Hawaii Pacific University is making an unusual offer to qualifying Hawaii high school seniors in the class of 2023: $10,000-per-year scholarships to all who want to attend the state’s largest private college for their undergraduate studies.

It’s the first time HPU has made such an offer. University officials say they aren’t aware of any similar offer before from any other Hawaii college.

“At HPU, we believe it’s our responsibility to give back to the community,” HPU President John Gotanda said in a statement. “We are committed to providing a world-class, private education at an affordable cost that is accessible to all students of Hawaii.”

The $10,000 merit scholarship through HPU’s Guaranteed Scholarship and Admission Program would account for roughly one-third of the first-year tuition at HPU, which is $31,440 this academic year. The scholarship is renewable for three additional years.

There will be no limit to the number of students awarded the scholarships, HPU Communications Manager Gregory Fischbach said. “We do anticipate the Guaranteed Scholarship and Admission Program will encourage more students in Hawaii to apply for admission, and we are prepared to honor our commitment,” he said.

Eligible students must have an anticipated 2023 graduation date from an accredited Hawaii high school, a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.75 through the end of their junior year, no disciplinary violations and all minimum core courses completed by the time of graduation. The core courses must include four years of English, three years of social sciences, three years of natural science and three years of mathematics.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 15. Visit hpu.edu/guarantee for more information and a link to the application.

On top of the $10,000 scholarship, additional financial aid is available through HPU’s Holomua Commitment pilot program, in which HPU says it will meet 100% of every first-time and transfer Hawaii student’s unmet financial need, as determined through federal financial aid criteria.

Fischbach said that with federal and institutional financial aid, most students do not pay full tuition to attend the private, nonprofit HPU, which has campuses in downtown Honolulu and Windward Oahu. Undergraduate books will cost $775 next year. Room and board cost $15,000, but students are not required to live on campus and the majority of students from Hawaii choose to live off campus, he said.

Increasing HPU’s enrollment, which has grown over the past three years to 4,500, is not among the goals of the scholarship program, Fischbach said.

The largest cohort of HPU students is from California. “It is not a goal for students from Hawaii to be the largest cohort, but we do wish to have even greater representation of enrolled students from across all the islands of Hawaii,” he said.

The $10,000 scholarship program is to “bring greater awareness to the affordability of an HPU education,” Fischbach said. “We recognize that there are more students in Hawaii who would benefit from an affordable, personalized, private college education, but may not realize they are an academic fit. We believe that Guaranteed Scholarship and Admission Program will provide the encouragement for these students to consider HPU as a viable college option.”

In addition to the $10,000, which HPU considers a merit scholarship, benefits of the program for accepted students include a $500 visit grant for attending a campus tour or a preview day program; priority for financial aid awards (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the FAFSA, must be submitted to HPU by Nov. 15); priority registration for fall 2023 classes; early access to housing application; and a swag gift if commitment is made to HPU by May 1.