New Students and Families

Our dedicated team of support staff is responsible for helping you answer the questions:

1. What was I charged and why?
2. How do I pay or get money back?
3. What happens if I don’t pay my balance?

Think of our office as the last piece of the financial puzzle. After you’ve been admitted and cleared all registration requirements and you have figured out how to fund your education, we help with the rest.

We are responsible for assessing tuition and fee charges; preparing bills; interpreting and auditing balances; processing payments, payment plans, and refunds; connecting students to financial resources and information; enhancing student financial literacy; enforcing consequences for nonpayment; and receipting incoming funds.

Check out our Financial Dates & Deadlines page for more information about key dates for payment plan enrollment, tuition payments, withdrawing, financial consequences, and more!

The time to think this through is before beginning your investment and starting the semester at HPU. Remember, once the semester starts, students are financially responsible for paying for all or a percentage of their course tuition and fees even if they drop or withdraw as outlined in HPU's Academic Calendar. 

As a student, only you can know whether attending HPU is accomplishable within your budget. If you are nervous or worried about how you are going to pay, then it is very important to look closely at all anticipated costs and resources to ensure you make the right decision for your future. Don’t wait until it is too late to make your budget and ask for help. HPU can help you with thinking through your options and connecting you with information and resources. It is ultimately each student’s responsibility to make the decision that is right for the student. 

This section is an informal guide that will walk you through the components you need to think through to develop your budget and consider your choices. Our suggestion: get out a pen and paper – or a spreadsheet – and take notes as you consider each question below. 

1. How much does going to school cost, and how can I reduce those costs?

• Review HPU's Cost of Attendance for a full list of estimated expenses encountered by the typical HPU student. 
• Some costs are fixed, meaning they cannot be changed (like tuition and fees). Some costs you can influence to reduce the amount you need to spend. For each cost, consider how you can reduce the amount you will pay. For example, finding an additional roommate, or choosing to opt for public transportation instead of shipping a car. 
• Think beyond your first year: Make a grid, and list out estimated costs for your entire four-year academic plan (and consider a backup plan if it takes you longer than four years to complete).
• If you do not already live in Hawai'i, consider that cost of living expenses in this unique location are also unique. For example, U.S. mainland prices for a carton of one dozen eggs averaged $4.11 each when we prepared this guide in April 2023. On O'ahu, a dozen eggs cost about $7.50. Comparing prices for items you consume using websites like Walmart.com or Target.com may be helpful in thinking through what you might actually pay. 

2. What resources do I have available to fund my education, and how can I increase those resources?

• HPU provides an Award Letter that shows any HPU scholarships and U.S. federal student aid that is available to you to fund your education. This information is also in the myHPU portal under "Financial Aid." If you have not already completed your FAFSA, make sure you do that, as doing so may create opportunities for additional aid even if you think you do not qualify. 
• In addition to any HPU scholarships you may have been awarded, look into what external scholarships might be available to you. 
  • Check out the Financial Aid External Scholarships page for more information. 
  • Speak with your local high school guidance counselors, who are often a wealth of information about local scholarship opportunities. 
  • Many scholarships go unawarded because students do not apply! Taking the time to carefully apply for scholarships can produce results and pay off. 
• If you are eligible for benefits as a Veteran or Active Duty Service Member or family member, be sure to look into any requirements for using those benefits. Check out HPU's Military Campus Programs website for more information. 
• Consider what assets and resources are available to you and your family. 
  • Was your family able to help financially plan for your education through investing in a state 529 plan? If so, what is the balance in the account? Check with your 529 plan provider to learn more and understand the requirements for disbursing the funds.
  • Think of any other tangible or intangible assets that could be considered, if appropriate, to support your college fund. 
  • Calculate the amount that you can realistically earn working, if applicable, during college to support your costs, while prioritizing keeping your grades up and maintaining academic progress. 
• Recognize that in the U.S., many students fund the majority of their education through loans. If loans are required in your situation, do the math on interest rates and compare options to ensure you understand the terms of any loan you take out, and reduce future payments and interest expense. If you can afford to do so, consider paying your loans down while in school (if they accrue interest) to minimize the amount of interest you will pay. Check out the Financial Aid Loans page for more information. 
• Payment Plans may help you with any amount you owe after scholarships, loans, grants, etc. by spreading the total amount owed into monthly installments. Check out HPU's Payment Plan website for more information, and be sure to sign up early for the smallest installment payments. 

3. How do I expect this to change over the next 4 years?

• Some costs will increase. Nationally, tuition increases by an average 3-5% at U.S. universities per year, but scholarships may stay flat. Or, if your grades are not maintained you could lose eligibility for scholarships. 
• On the other hand, you might be able to find more scholarships as you go by applying to as many as you can, so your available resources could increase! 

After laying all of this out, you might ask guardians, family members, or trusted advisors to review the information with you. Make sure your plan is solid and supports your future success. Reach out for help if needed, and feel free to ask our office for guidance anytime. 

Hawai'i Pacific University is proud to partner with GradGuard, who offers students and families the ability to protect their investment through tuition insurance. GradGuard’s Tuition Insurance Plan helps students and their families overcome the financial losses that may result from events which force students to withdraw from the term due to a covered medical reason or loss of employment of a tuition payer. 

In the event of an unexpected situation, such as injury, illness, or loss of employment, you may need to withdraw from your courses. Depending on the timing of the withdrawal, you may not be eligible to receive a refund for all of your tuition and fees. GradGuard Tuition Insurance can help students and parents avoid a financial loss due to an unexpected withdrawal from school. 

Remember, HPU students are only entitled to a full reversal of tuition and fee charges if they withdraw before the last day to drop courses with 100% refund for dropped credits. This deadline is published in the Academic Calendar, Please review HPU's full Refund Policy on the Business Office Policies & Deadlines page.

FIND OUT MORE & Sign up: 

Visit HPU's GradGuard Tuition Insurance website for more information.

• HPU understands that registration (and consequently, tuition and fee charges) as well as financial aid amounts may change as students finalize their schedule and complete financial aid requirements, and it can therefore be difficult for students to know the exact amount they will need to pay by the tuition payment deadline. This is why HPU asks that students and/or families pay the amount they expect to owe or enroll in a payment plan by the tuition payment deadline each semester..
• As long as a student is actively making good-faith efforts to pay their expected amount owed or is enrolled in payment plan, their account with HPU will be considered in good standing during the Registration Period as posted in the Academic Calendar.
• Once the Registration Period closes, account balances not covered by a payment plan in good standing will begin to be assessed by the Business Office and students should make every effort to proactively ensure their balance is $0.00. 
• Unpaid balances are subject to financial consequences, such as late fees, records and registration holds, and more. 
  

What happens if I do not pay timely, or fall behind on my payment plan?

1. A late fee of 5% or $50 may be added to the student account for each month tuition is not paid. Late fees begin being applied the month after the registration period closes. 
2. A student may have a hold placed on their account blocking their ability to receive a diploma (balances of $75 or more), and they may be blocked from registering for future semesters (balances of $5,000 or more).
3. A student’s registration will not be canceled during the semester for unpaid balances related to that current semester, unless the student is an international visiting or international degree-seeking student; international students are required to pay their balance in full by the tuition payment deadline each semester.
4. A student’s registration may be canceled if their prior term charges accumulate to an unsustainable level. Students subject to being administratively dropped from their courses due to delinquent, unpaid balances will be notified in advance via email to their my.hpu.edu email address.
5. A student may be prohibited from participating in HPU-run extracurricular activities with additional costs.
6. A student may be unable to participate in commencement ceremonies (degrees will still be conferred, but diplomas may be blocked).
7. A student may be referred to a third-party collections agency if their balance remains unpaid at the end of the semester. 

Visit hpu.edu/guide for more information and check the Resources section above to fully explore information helpful to new students and their support network.