Kauai Community College Launches Hoʻolei Scholarship for Class of 2026

Kauai Community College unveiled the Hoʻolei Scholarship on Jan. 5, a new program designed to cover any remaining first-year tuition for graduating Kauai public and charter high school seniors after federal and other financial aid are applied. The scholarship pool exceeds $100,000 thanks to community donations and additional support from the Stupski Foundation.

The scholarship is aimed at students in the Class of 2026 who enroll directly with Kauai CC and complete the 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Applicants must apply online and will be considered for the Hoʻolei award after other financial aid has been calculated. In addition to tuition support, the program will help scholars access on-campus employment opportunities so they can earn paychecks and gain work experience while remaining on-island and enrolled in classes.

College officials note that financial aid already covers full tuition for most Kauai CC students; the Hoʻolei Scholarship fills gaps for those who still have tuition balances after aid is applied. The college also encourages students to pursue UH Common Scholarships and participate in Kauai CC’s first-year Waialeale Project as complementary sources of funding and student support.

The scholarship complements University of Hawaiʻi system enrollment pathways. Spring 2026 high school graduates are automatically eligible to enroll at all seven UH community colleges, and students with a GPA of 2.7 or higher qualify for admission to UH Hilo and UH West Oʻahu. Those pathways, combined with the Hoʻolei Scholarship, reduce the financial and logistical incentives for students to leave the island for college and aim to improve local retention of young talent.

For Kauai County, the program represents a targeted investment in human capital that could ease household budget pressures, lower student borrowing in the short term, and strengthen the local labor pool over time. By covering first-year costs and pairing financial support with on-campus work opportunities, the scholarship seeks to smooth the transition from high school to postsecondary education and boost workforce readiness in sectors that rely on locally trained employees.

Seniors planning to enroll at Kauai Community College should apply online and complete the 2026-2027 FAFSA to establish eligibility for the Hoʻolei Scholarship and other campus financial supports.