Tuition at UH gets high affordability ranking

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

Hawai'i has been ranked one of only five states to provide consistent, affordable access to four-year higher education for low-income students, according to a study released today.

The study also placed Hawai'i among the 11 states termed "most consistently accessible," giving access to college for both low- and average-income students without borrowing or family hardship.

The "Unequal Opportunity" study analyzed disparities in college access across the 50 states. It was conducted by the Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based research foundation and think tank.

"There's a long tradition in Hawai'i of trying to make public higher education available to the largest number of people possible," said Colleen Sathre, UH vice president for planning and policy.

"One of the primary criteria is we try to assure access for the people of the state of Hawai'i, and we have a range of tuition, starting from our community colleges, which are very, very modest, to Manoa, which is still modest."

The other states named in the study were Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky and Wyoming.

The study looked at data from 1998, the most recent year available, and considered family income; estimates of reasonable family contributions to college expenses; available financial aid; and schools considered "unaffordable" or for which families made "extraordinary financial sacrifices."

Although Hawai'i lacks a state-supported financial aid program, Sathre said, it makes up for that with tuition waivers and relatively low tuition.

Tuition at UH-Manoa is $3,120 a year. At the community colleges it is $1,032 a year for 12 credits.