03-26-2015, 07:51 PM
Pacific University in Forest Grove Oregon is a small private school with a long tradition of students from Hawaii, in fact they have an admissions officer on Oahu who travels to neighbor islands and an advisor for Hawaii students on campus. They are also known for having one of the best student run luaus on the west coast. The tuition is steep but they have good financial aid so most of their students graduate with less debt than in state graduates from the big Oregon state schools. Small classes, excellent faculty who are invested in their students, close knit campus, no athletic scholarships so the teams are real "student athletes" in a safe small town but close to Portland. Small private schools with good financial aid endowments are often overlooked by students who would be eligible for substantial financial aid.