Mānoa Students
In Fall 2005, Mānoa enrolled 20,644 students: 14,266 undergraduates and 6,292 graduate students (including those enrolled in the School of Law, School of Medicine, and College of Education’s post-baccalaureate certificate programs). Mānoa’s students are from the major islands in Hawai‘i (68%), the U.S. continent (18.5%), the U.S. possessions and throughout the world (11%).
The majority of enrolled students are of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry (57%), of which those of Japanese (18.5%) and Chinese (7.8%) ethnicities were the largest subgroups. Caucasians, the next largest group, comprised 26.4% of the student population.
First-time freshmen numbered 2,021 at Mānoa in Fall 2005. The mean high school grade-point-average of these students was 3.41 (on a 4.0 scale); their mean SAT (SAT-1) scores for verbal were 534, and 570 for math. Of first-time freshmen receiving a high school ranking, 25.3% were in the top ten percent of their graduating class, and 60.5% ranked in the top quartile. The majority of incoming freshmen are Hawai‘i residents.
In Fall 2005, Mānoa enrolled 2,132 undergraduate transfer students. From within the UH System, the majority typically transfer from Kapi‘olani Community College, and Leeward Community College.
Student Housing Services provides on-campus housing to approximately 3,000 students in ten residence halls (eight traditional residence halls and two apartment complexes) in a variety of living arrangements of traditional coed, double occupancy, suites, single occupancy and apartments. Additional housing is offered to graduate students through the East-West Center, which is adjacent to campus. Hawai‘i residents comprise the majority of housing students, while over one third are from elsewhere in the U.S. or other countries.
In July 2005, the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents approved the selection of American Campus Communities for the purpose of entering into exclusive negotiations for a comprehensive agreement to develop on-campus student housing at Mānoa. Construction on the Frear Hall development began in November of 2006. The Frear development is part of the first phase of the university’s efforts to address student housing needs by developing at least 800 beds. The current sites of Johnson Hall and the International Gateway House are included in the development plans.
In May 2005, the Board of Regents approved a new tuition schedule to begin Fall 2006 through Spring 2012, which will bring Mānoa tuition to projected national averages of similar U.S. institutions by 2011-2012. One-fifth of this tuition increase will be earmarked for financial aid.