Episode 2: 

Campus level trends

Same charts, different story:
opportunity by campus

Opportunity in Hawaiʻi isn’t evenly distributed — geography matters. Where a student goes to school — and what programs are available on that campus — can significantly shape their economic trajectory after graduation.

To stay aligned with the original data used to calculate Hawaiʻi’s nation-leading underemployment rate, we’re focusing here on four-year degrees only. And while there are four UH campuses that grant four-year degrees — UH Mānoa, UH West Oʻahu, UH Hilo, and UH Maui College — only three of them (Mānoa, West Oʻahu, and Hilo) had sufficient five-year and ten-year longitudinal wage and retention data available in both the DXP and PSEO data sets used for this episode.  For campus level data, county level living wage thresholds are used for each campus (Honolulu County living wage is used for UH- Manoa and UH- West Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi County living wage is used for UH - Hilo).

Note: While this episode focuses on outcomes for four-year degree programs across the UH system, the same data sources contain valuable insights about students who pursue certificate and associate degrees — especially within Hawaiʻi’s Community College system. To explore those pathways — and how opportunity varies by county — check out the County Data Deep Dive, where we surface local-level trends and questions rooted in two-year and short-term credential outcomes.

Students don’t just choose a major, they choose a campus. Which campus a student chooses often is informed by logistical constraints such as access to housing and travel time as much or more so as academic or career considerations. Campuses don’t just offer programs, they offer access. And not all programs are available in all places. This section is guided by the following core questions:

  • Do some campuses offer more programs that lead to living wage jobs?

  • Are certain campuses better at keeping graduates rooted in Hawaiʻi?

  • How does the scale of programs — or the availability of certain high-opportunity pathways — differ across institutions?

CAMPUS Level Guiding questions

This first visualization in the section reuses the same structure as the Wages vs. Staying Power chart from the System Level — but now the chart is filtered by campus, allowing us to explore outcomes at UH Mānoa, UH West Oʻahu, and UH Hilo individually. This lens helps us see not only what programs are leading to good jobs, but whether those jobs are retaining graduates in Hawaiʻi — and how those patterns shift across campuses and over time.

1. What’s happening on individual campuses?

    • 1 Year Out: Only one program—Health Professions—clears the living wage threshold. But Psychology grads are the most likely to still be in Hawaiʻi (76%), despite earning below a living wage.

    • 5 Years Out: Another program joins the living wage category—Computer & Info Sciences—but only 23% of those grads remain in Hawaiʻi.

    • 10 Years Out: A stronger living wage story emerges across fields like Health Professions ($121K, 68%), Business, and Area/Ethnic/Cultural Studies ($69K, 73% staying). Fields like Psychology, Social Sciences, and Agriculture still fall below a living wage but show high retention, raising questions about job quality vs. place-based commitment.

    • 1 Year Out: No program clears the living wage mark. But Psychology (92%) and Business (89%) grads are overwhelmingly likely to remain in Hawaiʻi.

    • 5 Years Out: Only one program—Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies—crosses the living wage line, but with a low retention rate (40%). The highest staying power belongs to Psychology and Education grads, even though both are still below the wage threshold.

    • 10 Years Out: We finally see some programs break through: Business, Education, and Public Administration all offer living wages. Yet Social Sciences has the highest percent of grads still in Hawaiʻi (82%) — again, suggesting that connection to place may outweigh earnings.

    • 1 Year Out: Only Health Professions grads earn a living wage — but Education (93%) and Health (85%) grads are most likely to stay.

    • 5 Years Out: Living wage jobs expand to include Engineering, Architecture, and Health Professions. But retention drops slightly, with fields like Education and Public Administration still showing the strongest local ties.

    • 10 Years Out: A wide range of programs now offer living wages — including Business, Social Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, and Family & Consumer Sciences. But fields like Education, Public Admin, and Area/Ethnic/Cultural Studies continue to show the highest staying power — reinforcing what we found in A Good Job in Hawaiʻi: Being able to serve your community may matter more than maximizing your paycheck.

This visualization builds on the earlier statewide analysis by diving deeper into specific high-wage programs at each UH campus. Using self-reported wage data from the UH Graduate Degree Pathways dashboard, we explore: Which four-year degrees meet or exceed the county-level living wage within five years of graduation?

This chart offers a clear, year-by-year view of wage growth — helping learners and policymakers alike see not just which degrees pay well eventually, but how quickly they reach family-sustaining levels of income.

2. By campus - Which degrees lead to a living wage within 5 years?

  • Nursing is the standout, exceeding the living wage by year one and rising to over $100K by year five.

    Elementary and Secondary Education programs approach the living wage by year five but fall just short.

  • Computer Electronics & Network Technology and Information Technology programs hit the living wage threshold around year five.

    These applied tech programs provide some of the strongest earning potential on this campus.

  • Several programs exceed the living wage well before year five, including Nursing, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Engineering.

    Information & Computer Sciences, Special Education, and Medical Technology also show steady upward wage trajectories that cross the living wage line.

  • Engineering Technology stands out, hitting the living wage from year one and maintaining strong wage growth.

    While only a small cohort, it represents a key high-wage opportunity on Maui.

3. By campus - Which programs keep students in hawaiʻi?

In this visualization, we turn our attention from wages to staying power — examining which four-year degree programs are most likely to keep graduates living in Hawaiʻi five and ten years after earning their degree. We answer the question: “By campus, which degree programs have the highest rates of graduates still living in Hawaiʻi after five and ten years?”

Understanding which programs are most likely to keep people in Hawaiʻi helps us move beyond just what pays well to consider what fulfills deeply. In a state where community, culture, and connection often shape career decisions as much as salary does, this kind of data can better inform students, institutions, and policymakers about pathways that support local thriving.

  • Top programs (5 years):

    • Psychology (82%)

    • Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology (74%)

    • Agriculture and Social Sciences (71%)

    • Hawaiian/Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies (65%)

    Top programs (10 years):

    • Hawaiian/Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies (73%)

    • Health Professions (68%)

    • Agriculture and Social Sciences (66%)

    • Psychology (63%)

    These programs seem to offer not just education, but a sense of rootedness — a pattern aligned with culturally meaningful pathways and public-serving fields.

  • Top programs (5 years):

    • Education and Psychology (both 100%)

    • Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Services (86%)

    • Social Sciences (73%)

    Top programs (10 years):

    • Social Sciences (82%)

    • Business (71%)

    • Public Administration and Social Services (62%)

    Notably, education and psychology show exceptional retention at year five, suggesting early-career roles that allow graduates to stay close to home, but some leakage begins by year ten.

  • Top programs (5 years):

    • Public Administration and Social Service Professions (86%)

    • Education (84%)

    • Engineering (78%)

    • Health Professions (77%)

    • Business (74%)

    Top programs (10 years):

    • Education (87%)

    • Public Administration (84%)

    • Hawaiian/Area, Ethnic, Cultural, and Gender Studies (70%)

    • Family and Consumer Sciences (70%)

    These trends reinforce earlier findings from Episode 1: civic-serving and culturally anchored pathways — particularly in education and public service — consistently rank highest in long-term retention.

  • Only one program (Business) had enough data for analysis, and showed very low retention at both five (20%) and ten years (12%). This highlights a gap in the dataset, not necessarily a lack of opportunity, and points to the need for more robust data tracking on neighbor island campuses.

4. By campus - Which programs see more graduates Leave Hawaiʻi?

Not every degree leads to local opportunity. This visualization flips the lens to examine which four-year degree programs see the lowest percentages of graduates still living in Hawaiʻi five and ten years after completing their degrees. We answer the question: “By campus, which programs are most likely to lead students away from Hawaiʻi?”

While it’s tempting to assume this is only about low wages, the story is likely more complex. Sometimes, graduates leave because the job market isn’t strong enough in their field. Other times, it’s because the degree itself prepares them for careers with national (or international) demand, often pulling them away from local opportunities.

  • Lowest Retention (5 years):

    • Philosophy and Religious Studies (20%)

    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies (20%)

    • Computer and Information Sciences (23%)

    • Foreign Languages and Linguistics (32%)

    Lowest Retention (10 years):

    • Computer and Information Sciences (13%)

    • Visual and Performing Arts (26%)

    • History and Foreign Languages (25–27%)

    • Natural Resources and Conservation (27%)

    This paints a sobering picture of low local career absorption in a wide range of fields — from tech to arts to environmental science — especially for students attending college on Hawaiʻi Island.

  • Lowest Retention (5 years):

    • Homeland Security / Law Enforcement (33%)

    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies (40%)

    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (46%)

    Lowest Retention (10 years):

    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (39%)

    • Psychology (47%)

    • Education (53%)

    While West Oʻahu shows some extremely high five-year retention in other charts (e.g. Psychology and Education at 100%), this chart reveals a steep falloff in some programs by the 10-year mark, especially those with limited upward mobility or clear career ladders in the local market.

  • Lowest Retention (5 years):

    • Philosophy and Religious Studies (34%)

    • Physical Sciences (39%)

    • Mathematics and Statistics (51%)

    • Communications Technologies (53%)

    Lowest Retention (10 years):

    • Physical Sciences (37%)

    • Communications Technologies (46%)

    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies and Mathematics (49–50%)

    Even at the flagship campus, the story is clear: some fields consistently underperform when it comes to local career fit, particularly in technical and scientific domains that lack robust sector development locally.

  • Across campuses, certain fields surface repeatedly in the low-retention quadrant:

    • Physical Sciences

    • Computer Science and IT

    • Philosophy, Foreign Languages, and Humanities

    • Visual and Performing Arts

    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies

    Some of these areas may have national relevance but limited local job availability, while others may require advanced degrees or out-of-state opportunities to secure livable wages. Regardless of cause, these trends highlight critical areas where economic development and education alignment could help reduce talent leakage.

5A. By campus - the opportunity matrix

 This visualization maps median wage five years after graduation (x-axis) against the percent of graduates still living in Hawaiʻi (y-axis), by individual campus. The result is a localized picture of what opportunity looks like — and how it varies based on where a student earns their degree. This visualization raises the following questions:

  • Are some campuses underserved in access to high-wage programs — and if so, what would it take to change that?

  • Could high-wage, low-retention programs benefit from stronger local employer partnerships or sector strategies?

  • Are low-wage, high-retention programs asking too much of their graduates — to sacrifice economic security for mission or place?

  • What investments (e.g., wraparound supports, wage subsidies, employer engagement) would help shift more dots into the top-right quadrant?

  • These are the best-case programs — strong earnings and high rates of staying in Hawaiʻi.

    UH Mānoa

    • Registered Nursing ($110K, 72%)

    • Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Computer Engineering (~$78K–$86K, 78%)

    • Special Education ($64K, 85%)

    • Dental Hygiene ($70K, 72%)

    UH Hilo, UH West Oʻahu & UH Maui College:

    • No programs currently fall in this quadrant.

    🟩 These are the high-leverage programs — they offer both a path to economic security and a reason to stay rooted. Investing here could mean doubling down on what’s already working.

  • Programs that lead to solid salaries — but a greater share of grads leave the state.

    UH Mānoa:

    • Computer and Information Sciences ($67K, 53%)

    • Environmental Design ($65K, 58%)

    • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies ($69K, 39%)

    UH Hilo:

    • Nursing ($101K, 58%) — the only Hilo program to in either high-wage quadrant.

    UH West Oʻahu & UH Maui College:

    • No programs above the living wage threshold also fall below the retention line.

    🔍 These are flight-risk programs — not necessarily because grads don’t want to stay, but perhaps because local opportunities aren’t keeping up with industry demand.

  • Grads stay in Hawaiʻi but don’t earn a living wage — often in deeply mission-driven fields.

    UH Mānoa:

    • Teacher Education ($59K, 85%)

    • Accounting and Business Services (low $50Ks, ~74%)

    • Public Administration and Social Work (under $51K, 76%)

    • Psychology ($46K, 73%)

    UH West Oʻahu:

    • Education, Psychology, and Business Admin (all ~$52K–$58K, 73–100% retention)

    UH Hilo:

    • Elementary and Secondary Education (~$60K, ~61–64%)

    • Psychology and Hawaiian Studies-related programs (~$45K, 66–74%)

    ❤️ These programs highlight graduates’ commitment to place and purpose — but also raise concerns about long-term sustainability. These are often public-facing roles we rely on, but they don’t yet offer family-sustaining wages.

  • The most urgent quadrant — low earnings and high outmigration.

    UH Mānoa:

    • Philosophy & Religious Studies (34% retention)

    • Chemistry, Geology, Meteorology (39% retention)

    UH Hilo:

    • Philosophy, Arts & Science, Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science, Economics (20% retention)

    • Computer Science (23% retention)

    • Japanese Studies, Linguistics (32% retention)

    UH West Oʻahu:

    • English & History (46% retention)

    🛑 These programs may be least aligned with long-term local opportunity. Graduates may be disconnected from both wage growth and rooted career pathways.

5B. matrix category by campus

Which UH campuses are producing the most graduates into good jobs — and who’s being left behind?

The Opportunity Matrix shows us which programs lead to high wages and high retention in Hawaiʻi. But this next visualization zooms out to show the distribution of outcomes across entire campuses - What share of each campus’s graduates fall into each of these zones five years after graduation?

The data reveals that no campus is yet positioned to deliver equitable, high-wage, place-rooted outcomes at scale.

  • UH Mānoa offers the strongest share of high-opportunity programs — but also has deep disparities.

  • UH Hilo reveals potential gaps between available programs and high-opportunity local jobs.

  • UH West Oʻahu keeps students rooted — but its degree offerings are concentrated in low-wage fields..

So what can be done? Should we scale the programs that fall in the top-right quadrant — especially at Mānoa? Could new programs or sector investments shift more West Oʻahu and Hilo graduates into higher wage brackets? What kinds of wraparound supports — from wage subsidies to mentorship pipelines — would retain more grads in high-demand, low-retention fields?

    • 14.5% of grads land in high-wage, high-retention programs — the highest of any campus.

    • Over half (54.1%) are in low-wage, high-retention programs — staying rooted despite wages falling short.

    • Nearly a third (30.7%) are in the most concerning zone: low-wage, low-retention.

    📊 Mānoa offers the widest range of outcomes — from nationally competitive engineering and nursing wages to large clusters of programs where grads struggle to earn enough or remain in the state. It’s a microcosm of the statewide story.

    • 0% of graduates reach the high-wage, high-retention quadrant.

    • Just 6.4% are in high-wage, low-retention programs (e.g., Nursing).

    • A staggering 81.2% of grads are in low-wage, low-retention programs.

    This suggests a troubling mismatch between UH Hilo’s current program mix and the job market — both in terms of local opportunity and economic sustainability for graduates. It doesn’t mean these programs lack value — it means the pathways need realignment.

    • 0% of grads fall into the high-wage categories.

    • 97.2% are in low-wage, high-retention programs — staying in Hawaiʻi, even without strong earnings.

    • Only 2.8% are in low-wage, low-retention.

    🌱 While West Oʻahu is clearly serving local communities and contributing to place-based retention, nearly all of its graduates are in programs that don’t meet the living wage threshold. This is both a testament to values-driven education and a call to uplift wages or evolve programs.

5C. wages + staying power by matrix category + campus

What can we learn when we look at earnings and place-staying power side by side? This side-by-side breakdown helps reinforce why we need nuanced, place-based strategies — and why the statewide Generational Workforce Commitment will need to support very different pathways and sector strategies on each island.

  • Retention is not just about wages — mission-driven careers and community roots matter.

  • But job quality still matters — especially when we see values-aligned grads struggling to make ends meet.

  • Each campus plays a different role in Hawaiʻi’s workforce system — and will likely need different kinds of investments to unlock more equitable, high-opportunity outcomes.

    • Wages increase predictably across the categories: from ~$49K in low-opportunity sectors to $94K in high-opportunity ones.

    • But retention doesn’t follow the same pattern.

      • Even low-wage grads have 71% retention if they’re in mission-driven roles (e.g. teaching, public service).

      • Meanwhile, some high-wage grads are still leaving the state — pointing to sector fit or lifestyle mismatches, not just wages.

     Key takeaway: Mānoa shows that higher wages can support retention — but don’t guarantee it. And meaningful work can retain grads, even when wages lag.

    • High-wage grads (e.g. Nursing) are earning the most across any campus — $101K — but still have just 58% retention.

    • Meanwhile, low-wage, high-retention grads earn just $43K, yet nearly 79% stay.

    Key takeaway: At Hilo, wages are not driving retention. What’s more striking is how narrow the earnings gap is between low-opportunity and values-aligned jobs — only about $1,000 difference between “stay” and “leave” categories.

    • Nearly all grads fall into the low-wage, high-retention group — earning ~$49K, but 82% remain in Hawaiʻi.

    • The few grads in the low-wage, low-retention category earn about $39K, with just 46% staying.

    Key takeaway: West Oʻahu stands out as a deeply rooted, community-serving campus — but its program mix is almost entirely low-wage. That retention is this high despite low earnings underscores the power of community connection — but it also flags the need to raise wages or evolve the program mix.

roots to canopy:
Explore the Full Data set and analysis

Data and insights across the whole UH system.
A holistic view of what’s happening statewide with respect to degree payoff and job opportunity over time, across sectors.

System Level Trends

Episode 2: Understanding Underemployment
Get the context and overview of education, degree, and workforce outcomes in Hawaiʻi.

Episode 2 Introduction

What we learned and where the data points towards further inquiry.
Signals and questions that can inform policy, research, and data strategy moving forward.

Emerging Signals and Questions

How We Did the Digging

Learn more about our process, sources, and assumptions for Episode 2.