Iolani Alumni

Of the 228 Iolani seniors attending one of more than 94 different universities, 23 will be heading to Santa Clara University next fall, the most of any college. Coming in tied for second with 21 students apiece were the University of Southern California and the University of Hawaii.

The tuition at Santa Clara for the 2008-09 school year will be $34,950 (fees included). Along with an estimated $11,070 per year for room and board, the grand total for a single year at Santa Clara, not including the record-high prices for plane tickets, is $46,020.

The University of Hawaii, by comparison, is just $5,952 per year ($2,976 per semester) for a full-time student, just more than a third of the current Iolani tuition. Room and board on campus is estimated at $7,500 per year.

Tuition and fees at USC comes to $37,692. Together with room and board ($11,298), a one-year education from the University of Southern California comes to $48,990.

New House or College? The total cost of an education for one year at Santa Clara equates to $3,835 per month which would nearly cover the mortgage payment for an $800,000 home (assuming 20% down and a total loan amount of $640,000 at 6.0% over 30 years). Unreal!