Social Sciences at Brigham Young University-Hawaii

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72 sits in uncomfortable territory for a social sciences degree—manageable on paper, but tight in practice when you factor in Hawaii's cost of living. Peer programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $37,500, which aligns with the national median but runs 9% higher than the state benchmark of $34,388. That gap matters when housing and groceries cost significantly more in Hawaii than on the mainland, and the estimated $27,000 in debt will need servicing regardless of local economic realities.

The real squeeze comes from limited employment flexibility. Social sciences graduates often need to pursue graduate education or pivot into fields where their analytical skills transfer—education, nonprofit work, government—and Hawaii's smaller job market narrows those options compared to mainland states. If your student plans to stay in the islands post-graduation, that $37,500 estimate may prove optimistic based on what similar programs produce locally.

Given these are estimates from comparable programs rather than BYU-Hawaii's actual outcomes, treat this as a starting point for deeper investigation. Contact the career services office directly and ask for placement data: where do graduates actually work, what do they earn, and how many leave Hawaii for employment? The answers to those questions will matter more than any national projection.