The University of Hawai'i at Hilo is characterized as a comprehensive, regional university. Scholarship and research are an important part of faculty work and student engagement, but the primary focus is on providing high-quality baccalaureate and limited postgraduate education.

While UH Hilo actively recruits residents of Hawai'i Island, its programs are also attractive to prospective students from other islands, the mainland U.S., and internationally. Students across the State may select UH Hilo not only for its distinctive undergraduate programs, but for its rural setting, its intimate character, or for an interest in leaving home without leaving the State.

UH Hilo offers two Ph.D. programs, the Doctor of Pharmacy, and three master's programs that are unique in the UH system, and the Doctorate of Nursing Practice program with a rural focus. UH Hilo will continue to offer its unique programs and efforts at the postgraduate level while maintaining the quality and relevance of these graduate programs and ensuring appropriate enrollments for the foreseeable future.

Ten of the 14 world climate zones exist on the Island of Hawai'i, making it a living laboratory for the study of volcanoes, astronomy, agriculture, marine science, and other natural sciences.

UH Hilo is a public liberal arts and science university.