The vast majority of alumni from the past 20 years at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, UH Hilo and UH West Oahu feel their degrees were worth the cost and helped them to achieve their goals, a new survey suggests.

The nonprofit Strada Education Network surveyed 1,112 UH alumni who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from one of the state’s public universities in the past 20 years. Among the findings (along with the national average):

>> 74% said UH education was worth the cost (national average: 65%).

>> 76% said UH helped achieve their goals (national: 72%).

>> 79% said UH helped prepare them for their career (national: 75%).

>> 78% said UH prepared them for a better quality of life (national: 75%).

The data “reaffirm what I hear throughout the community from our alumni, that UH played a key role in their personal success and that they value their time at UH,” UH President David Lassner said in a news release. “It is clear that we are on the right track as we continue to improve the student experience at UH and meet the needs of our state.”

Strada, an Indianapolis-based organization that focuses on post-secondary education and connections to careers, offered to do the survey for UH, and the university did not pay for it, a UH spokesperson said. The survey is among many sources of feedback being used to develop the new UH Strategic Plan for 2023-2029.

The Strada survey also asked alumni to state what they think UH’s main priority should be over the next six years. The top recommendations were:

>> Prepare more Hawaii residents to fill the jobs Hawaii needs (40%).

>> Seeding new economic sectors (23%).

>> Engaging more Hawaii residents in post-secondary education and training (17%).

>> Strengthening UH research enterprise as a major economic and intellectual driver (13%).