation rate was set at 30.1%

UH’s seven community colleges experienced a record high on-time graduation rate at 13.8%, a 3.7% increase from 2021. 

“I am especially proud of our graduation rates, but our work is far from over as we ensure that our students not only graduate in a timely manner but are ready to make a difference and contribute to our state and society,” said UH Manoa Provost Michael Bruno in the news release.

Across UH campuses in fall 2022, there were 7,201 first-time freshmen enrolled, a 2.7% increase from last year. First-time students, which includes freshman and unclassified and other non-traditional students at the UH Community Colleges, increased from 8,073 in fall 2021 to 8,185 in fall 2022, a 1.4% increase. Up until last year, first-time student enrollment had decreased for nine out of the previous 10 years. 

UH Manoa enrolled its largest-ever freshman class of 3,106 students, marking the first time the class size had exceeded 3,000 students. The average GPA for this year’s freshman class is 3.69, which is up slightly from 2021. 

However, enrollment at the University of Hawaii’s 10-campus system decreased slightly in fall 2022. There are 48,373 students currently enrolled at UH, down from 49,733 students in 2021. The decrease is caused in part by the higher graduation rates. 

UH Manoa and Windward Community College saw small decreases in enrollment, while Maui College and UH Hilo saw the largest.

At UH’s seven community colleges, there were 23,409 credit students enrolled, a 4.2% decrease from a year ago. Still, this is better than the national average, which saw a 23% decline in enrollment between 2018 to 2022. During that same period, UH community colleges saw a 12.7% decrease. 

“Our students, faculty and support staff have done an amazing job of maintaining focus on paths to graduation through the last two years of the pandemic,” UH President David Lassner said in the news release. “And as we graduate students more rapidly, our total enrollment will go down unless we bring in more new students each year.”

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii.