Kauai Community College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Lihue, Hawaii. It enrolls 716 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorWestern Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
65/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes58
Value49
Affordability37
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Kauai Community College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $10,436 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$3,252
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$8,388
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,501
Books & Supplies
$1,360
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,462
Total Cost of Attendance
$18,742
Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$10,495
$30,001 – $48,000
$9,324
$48,001 – $75,000
$11,850
$75,001 – $110,000
$9,500
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$1,75010%percentile
$3,50025%percentile
$10,500Medianpercentile
$12,34475%percentile
$20,88690%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $8,000
↓ $2,500
No Pell $4,500
↓ $6,000
Dependent students $4,576
↓ $5,924
Independent students $9,393
↓ $1,107
Female students $7,000
↓ $3,500
Male students $6,457
↓ $4,043
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $6,500, less than completers ($10,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
36% of students who start here finish within six years, and 71% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
36%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
71%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $36,868 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$36,868
Earning > $25K
59%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$41,200
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$38,200
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
What this means:
Solid return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$3.5 of median earnings 10 years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 716 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 50% are the first in their family to go to college, and 66% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.
Total Enrolled
716
Part-Time
66%
First-Generation
50%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Other 39.7%284
Asian 25.6%183
Hispanic 18.4%132
White 12.3%88
International 2.0%14
Black 0.8%6
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Kauai Community College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Kauai Community College offers
a varied set of programs:
21 distinct programs across
11 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 11 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
11:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$14,691
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Avg Faculty Salary
$88,683
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
44 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
11
25%
$106,400
Associate Professors
4
9%
$91,896
Assistant Professors
19
43%
$86,210
Instructors
10
23%
$72,609
Pros & Cons of Kauai Community College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Kauai Community College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
Modest first-year retention
Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for:
Based on the data, Kauai Community College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; working adults or students needing part-time study options; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kauai Community College
The questions families ask most about Kauai Community College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Kauai Community College hard to get into?
Not especially. Kauai Community College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Kauai Community College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Kauai Community College cost?
Budget around $10,436 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Kauai Community College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $36,868 a year against a net price of $10,436, about 3.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Kauai Community College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Vehicle Maintenance, Business Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Kauai Community College graduates earn?
About $36,868 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Kauai Community College accredited?
Yes. Kauai Community College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
How many students attend Kauai Community College?
716 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Kauai Community College?
36% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Kauai Community College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Kauai Community College located?
Kauai Community College is located in Lihue, Hawaii.
What programs does Kauai Community College offer?
21 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Vehicle Maintenance, Business Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Kauai Community College?
11 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Hawaii
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Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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