UH and HPU rank among 'best values' for colleges
The University of Hawaii at Manoa and Hawaii Pacific University are among the "best values" for a college education, according to a new book by the Princeton Review.
The 2007 edition of "America's Best Value Colleges" used student surveys and institutional data provided by the schools to come up with a list of 150 schools that offer the best college education deals. UH-Manoa was also named a best value in last year's book.
The Princeton Review looked at more than 30 factors to rate the colleges in four categories: academics, tuition GPA (the sticker price minus the average amount students receive in scholarships and grants), financial aid (how well colleges meet students' financial need), and student borrowing, according to a UH-Manoa news release.
Out of state tuition at UH-Manoa is listed on the Web site as $12,192 and the average freshman received $3,498 in need-based gift aid and took out $7,637 in loans.
The ranking comes despite descriptions on the Princeton Review Web site by UH-Manoa students who say the school is "half and half -- half 'study nonstop' and half 'don't know what studying means.'"
Students also note the diversity of the student body where "white kids are the minority for once," and note that Hawaii is "a liberal state tolerant to all religious, political, sexual, ethnic diversities." But some students warn, "whites who aren't from the islands can have a tough time fitting in."
The Princeton Review also lists UH-Manoa as one of 122 "Best Western Colleges" and among 361 "Best Colleges." But the last edition of the best colleges guide also gave UH-Manoa some dubious rankings, based on student surveys, in categories such as "long lines and red tape," "professors make themselves scarce," "dorms like dungeons" and "least happy students."
HPU's listing does not quote any students, but uses information provided by the school noting that it is the largest private university in Hawaii with 8,000 students from more than 100 countries.
HPU is also listed as among 122 "Best Western Colleges."
According to the review's Web site, out-of-state tuition at HPU is $11,550 and the average freshman received $4,066 in need-based gift aid and took out $3,109 in loans.