As college students, we all know how important higher education is in obtaining appealing and well-paying forms of employment. It is no secret that college is expensive, and as UHM students, each of us is aware of the benefit of attending the University of Hawaii: cost. UHM is a good choice for degree-seeking individuals looking for a cheap education, but what does this “cheapness” get us in the way of a quality education and an overall college experience? How does Manoa compare to other private and public universities within the state and abroad? As the saying goes, “you pay for what you get,” and here we will be comparing UHM against its closest institutional competitors, like the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Hawaii Pacific University, and Brigham Young University – Hawaii, to see just how good of a decision we’ve made in attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Naturally, when we speak of colleges, the subject of academics is paramount. After all, what would be the point of attending a particular school if it doesn’t offer the courses and programs you desire? In the way of academics, Manoa is a force to be reckoned with. Compared to other locally based colleges like BYU and HPU, UHM offers more in the way of academic programs (majors) with over 200 bachelor’s, master’s, doctorial, and post-secondary certificate degrees (Peterson’s, 270).

HPU offers less academic programs and areas of study than UHM, but this is by a slim margin of 10-15 offerings. In addition, according to Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges, HPU does not offer an extensive amount of doctorate degrees. Rather, if a student desires to go beyond a master’s level, HUP offers what is called a “post-master’s certificate” (269). One item HPU offers that UHM does not is an associate’s degree program. As most UH students have come to know, in the University of Hawaii system associates degree programs are mostly, to almost exclusively, offered at community colleges.

Another close competitor to UHM is BYU – Hawaii. Like HPU, it offers less programs of study, with around 20-30 less offerings. BYU has an associate’s degree, but this seemingly comes with a bit of a price; BYU does not offer masters or doctorate degrees (268). Though a post-bachelorette certificate program is available, BYU appears to be limited in terms of offering anything above a 4-year undergraduate degree.

When compared to a mainland-based competitor; however, UHM begins to show some shortcomings. The University of Nevada at Las Vegas is most likely Manoa’s closest rival, perhaps even edging out UH in a few statistical numbers. For one, UNLV offers slightly more academic areas of study (majors) than UHM. In addition, unlike the competing universities we’ve seen so far, UNLV offers bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees in addition to a number of certificate programs (556). So it would seem UHM has been out-done; nonetheless, students also need to consider some of the unique academic opportunities UHM offers, like an extensive Hawaiian, Pacific and Asian studies program, as well as a marine biology and natural sciences programs that UNLV may not carry.

Though we have touched briefly on the subject of academics, other factors such as the setting of the institution, total enrollment, faculty, endowment, as well as the condition of facilities are crucial considerations to keep in mind when comparing Manoa to other universities. Manoa is considered to be an urban university. As a result, the campus is somewhat utilitarian in appearance, with only the original five buildings illustrating some form of unique and memorable architecture and design. In 2008, 14,037 undergraduate students were enrolled at Manoa, with a complimenting faculty totaling 1,272; a student to teacher ration of 11:1. As a state-supported university, Manoa receives an annual endowment of $207.3 million (270).

In stark contrast to Manoa, the BYU campus is situated on a 30-acre lot in a small town setting. The campus itself has less of a utilitarian appearance compared to Manoa, with the architecture of buildings and structures reflecting unique designs indicative of their religious affiliations. In 2008, BYU had a total undergraduate population of only 2,473 students complimented by 184 faculty members; offering a student to teacher ratio of 15:1. In addition, BYU is classified as an independent (private) university of Latter-day Saints; thus, it is not state supported and receives an annual endowment of only $43.2 million (268).

Like Manoa, HPU is also described as an urban university situated on separate campuses totaling 140-acres. All campus extensions are similar to UHM’s in that building and facility design is utilitarian in form and appearance. In 2008, total undergraduate enrollment was 6,856 complimented by a total faculty of 618 with terminal degrees, offering a student to teacher ratio of 16:1. HPU is classified as an independent (private) institution with an annual endowment of $69 million (269).

Lastly, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas approaches Manoa, and in some respects surpasses it. Also designated an urban university, UNLV is situated on a 358- acre campus located in the metropolitan area of central Las Vegas. With such a vast campus, building layout is uncluttered, and the design theme is progressive, with several newly built structures illustrating futuristic themes. In 2008, the total undergraduate student population reached 21,853, significantly higher than UHM. A total faculty count of 1,677 educators allows for a combined student to teacher ratio of 18:1. Like UHM, UNLV is a state-funded institution; yet, given the financial strength of the state of Nevada and the high volume of student enrollment, it only earns an annual endowment of $124.2 million, nearly $85 million less than Manoa (556).

The issue of college rankings should also be a point of consideration. According to the 2006 edition of U.S. News and World Report, the University of Hawaii at Manoa is classified as a “national university – third tier” (U.S News, 163). In accordance to their classification system, colleges are classified into four tiers depending on various factors like the quality of an education, size, and so forth. Manoa itself is ranked 165 in the nation out of a total of 248; slightly less than average (83). BYU- Hawaii and HPU belong to different categories given their size and degree offerings. BYU- Hawaii is considered a “comprehensive bachelors” university; as it only offers undergraduate studies (162). It is ranked impressively as 4^th in its region; the west (107). HPU belongs to what is termed “universities master’s,” a category of universities whom offer “few, if any, doctorial programs” and is ranked 57^th in its region; also the west (92, 97). Manoa’s closest competitor, UNLV, is ranked on the “fourth tier” of the national colleges, and earns an overall ranking of 234 out of 248; well below the rankings of UHM (210, 85). In addition, Manoa’s Shidler College of Business ranks 19^th overall in terms of the international business program, and the John A. Burns School of Medicine is ranked 12^th in the nation for geriatric medicine (UHM Website).

The last item, of course, is the cost of attendance. To keep things simple, we’ll limit our scope to the overall cost of tuition and room/board for each institution for full-time students. In the 2006-2007 school year, BYU undergraduate students paid a very affordable average of $8210 per year including room/board, but this was limited to students who were considered to belong to the Church of Latter-day Saints (Peterson’s, 268). Students who did not belong to the church paid significantly higher tuition. In the 2007-2008 school year, HPU students were require to pay a staggering $23,000 per year with room/board included (269). In the case of UNLV, students attending the 2007-2008 school year were required to pay $12,480 including room/board for resident students. Non-residents were required to pay $14,433 including room/board (556).

Cost has always been an appealing trait of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. For the 2007-2008 school year, students paid an average of $12,321 for tuition, room/board included (270). As one can see, this undercuts UNLV by a couple hundred dollars though it’s still well above BYU. Nevertheless, students should consider that BYU is a highly exceptional university with cost figures contingent on meeting certain religious requirements. In the case of UNLV, though the overall cost is comparable to that of Manoa, it is appropriate to consider transportation costs as well as out-of-state tuition.

In the above paragraphs, we have considered many factors that might determine whether or not we, as students of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, have made a wise and cost-effective decision in attending this institution. As we have seen, there are many factors to consider, but for the most part it can be said that Manoa is a wise choice for students seeking an affordable education of decent quality. Though colleges like UNLV, and more so BYU, have certain facility and ranking advantages over UHM, on the whole, Manoa is the way to go.

So what do you think? Given the statistical facts it would seem that Manoa comes out on top with best value in terms of student to teacher ratio and national rankings. Some might argue that there are many other aspects of a college that should have been investigated here, like current student satisfaction; and this is true. Though the aim of this piece has been to establish a judgment based on the statistical facts and credible ranking sources, current student satisfaction is undeniably a must in terms of comparing one university to another. The only danger here is that such opinions tend to be subjective.

As a three-year student of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I must rate my personal experience as acceptable; a seven out of ten overall. Most of the positives I would like to note are similar to those expressed by students on YouTube. The environment and setting of UHM is unbeatable. The island of O’ahu is situated perfectly within the Pacific to offer so much in the way of travel and leisure, as well as studying abroad. From that point on; however, most other factors that determine the appeal of a college begins to fall short. It is no secret that facility conditions are deplorable, and it is often said that the “top brass” at UH do not place a priority on the education of students; a point supported by the fact that the highest paying person within the UH system is the football coach. How is it that UHM get nearly $85 million more than UNLV in annual endowments, yet boasts facilities that are in no way even comparable to those of UNLV itself?

Perhaps another gripe worth noting is the fact that UHM makes it very difficult for students to graduate within the accepted four-year degree timeframe. It is not uncommon for students to take five to six years to complete a four-year degree. Obviously, this offsets the cheapness of the tuition, and in my eyes, is UHM’s biggest problem. Offering required classes with only a handful of available seats, having high credit requirements for priority in registering for such classes, and offering required classes once a year, is inexcusable. Clearly the “top brass” does not have their eyes fixed on the success of their students, but more on the thickness of our wallets.

So from a statistical standpoint it can be said that we’ve all made excellent choices in terms of attending UHM. Nevertheless, we need to keep in mind that facts and statistics aren’t always everything. Though I mentioned a few disappointing aspects of UHM, I will state that there is much to like as well. Cultural diversity and the kindness of the people – students, faculty, teaching assistants, and so on – is well worth enduring the poor facilities and the lack of direction at the higher administrative levels. As a resident of Hawaii since birth, it is most fitting that I attended UHM as it offered me an education tailored to the specific social and cultural aspects of my home; ultimately the place I will live and work as a professional. Considering the statistics and simply enduring the small issues of chipping paint and stained carpets, I feel Manoa was a good choice. At least I won’t be leaving school $150,000 in debt.

Kapena M. Landgraf – Rainbow Connection Staff Writer

Works Cited:

“Colleges at a Glance.” Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges. Editor: Fern A. Oram. 38^th ed. 2008.

Wildavsky, Ben. “America’s Best Colleges.” U.S. News & World Report Jan. 2006: 80-110, 162-163, 210.