UH-Manoa rated among ‘Best Value Colleges’
Even as the University of Hawaii at Manoa is raising its tuition, the Princeton Review still ranks its undergraduate programs as one of 165 "America's Best Value Colleges" for 2008.
Annual expenses to attend UH-Manoa
Resident tuition: $5,136
Nonresident tuition: $14,400
Fees: $203
Room and board: $7,185
Books and supplies: $1,145
Financial aid statistics
Freshmen receiving need-based aid: 32%
Undergraduates receiving need-based aid: 32%
Average freshman loan: $7,637
Average freshman need-based aid: $4,839
Source: Princeton Review
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"It's a noteworthy commentary on the fact that we are a good value based on the fact that our tuition is affordable and we offer outstanding academic and research capabilities," said UH-Manoa spokesman Gregg Takayama.
According to its Web site, the Princeton Review surveyed students last year at more than 650 schools and looked at academics, tuition, financial aid and student borrowing to come up with its list.
The review also ranked UH-Manoa as a best value in its 2007 and 2006 editions.
Princeton Review names it top 10 "Best Value Colleges" but does not rank the rest of the schools. UH was listed among the best 165 values but not among the guide's top 10 colleges.
The ranking comes as UH-Manoa is in the second year of a six-year tuition increase that will increase what residents pay by 140 percent from last year. Next year's resident undergraduate tuition of $5,136 a year will rise to $8,400 a year in fall 2011. For nonresidents, tuition will be $14,400 next year and will rise to $23,232 in four years.
"The challenge (in increasing tuition) was to strike a reasonable balance between providing affordability and providing resources," Takayama said.
The review also lists UH-Manoa as one of 122 "Best Western Colleges" and among 361 "Best Colleges" for 2007.
But Manoa is also ranked in some dubious categories as "Long Lines and Red Tape," "Professors Make Themselves Scarce," "Dorms Like Dungeons" and "Least Happy Students."