Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at Hawaii Pacific University

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.56 suggests this program keeps borrowing within reasonable bounds, though both figures come from national peers rather than Hawaii Pacific's own graduate outcomes. Based on comparable entrepreneurial studies programs nationally, first-year earnings around $45,000 paired with $25,400 in debt means roughly half a year's salary dedicated to loan repayment—manageable if those earnings grow steadily.

What makes this estimate trickier is Hawaii's notoriously high cost of living. While similar programs in the state produce earnings nearly identical to the national median ($44,853 at University of Hawaii at Manoa), that income stretches considerably less in Honolulu than it would on the mainland. The entrepreneurship degree's value often depends heavily on execution and market opportunity rather than credential alone, meaning your child's success may hinge more on their specific business ideas and local networks than on what the degree itself unlocks.

The limited graduate sample that necessitated these estimates raises a practical question: is this a small, specialized program with strong mentorship, or simply one with low enrollment? Given Hawaii Pacific's 84% admission rate and the modest debt load, the financial risk isn't catastrophic, but you're essentially betting on your child's entrepreneurial drive rather than relying on established job placement patterns that don't exist in the public data.