Opana Radar Site · Photo: Andrew Corbin · CC BY-SA 4.0Brigham Young University-Hawaii is 6.1 miles from Kawela Bay
No college sits inside Kawela Bay’s boundary, but Brigham Young University-Hawaii’s campus in Laie, with 2,834 students on campus, is 6.1 miles from the center of town, and Leeward Community College is 21.3 miles away in Pearl City. About 4% of Kawela Bay’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Hawaii (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Kawela Bay. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Kawela Bay
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Kawela Bay
One private college within 6.1 miles. The nearest public four-year college, University of Hawaii at Manoa, is 30.1 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at $48–75k, where Kawela Bay’s median household income ($74,205) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.
Questions about college near Kawela Bay
Is Kawela Bay a college town?
No. About 4 of every 100 Kawela Bay residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Hawaii (6). The nearest campus, Brigham Young University-Hawaii, is 6.1 miles away in Laie.
What colleges are near Kawela Bay?
Within 15 miles: Brigham Young University-Hawaii (6.1 miles, 2,834 students on campus).
What is the closest community college to Kawela Bay, and what does it cost?
Leeward Community College in Pearl City, 21.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $3,214 a year for Hawaii residents; the federal net price, $5,137, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Hawaii at Manoa cost if we live in Hawaii?
Tuition and fees are $12,186 a year in-state and $34,218 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,675 (under $30,000 income) to $22,562 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Kawela Bay. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →