University of Hawaii at Hilo

Admission to University of Hawaii--Hilo is moderately selective, while its institutional standing has shown upward momentum. In the 2027 U.S. News National Liberal Arts Colleges ranking, the university placed at 153, improving from 293 in 2020. For the 2025 cycle, the overall undergraduate acceptance rate stood at 60.6%, which is higher than 33% of peer schools in a comparison group of 30 similarly ranked liberal arts colleges. This demonstrates a moderately accessible admissions gate compared to regional and national alternatives. Meanwhile, the school converts accepted applicants into attendees at a solid pace for its peer bracket: its yield rate reached 24.7%, which is higher than 93% of peer schools where the peer median was 13.9%. Although less than a quarter of admitted students ultimately enroll, this yield shows that the university draws accepted candidates noticeably better than most comparable liberal arts peers. Prospective applicants with standard academic preparation will find realistic admission prospects alongside an increasingly recognized regional presence.

Standardized testing scores at University of Hawaii--Hilo indicate an accessible admissions environment for prospective undergraduates. In 2025, the university reported a median SAT score of 1050, which was higher than 4% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked liberal arts colleges. For students taking the ACT, the middle 50% composite score ranged from 15 to 22, with English and math section scores spanning similar bands. Test score submission has declined over the past decade, with more entering students providing ACT results than SAT results. These figures demonstrate that the university admits students across a broad spectrum of academic performance rather than expecting elite exam results. Applicants presenting mid-range standardized marks alongside standard secondary school coursework fit comfortably within the typical profile, making the admissions process relatively straightforward for prospective students.

Academic offerings at University of Hawaii--Hilo show moderate concentration, with the top three bachelor's degree fields accounting for 31.3% of all undergraduate degrees awarded in 2025. The single largest undergraduate program was Business Administration and Management, General, which conferred 76 degrees, followed by programs in psychology, nursing, and marine biology. However, the largest undergraduate fields are not the university's highest ranked. While undergraduate business ranked 301 and psychology ranked 255 in 2027 U.S. News rankings, the school's clear academic strength is in Pharmacy, where its graduate program ranked 92 in 2026. Undergraduate nursing also forms a central pre-professional track. Post-graduation earnings emphasize the strong financial payoff of these health fields. According to 2023 data, graduates in registered nursing earned a median salary of $99,714 one year after graduation, significantly outpacing liberal arts and general agriculture fields, where starting earnings hovered around forty thousand dollars. Students prioritizing career earnings will find specialized health programs yield the clearest return on investment.

The student body at University of Hawaii--Hilo reflects a distinctly local and Pacific-centered demographic makeup. In 2025, total enrollment reached 2,668 students across all academic levels. Pacific Islander and Hawaiian heritage students represent the largest single ethnic community across both undergraduate and graduate divisions. Asian students form another substantial presence on campus, comprising 16% of incoming undergraduate freshmen and 25.3% of the graduate cohort. Female students constitute a clear majority of the student body, accounting for roughly six in ten undergraduates and seven in ten graduate students. International representation remains modest, accounting for only 2% of first-year bachelor's students. This profile creates an academic community defined primarily by regional island populations and domestic Asian students rather than large contingents of out-of-state or overseas scholars.

Undergraduates at University of Hawaii--Hilo are primarily traditional college-aged students, while the graduate division serves young adults continuing their education. In 2025, the undergraduate population was concentrated heavily among students aged 20 to 21, who represented 30.2% of all undergraduates, followed closely by 18-to-19-year-olds at 27.7%. Together with students in their early twenties, traditional college-age scholars dominate campus daytime life. At the graduate level, students aged 22 to 24 formed the single largest group at 30.1%, with another quarter between ages 25 and 29. This age distribution means that undergraduate residential and extracurricular spaces are tailored to emerging adults, while graduate programs bring together recent college graduates and early-career working adults.

International enrollment at University of Hawaii--Hilo forms a small portion of the overall campus community, with distinct trends between levels of study. In 2025, undergraduate international students accounted for 4.5% of the undergraduate population, a share higher than 47% of peer schools in its comparison group of similarly ranked liberal arts colleges. Although the total count of foreign undergraduates has dropped since 2016, their proportion of the student body has edged upward as overall enrollment contracted. At the graduate level, international enrollment has expanded over the same period, reaching 3.5% of all graduate students. When foreign students complete degrees, their choices concentrate heavily within specific fields. At the bachelor's level, international graduates are most visible in Business Administration and Management, General, where they made up 11.8% of degree recipients, alongside involvement in marine biology. At the master's level, international students concentrate in environmental science. Prospective international applicants should note that while the overseas cohort is relatively small, it gathers primarily within business and natural science programs.

Because of its island location in Hilo, close collegiate neighbors are limited within the state of Hawaii. The closest institution is University of Hawaii at Manoa, located 208.7 kilometers away on Oahu, which ranked 186 among National Universities in 2027. Across the Pacific on the California coast, students exploring other regional choices will find San Francisco State University, positioned 2316.6 kilometers away and ranked 227 among National Universities. Another coastal option is University of California-Santa Cruz, situated 2318.5 kilometers away with a 2027 National University rank of 109. For applicants seeking a dedicated liberal arts curriculum in the western region, Thomas Aquinas College sits 2420 kilometers away and held a rank of 68 among Liberal Arts Colleges in 2027.

Campus safety indicators at University of Hawaii--Hilo have improved over recent years, with incident records heavily weighted toward conduct policy violations rather than violent crime. The university recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 6.8 in 2025, down from 11 in 2016. From 2023 to 2025, the overwhelming majority of recorded campus incidents were disciplinary actions for substance violations, led by 102 alcohol disciplinary referrals and 40 drug disciplinary referrals. In contrast, property and personal offenses occurred at much lower levels across those three years, including 14 motor vehicle thefts and single-digit counts of burglary, domestic violence, and dating violence. These metrics show that safety concerns at the university are predominantly centered around campus alcohol enforcement and student behavior policies rather than widespread violent threats. Families can expect a generally tranquil campus environment where routine institutional monitoring focuses primarily on residential conduct guidelines.