HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The cost of living in Hawaii continues to be among the highest in the country, with students who already pay thousands in tuition feeling the strain.

Hawaii lawmakers and advocates are backing a bill that could alleviate financial stress, specifically for college students.

The Hawaii Promise scholarship for community college students is designed to fill remaining financial gaps, while requiring students to cover some costs.

The scholarship currently operates as a last-dollar scholarship which covers the remaining tuition and fee gaps after other federal, state, and institutional grants are applied.

House Bill 2338 would allow Hawaii Promise to cover 95% of tuition and fees and would exclude grants or other scholarships from the calculation, allowing those funds to be used for the cost of basic needs like housing, transportation, or food.

“It is so important now more than ever for the Hawaii Promise scholarship to be something that does not penalize students when they are going out and trying to help cover some of their basic needs,” said David Sun-Miyashiro, Executive Director of HawaiiKidsCAN.

The scholarship was established in 2017 and has since served more than 12,000 University of Hawaii Community College students and, in 2024 alone, has distributed over $5 million to students.

Hawaii lawmakers have also introduce bills such as House Bill 619 to make financial literacy courses accessible to students in public schools.

However most of the bills died early in the legislative session or were carried over from the 2025 legislative session with no action was taken on them.

“As a state, when we say something like a promise, we really should make it a promise to support our kids and support them for trying to better their lives and their careers so they can afford to stay in the state,” said Sun-Miyashiro.

Lui Hokoana, interim vice president for the University of Hawaii Community Colleges, says students can stay enrolled and complete their education without being forced to choose between school and basic survival.

Sun-Miyashiro says the cost of college goes beyond tuition and fees.

….