Hawaii Pacific University

What Hawaii Pacific University does

Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) is a private, non-profit university founded in 1965 and headquartered at 1 Aloha Tower Drive in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a secondary campus in Las Vegas, Nevada. The university delivers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs across six colleges — Business, Liberal Arts, Natural and Computational Sciences, Professional Studies, Health Sciences, and Nursing — spanning more than 40 undergraduate majors and 20+ graduate programs. HPU serves a diverse student population including traditional undergraduates, graduate students, active-duty military and veterans, international students, and online learners, with delivery channels spanning on-campus instruction (Honolulu and Las Vegas), asynchronous online programs (seven majors), military base classes, and Chinese-language programs localized through a partnership with Beacon Education.

The university's core academic products include a 3-year accelerated Bachelor of Science in Global Business developed in partnership with the Minerva Project, a Digital Explorers online degree program with reduced summer costs and free housing, and health sciences programs including nursing, public health, and doctoral-level OTD and DPT programs at the Las Vegas campus. Technology infrastructure centers on an asynchronous online learning platform and a 3,000 sq. ft. esports arena featuring 30 high-end gaming PCs and next-gen consoles. HPU also operates an active research program, highlighted by a $502,819 NSF BRC-BIO grant (the first such grant awarded in Hawaii) for coastal wetland research and a $10 million five-year federal HRSA grant funding full-tuition scholarships for healthcare students who commit to serving rural Hawaii.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through tuition and program fees across the university’s multiple delivery modalities, supplemented by federal grants (notably $10.5M across HRSA and NSF awards), international partnership revenue via Beacon Education (licensing/localization model), and auxiliary programs such as esports scholarships ($1,000-$6,000 per year). The university is governed by a 28-member Board of Trustees, led by President John Gotanda, with a leadership team including CSO Jennifer Walsh, Acting Provost Brenda Jensen, and General Counsel Kenji Price. HPU operates as an independent institution with no parent company and does not publicly disclose detailed revenue or enrollment figures.

Name

Hawaii Pacific University

Legal name

Hawaii Pacific University

Website

https://hpu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Hawaii Pacific University is a private, non-profit university founded in 1965 in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a Las Vegas campus. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs across six colleges, serving traditional, military, international, and online students through multi-channel delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Business & Management Research Universities (EDAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL), International Branch Campus & Offshore Program Partnerships (EDAIABAI), Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)

Keywords

• Private higher education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate professional programs
• Health sciences education
• Online education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: HPU generates revenue primarily through tuition for undergraduate and graduate degree programs, with different pricing for on-campus, online, and military base programs. Students pay per credit or semester tuition rates for degree completion.
2. International Partnership Revenue: Revenue from partnership programs targeting international markets, particularly Chinese-language programs delivered through Beacon Education partnership for professional doctorate programs.
3. Federal Grant Funding: $10 million federal grant over five years for healthcare scholarship programs targeting rural Hawaii service requirements, part of Hawaii's Rural Healthcare Transformation plan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hawaii Pacific University is a private, non-profit university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs across business, health sciences, liberal arts, natural and computational sciences, professional studies, and nursing. Programs are offered on-campus at its Honolulu and Las Vegas campuses, fully online (asynchronously), on military bases, and through international partnerships. In addition to degrees, HPU operates an esports arena, summer camps, and federally funded healthcare scholarship and research programs.

Product overview

Hawaii Pacific University is a private university offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and services including undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs across multiple colleges (Business, Liberal Arts, Natural and Computational Sciences, Professional Studies, Health Sciences, and Nursing). Key programs include the innovative 3-year Bachelor of Science in Global Business developed with Minerva Project, the Digital Explorers online degree program with free summer housing, healthcare workforce programs (nursing, public health, DPT, OTD) including rural scholarship initiatives, and specialized offerings like esports arena and summer camps. Programs are delivered on campuses in Honolulu, Hawaii and Las Vegas, Nevada, with extensive online and hybrid options including Chinese-language doctorate programs. The university also conducts coastal wetland research funded by NSF grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academic Degree Programs Portfolio Comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs across business, healthcare, sciences, liberal arts, and professional studies, delivered on-campus at Honolulu and Las Vegas campuses and online. Includes 40+ undergraduate majors and 20+ graduate programs.
• Bachelor of Science in Global Business (BSGB) A 3-year, 90-credit accelerated undergraduate business degree program developed in partnership with Minerva Project, emphasizing skills-focused learning, interdisciplinary seminars, applied projects, and immersive internships with integration of Hawaiian cultural values.
• Digital Explorers Degree Program An online learning program allowing students to take courses fully online through seven selected majors during the academic year, with optional free summer housing at Harbor Lofts campus facilities and reduced summer costs.
• Online Degree Programs Comprehensive online degree offerings including associate, bachelor's, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as certificate programs, with select programs available in Mandarin and Vietnamese translations, delivered asynchronously with 8-week term options.
• Las Vegas Campus Health Sciences Programs Health sciences programs at the Las Vegas, Nevada campus including Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs, delivered in hybrid online/in-person format.
• Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) A 59-credit undergraduate major program preparing graduates for public health workforce careers or graduate studies, including two semesters of practicum experiences.
• Chinese-Language Online Doctor of Business Administration A professional doctorate program in Chinese language, offered through expanded partnership with Beacon Education for working professionals in China seeking English-language higher education credentials.
• HPU Esports Arena and Programs A 3,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art gaming arena in Honolulu featuring 30 high-end gaming PCs, next-gen consoles, streaming booth, and esports tournaments; offers esports scholarships and summer camps.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3-year accelerated degree completion reduces time and cost to earn bachelor's degree
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• US Fish and Wildlife ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 August 2025Research partnership with US Fish and Wildlife Service for coastal wetland research at the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge. Study investigates how simulated sea-level rise affects methane emissions while creating paid research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
• Beacon EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExpanded partnership with Beacon Education for Chinese-language online Doctor of Business Administration program - the partnership's first professional doctorate extending degree-based upskilling beyond existing master's programs in business, technology, and psychology. Beacon provides localized capabilities including marketing, recruitment, instructional design, translation, delivery, technology, and student support while HPU focuses on its teaching model.
• Minerva ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Minerva Project, known worldwide for innovation in education, to develop the new 3-year Bachelor of Science in Global Business program. Minerva's expertise in learner-centric, skills-focused education contributes to HPU's accelerated undergraduate business degree.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chaminade University of Honolulu: Private, non-profit university in Honolulu serving a similar mix of undergraduate, graduate, and military-affiliated students at comparable scale. Most directly comparable private peer in HPU's home market.
• Brigham Young University–Hawaii: Private university in Laie, Oahu, with overlapping undergraduate program mix, international student population, and Hawaii-based brand. Directly competes for the same in-state and Pacific-region student pool.
• National University: Private, nonprofit institution with a heavy emphasis on online and hybrid delivery, serving adult learners, military-affiliated students, and workforce-relevant degrees — closely comparable to HPU's Digital Explorers and military-base programs.
• Western Governors University: Large, nonprofit competency-based and online university with a tuition-per-term model similar to HPU's Digital Explorers pricing. Operates at much larger scale but targets similar adult, working, and online learner segments.
• Southern New Hampshire University: Major nonprofit online university with extensive global partnerships (including translated programs). Comparable to HPU/Beacon Education's approach of localizing programs in international markets and emphasizing flexible online delivery.
• Roseman University of Health Sciences: Private, nonprofit health-sciences university with campuses in Nevada (including Las Vegas). Direct comparability to HPU Las Vegas's OTD and DPT programs and its health-sciences growth strategy.
• Touro University Worldwide: Private, nonprofit institution with online health sciences and business programs serving working adults — comparable to HPU's online degree and international partnership strategy.

Broad incumbents

• University of Hawaii at Manoa: Flagship public research university in Honolulu — HPU's primary in-state competitor for faculty, research funding, and student applicants, though operating under a different public-mission funding model.
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV): Public research university in the Las Vegas market where HPU Las Vegas operates. Competes for the same regional pool of health-sciences students but as a much larger public institution.
• University of Hawaii–West Oahu: Public four-year university in the UH system serving the same Oahu and neighbor-island populations; competes with HPU on tuition, program mix, and regional employer recruiting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hpu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/hpu
• Facebookfacebook.com/5780337565
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hawaii-pacific-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/hawaiipacificu/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Hawaii Pacific University