At UH-Manoa, early effects of the 50 percent tuition hike this fall include a 66 percent increase in financial aid applications and a 15 percent drop in enrollment from the previous academic year.
Tuition jumped from $1,534 to $2,304 per year for undergraduate residents.
"I just ran into a friend of mine at Liberty House and she was saying she can't dorm anymore because tuition went up and she can't pay for it," said Scott Nishimoto, this year's undergraduate student body president.
"She said her credit card was maxed out. Also, she happens to be a (student government) senator but can't devote that much time to it because she has to work. Thing likes that, you see it a lot," Nishimoto said.
Senior Alma Trinidad, last year's student body vice president, said several people have moved off campus from student housing because they can't afford to pay tuition as well as dorm fees.
"Some of my friends moved from full-time to part-time status because they cannot afford the tuition," said Trinidad, who sought financial aid to help with her tuition.
Gail Koki, financial aid director at UH-Manoa, said the number of applications rose from 9,000 last year to 15,000 this year, with the semester yet to begin. While the new tuition remains reasonable at its new level, she said, the increase prompted many to seek aid to pay their college expenses.
As of Wednesday, the number of students who registered and paid tuition at Manoa was 16,847, down about 15 percent from the 19,801 who enrolled last year.
UH spokeswoman Cheryl Ernst, however, stressed that final enrollment figures won't be known until after the Sept. 9 registration deadline.
The university planned for a 5 percent drop in enrollment based on past tuition increases, she said.
The fallout has also hit the Manoa student senate: 13 seats, or 34 percent, are vacant.
Robert Hsiung, a student senator, said: "Part of it is that senators don't get paid a lot and they need to work outside jobs and can't contribute as much."
The problem was especially bad this summer when the senate did not have enough members present for a quorum. Although special elections will be held in October to fill the vacancies, the delay will mean less time for the senate to set agendas and respond to issues.
The students admit their activism isn't likely to reach the fervor of last year, which included the "Death of Education" march on the state Capitol over UH budget cuts.
"We fought hard last year, and now we have to deal with the situation," Nishimoto said.
The University of Hawaii Board of Regents has approved a $326.1 million UH budget for fiscal year 1996-97.The budget includes $271.7 million in general funds and $54.38 million in anticipated tuition and fees, said Eugene Imai, UH senior vice president for administration.
Of the $326.1 million, UH-Manoa will receive $201.1 million; UH-Hilo, $20.1 million; UH community colleges, $77.1 million; UH-West Oahu, $2.4 million; and UH system-wide services, $21.1 million.
An extra $4 million will be kept by the administration as a contingency against further restrictions and unanticipated shortfalls in tuition revenues, Imai said.
The state Legislature in 1995 set aside $314.8 million in general funds for the university.
That figure was reduced by $33.1 million by the 1996 Legislature due to the state economy. It was then restricted another $10 million by Gov. Ben Cayetano.