Hawaii Hilo acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Hawaii Hilo is a public university in Hawaii that admits most qualified applicants (around 61%), which puts it in the moderately selective range. A rate like this means it admits more applicants than it rejects; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Hawaii Hilo weighs, where it ranks among Hawaii schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1120, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at Hawaii Hilo?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Hawaii Hilo?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Hawaii Hilo, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Hawaii Hilo?
At Hawaii Hilo, your real chance depends on far more than the published 61% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Hawaii Hilo in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Hawaii Hilo hard to get into?
Hawaii Hilo is moderately selective: it admits more applicants than it rejects, with about a 61% acceptance rate. Meeting the academic basics gives most qualified applicants a realistic shot.
What GPA do you need to get into Hawaii Hilo?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Hawaii Hilo, but admitted students often present roughly a 3.2 to 3.7 GPA. Hawaii Hilo reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Hawaii Hilo by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Hawaii Hilo for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Hawaii Hilo with a 3.1 GPA and a 1060 SAT?
About 74% (Safety), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.1 unweighted GPA and a 1060 SAT, the middle of Hawaii Hilo's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.4 GPA with a 1180 SAT comes out near 94%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/hawaii-hilo.
How to get into Hawaii Hilo
Built from Hawaii Hilo's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Hawaii Hilo comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Hawaii Hilo carries about a 3.33 core GPA and a 1125 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Meeting it puts you in the admitted range for most applicants.
The admitted middle 50% is 945 to 1175 SAT (15 to 22 ACT). Submit a score at 1060 or higher; below 945, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Hawaii Hilo rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by Hawaii Hilo's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at hilo.hawaii.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to Hawaii Hilo, and how many get in?
2,562 students applied to Hawaii Hilo for fall 2023; 2,300 were admitted (89.8%). 367 enrolled. Only about 16% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Hawaii Hilo enrolls about 2,160 undergraduates in total, 63% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Hawaii Hilo?
Admitted students at Hawaii Hilo post SAT scores of 945 to 1175 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1028. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 15 to 22. A score above 1175 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 945 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Hawaii Hilo is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Hawaii Hilo looks for
What Hawaii Hilo weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Hawaii Hilo signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores above the rest of the file. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from Hawaii Hilo's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Hawaii Hilo
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Hawaii Hilo cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Hawaii Hilo (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $21,173 a year. Tuition and fees are $7,838 for HI residents and $20,798 for out-of-state students, a $12,960 gap that makes residency the single biggest lever on cost. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $11,856 a year, and it ranges from $8,983 for families earning under $30,000 to $17,403 for families earning over $110,000. 40% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Hawaii Hilo graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Hawaii Hilo students ten years after entry are $47,856 ($37,204 at the six-year mark). 48% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 73% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $20,500; 30% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Hawaii Hilo compares in Hawaii
Hawaii Hilo ranks #1 most selective of 4 schools in Hawaii in our database.
Among the 4 Hawaii schools we track, Hawaii Hilo ranks the most selective by acceptance rate. Nothing else in the state is harder to get into; the next tier down includes Hawaii Pacific University at 86%. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to Hawaii Hilo
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Hawaii Hilo is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Ohio State University, Colorado School of Mines, and College of Charleston. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hawaii Hilo's acceptance rate?
Hawaii Hilo admitted 2,300 of 2,562 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 89.8% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 16% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Hawaii Hilo?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 945 to 1175 on the SAT and 15 to 22 on the ACT. A score above 1175 is in the top quarter of admits. Hawaii Hilo is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Hawaii Hilo test-optional?
Yes. Hawaii Hilo reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Hawaii Hilo cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Hawaii Hilo, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $11,856 a year against a sticker price of about $21,173. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $8,983 on average.
What do Hawaii Hilo graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Hawaii Hilo are $47,856 a year among students who received federal aid, and 48% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Hawaii Hilo value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Hawaii Hilo weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Hawaii Hilo favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, Hawaii Hilo generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at Hawaii Hilo?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Hawaii Hilo specifically.
How does residency affect admission to Hawaii Hilo?
As a public university, Hawaii Hilo typically admits in-state students at a higher rate, and tuition differs sharply by residency. Select your home state in the calculator to fold the in-state effect into your estimate.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.