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admission

Admissions and Records Office
Student Services Center 001
2600 Campus Road, Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-8975
Toll free (in U.S.): (800) 823-9771
Fax: (808) 956-4148
E-mail: ar-info@hawaii.edu
Web: www.hawaii.edu/admrec/

Admission requirements for UH Manoa are similar to those of comparable state institutions of higher education. Applicants are advised to consult appropriate UH Manoa colleges and schools for specific information since individual academic programs may have special admission policies and procedures.

The following regulations and procedures are subject to change without prior notice. Prospective students should consult the most current Catalog and/or an adviser before applying for admission.

Admission of classified Students

Classified undergraduates are those admitted to approved programs of study leading to University of Hawai'i at Manoa baccalaureate degrees. Students who have earned 0–24 credit hours are freshmen; those with 25–54 credit hours are sophomores; those with 55–88 credit hours are juniors; and those with 89 or more credit hours are seniors.

Freshmen and sophomores are lower division students, while juniors and seniors are upper division students. 

Admission of freshmen

Students applying for admission as freshmen must submit an application, official scores from the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT-I) or American College Test (ACT), high school transcripts, and recommendations from school officials. Applicants taking the General Education Development (GED) high school–equivalency test must submit GED results in addition to high school transcripts. Applicants who have been home-schooled must submit GED results in addition to high school transcripts and official ACT scores. A high rating in one area will not ensure admission, nor will poor performance in an area exclude applicants if other evidence shows they may be successful in university-level work.

SAT-I or ACT. Candidates for fall admission should take the SAT-I or ACT no later than December of their senior year in high school. Candidates for spring admission should take the test before July. Information is available from high school counselors or from the testing agencies. For SAT-I, contact College Entrance Examination Board, c/o Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 592, Princeton, NJ 08540. For ACT, contact American College Testing Program, P.O. Box 414, Iowa City, IA 52243.

High School Record. Applicants should have grades high enough to place them in the upper 40 percent of their graduating class, and they should be recommended by their principal or a designated school representative.

Minimum Unit Requirements. Applicants should complete 22 units of high school work (grades 9–12) of which at least 17 are college preparatory. The term "unit" means satisfactory completion of a full school year's course of study or the equivalent in laboratory and shop exercises. A listing of courses and grades from the ninth through twelfth grades must be included. College-preparatory subjects must include at least four units in English; three in mathematics, including college-preparatory geometry and second-year algebra; three in natural sciences; three in social sciences; and four additional units, which may include higher mathematics, additional science, additional social studies, and foreign language. All other courses for which the high school grants credit may be offered to satisfy the remaining unit requirements, although there should be no less than a half-unit nor more than two units in any one subject.

Students entering curricula in engineering, mathematics, and biological and physical sciences must meet the special mathematics requirements listed in the college sections of this Catalog.

Profile of Admitted Students. All applications are evaluated on an individual basis. Generally, successful applicants attain a B-average for all college-preparatory high school course work, achieve SAT-I (or equivalent) scores of 510 (verbal) and 510 (math), and rank in the upper 40 percent of their graduating class.
Nonresident applicants should await notice of acceptance before coming to Hawai'i. By Board of Regents policy, the number of nonresidents admitted is limited.

Admission decisions are made independent of the availability of financial aid and housing. Students must apply separately for financial aid and housing. (See the "Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid" and "Student Life" sections of this Catalog.)

Admission of transfer Applicants

Transfer applicants are those currently or previously enrolled at a college or university other than the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. To obtain an application form, refer to "Application Procedures" within this section of the Catalog.

Applicants who have earned at least 24 semester credit hours of work in courses comparable to Manoa campus offerings at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university must submit an application and have each postsecondary institution previously attended send an official transcript (including withdrawals, courses taken, and grades received) directly to the Admissions and Records Office. Unofficial transcripts, hand-carried transcripts, faxed transcripts, and student copies of transcripts or grade reports will not be accepted.

Applicants who have earned fewer than 24 acceptable credit hours or who have enrolled in an unaccredited institution must submit high school transcripts and official SAT-I or ACT scores in addition to official transcripts from all postsecondary institutions previously attended.

Transfer applicants are expected to present a satisfactory academic record in courses comparable to Manoa campus offerings. Nonresident candidates must present a better than average record. The number of nonresidents admitted is limited by Board of Regents policy.

Applicants enrolled at another college or university must have a final transcript submitted to the Admissions and Records Office at the end of the current term. Until this is received, any acceptance is provisional. Failure either to submit the transcript within a reasonable time or to complete the semester's work satisfactorily will result in denial of admission or, in the case of registered students, cancellation of registration.

Credit hours in courses taken at U.S. regionally accredited colleges or universities that are substantially equivalent to Manoa campus offerings and in which grades of C (not C-) or better have been earned will be transferred. From UH system campuses, however, courses with D grades will also transfer. Grades and grade points from other institutions are not transferred. Credit/no credit and pass/fail credits may be accepted if the standard for these credits is equivalent to that at the Manoa campus (see "Grades" within this section of the Catalog).

However, not all transfer credits accepted will necessarily satisfy curricular requirements toward a particular degree. The University applies no more than 60 credit hours from non-UH junior or community colleges to satisfy degree requirements.

Transfers from unaccredited colleges or universities must also meet Manoa campus admission standards for new freshmen. Students who complete a minimum of 30 credit hours with an average of C or better at the Manoa campus may be granted credit for the courses completed at unaccredited institutions that are candidates for accreditation. These courses, which must be substantially equivalent to University of Hawai'i at Manoa courses, will be counted only as lower division credits to a maximum of 60 credit hours.

The department or program in which the student is pursuing a degree may decide that certain courses required for the major that were taken in the past must be retaken. Courses that are declared outdated for the major will still count toward the General Education Core if they meet core requirements. Students should consult with their respective academic adviser in their major field of study for details.

Transfer Applicants from UH System Campuses
For admission purposes, students who wish to transfer to UH Manoa from another UH system campus should refer to the "Admission of Transfer Students" section above.

Effective fall 1994, students who have earned an articulated associate in arts (AA) degree from a University of Hawai'i Community College shall be accepted as having fulfilled the General Education Core requirements at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. However, students must also complete all specialized lower division, major, college, degree, and graduation requirements. Additionally, competency in a foreign language and five writing-intensive courses are required. With planning, most, if not all, of these requirements may be incorporated into the AA degree; if not, they are required in addition to the associate in arts degree. 

Transfer students who have not completed the AA degree are advised that some of their courses taken at other UH campuses may apply directly to the UH Manoa General Education Core requirements. The Transfer Handbook, a publication on articulated courses, is available for reference at all UH campuses. Campus advisers can provide more details on the subject.

Evaluating Transfer Credits
In general, UH Manoa accepts credits earned at institutions fully accredited by U.S. regional accrediting associations, provided that such credits are substantially equivalent to courses at UHM, and have been completed with a grade of C (not C-) or better. Courses completed at University of Hawai'i campuses 
may transfer with a grade of D or better. An evaluation of transfer credits will be undertaken only after a student has been admitted to a program leading to a degree and has confirmed his or her intention to enroll.
Transfer decisions about courses taken at other University of Hawai'i campuses are guided by the University of Hawai'i Articulation Agreement. For additional information, you may refer to the Web address: http://www2.admrec.hawaii.edu/transfer/credittransfer.asp

Only course credits are accepted in transfer. Grades and grade points from other institutions do not transfer to UHM.

Notable Restrictions on Transfer Credit 
Although all qualified courses may be transferred from two-year colleges, UHM applies no more than 60 credits from non-UH community or junior colleges toward the credits required for a bachelor's degree. Other notable restrictions on transfer credit include:

• Courses taken out of sequence (backtracking): Credit is not awarded for lower level courses if they are taken subsequent to or concurrently with a higher level course for which they are explicit or implicit prerequisites.
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP): Students wishing CLEP general examination credit must take the test before completing 24 credits of college-level work. Credits awarded for general and subject examinations do not count toward meeting the 24-credit requirement for admission as a transfer student nor do they exempt other applicants from submitting SAT-I/ACT scores and high school transcripts.
• Correspondence school credit: No more than 30 credits of correspondence course work from regionally accredited U.S. colleges and universities will be accepted in transfer.
• Life experience: UHM does not award credits for life experience. By individual arrangement, enrolled students may arrange for credit by examination.
• Military service or schooling: Course work taken through military schools may be considered for credit with the consent of the appropriate University department. The student's DD-214 or DD-295 form must be submitted. Credits awarded for military schooling do not count toward meeting the 24-credit requirement for admission as a transfer student nor exempt other applicants from submitting SAT-I/ACT scores and high school transcripts.
• Courses with nontraditional grades: Courses completed with nontraditional grades such as CR (credit), P (pass), S (satisfactory) may be transferable only if the grade represents a C (not C-) or better. Generally, courses with nontraditional grades will only be accepted as elective credit and will not fulfill University, college, school, or departmental requirements.

Courses receiving no credit: Courses not accepted for transfer credit include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Courses from unaccredited institutions: Course work taken at any institution not fully accredited by a regional U.S. accrediting association is not transferable. After completing a minimum of 30 credits at UHM with a GPA of 2.0 or better, a student may be granted credit for course work completed at unaccredited institutions which were candidates for accreditation at the time of the student's attendance there. No more than 60 credits from such institutions may be applied to degree requirements at UHM.
• Developmental or remedial courses
• Repeated or duplicate courses: Transfer credit is generally not awarded for courses that duplicate material for which academic credit has already been given. Credit will not be awarded for a repeated course in which a passing grade was previously earned, nor for more than one version of a cross-listed course.
• Courses taken while in high school: College-level course work taken while the student was enrolled in high school and intended to apply toward graduation from high school is not transferable.
• Courses that provide instruction in a particular religious doctrine
• Vocational or technical courses
• Mathematics courses considered below college level: Such courses include, but are not limited to basic math, business math, college algebra and trigonometry.

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