Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at Hawaii Pacific University

Based on comparable engineering programs nationally, a bachelor's in Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at Hawaii Pacific University would position graduates around $77,710 in first-year earnings—meaningfully above the $71,000 that similar programs at University of Hawaii at Manoa actually report. The estimated $26,000 debt load produces a healthy 0.33 debt-to-earnings ratio, suggesting the degree could pay for itself within four months of work. However, these figures come from national medians across hundreds of programs, not from HPU's actual graduates in this major.

The challenge is Hawaii's unique market. Engineering salaries in the islands typically run about 10% below the national average (as UH Manoa's data confirms), yet living costs in Honolulu run 80% above the U.S. average. If HPU's outcomes mirror state patterns rather than national ones, that $77,710 estimate might be optimistic. At the same time, Hawaii has limited engineering programs and persistent infrastructure needs, which could work in graduates' favor.

Given HPU's small cohort size—the reason for data suppression—your child would be entering a program without a proven track record of graduate outcomes to evaluate. The financial fundamentals look sound if the national estimates hold, but without actual data from this specific program, you're making an investment based on what peer institutions achieve rather than what HPU engineering graduates demonstrably earn.