Apparel and Textiles at University of Hawaii at Manoa

An Apparel and Textiles bachelor's from UH Manoa comes with estimated first-year earnings around $37,000—a figure derived from national peers since this program's graduate cohort is too small for the Department of Education to publish actual outcomes. What's particularly concerning is that earnings appear to drop by four years out, falling to $32,500. This backward trajectory is unusual and suggests graduates may struggle to find stable footing in Hawaii's limited fashion and textile industry, where opportunities beyond retail and hospitality are scarce.

The $22,845 in typical debt sits below the national median for this major, which offers some relief. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62 based on that estimated first-year figure, graduates would theoretically need about seven months of gross pay to cover their loans—manageable if those initial earnings held steady. But if the four-year pattern reflects reality, that calculus gets tougher. The decline could indicate graduates accepting lower-paying positions or leaving the field entirely, neither of which bodes well for loan repayment.

For families considering this path, the small graduate pool itself tells a story: few students complete this degree here, and fewer still stay in field-related work where their earnings can be tracked. If your child is passionate about fashion or textile design, understand they'll likely need to relocate to access meaningful career opportunities, and even then, comparable programs nationally produce modest outcomes. This is a degree that serves personal interest more than financial security.