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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Hawaii at Manoa Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do University of Hawaii at Manoa graduates earn?

The reported median is $61,903 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$3,707 per year.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, $61,903 is the median earned four years after completion, in the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth puts University of Hawaii at Manoa's return pillar in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,372 more than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) means the gap between graduates' earnings and the model's expectation for similar students; it is in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,183. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $8,811.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610; the university is $3,707 below it. The return picture is mixed: model-beating earnings, below-peer pay.

Earnings differ sharply across fields at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Its downside and upside earnings scenarios run from $41,906 to $84,177 four years after completion; these scenarios are modeled from the program mix, not observed groups.

Several individual programs post medians above the upside: Nursing at $120,258, Computer Engineering at $100,454, and Mechanical Engineering at $92,555, each four years after completion. The scenarios describe a mix-wide range, whereas these figures describe separate program completer groups. That distinction matters when reading program-specific outcomes.

An estimated 31.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Earnings measured four years after completion cover completers who are working and not enrolled, so those continuing their studies sit outside that earnings snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$61,903

**Rank for difference from expectations**
60th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**University of Hawaii at Manoa reported median**
$61,903

**Peer schools comparable schools · $3,707 above University of Hawaii at Manoa**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $1,372 below University of Hawaii at Manoa**
$60,531

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $41,906 to $84,177, around the reported median of $61,903. Compare the lower scenario with [University of Hawaii at Manoa borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$41,906

**Median · reported**
$61,903

**Higher estimate**
$84,177

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do University of Hawaii at Manoa graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

University of Hawaii at Manoa graduates’ reported earnings are $1,372 above that expectation, the 60th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending University of Hawaii at Manoa caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$10,183

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$8,811

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$1,372

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at University of Hawaii at Manoa report the highest earnings?

Program outcomes vary sharply across fields at University of Hawaii at Manoa, making the choice of major especially consequential for earnings four years after completion. Mechanical Engineering recorded median earnings of $92,555 from 94 degrees awarded; [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #125 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Civil Engineering posted $87,286 across 83 degrees awarded and ranks #64 nationally by Azimuth. At a more moderate earnings level, Environmental Design had $59,090 and 43 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth rank of #4 nationally.

Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language recorded $39,768 from 31 degrees awarded and ranks #3 nationally.

The program roster pairs especially strong national placements with earnings that vary substantially by field. Azimuth lists 37 ranked bachelor’s fields among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language ranks #3 nationally, awarded 31 degrees, and had median earnings of $39,768 four years after completion. Environmental Design ranks #4, with 43 degrees awarded and median earnings of $59,090 four years after completion.

Special Education and Teaching ranks #8, awarded 28 degrees, and shows $62,087 in median earnings four years after completion. East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics ranks #9, with 89 degrees awarded and $46,563 in median earnings.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$120,258

**Computer Engineering**
$100,454

**Mechanical Engineering**
$92,555

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$88,869

**Civil Engineering**
$87,286

**Dental Support Services and Allied Professions**
$79,863

**Computer Science**
$77,502

**Management Information Systems and Services**
$76,713

[Explore University of Hawaii at Manoa program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-hawaii-at-manoa/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Field choice shapes the earnings range at University of Hawaii at Manoa. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix put the downside at $41,906, the typical case at $61,903, and the upside at $84,177.

Nursing reaches $120,258 four years after completion, whereas Communication and Media Studies is the lowest-earning of the largest programs at $45,072. The spread shows variation by field rather than observed groups.

University of Hawaii at Manoa has a middle-of-the-pack earnings result nationally, with median earnings of $61,903 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places that observed earnings measure in the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 3,023 completers.

The typical modeled scenario, based on the program mix, matches the observed median. Graduates earn about $1,372 more than the model expects for similar students.

An estimated 31.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The observed median and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).