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Transfer credit review process

Transfer students have their official college transcript(s) sent to the UHM Office of Admissions to inform Admissions that they completed courses at another campus. Courses that have already been reviewed are posted on the UH System Course Transfer Database.

Foundations Requirements:
  • If a student’s Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or transfer credit is equivalent to a UHM course with a Foundations designation, the student gets credit for that Foundations designation.
  • Students who transfer from a non-UH System school with one or more western or world civilization courses may need to take only one FG course to satisfy the FG requirement. If the transfer course(s) covered a particular time period, the FG course taken must cover a different time period. Students should consult with a School/College advisor if they think they may qualify for this proration of the FG requirement.
  • Although ENG 200 is not an FW course at UHM, students who transfer in with ENG 200 credit are considered to have fulfilled Mānoa’s FW requirement, because the course focuses on composition at a more advanced level. Students with ENG 200 credit should consult with a School/College advisor to confirm that the School/College considers their FW requirement to have been met.

Diversification Requirements:

  • If a student’s Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or transfer credit is equivalent to a UHM course with a Diversification designation, the student gets credit for that Diversification designation.
  • Students may also receive Diversification credit if an exam score or course is determined to meet the Diversification Hallmarks, even if there is no UHM equivalent course. For example, a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the IB Visual Arts exam earns students “3 credits of Diversification: Arts (DA).” 

NOTE: Students who transfer to UHM with an AA degree from another UH campus have met all of their UHM Foundations and Diversification requirements (i.e., “Core” requirements). They still need to complete General Education Focus and Hawaiian/Second Language (i.e., “Special Graduation”) requirements, School/College requirements, and major requirements, and should consult with a School/College advisor to verify what UHM Gen Ed requirements still need to be fulfilled.

Focus Requirements:

  • Students may only earn Focus credit by taking Focus-designated courses at one of the ten schools in the University of Hawai’i System. Courses taken outside the UH System cannot be used to fulfill Focus requirements. Instead, students who transfer to UHM from outside the UH System will have their Focus requirements prorated based on the number of credits UHM awards for their transfer courses.
    • 0-36 credits awarded for non-UH System courses: no proration, i.e., 5 W courses, 1 HAP course, 1 E course, 1 O course required
    • 37-54 credits awarded: 4 W courses, 1 HAP course, 1 E course, 1 O course
    • 56-88 credits awarded: 3 W courses, 1 HAP course, 1 E or 1 O course
    • 89+ credits awarded: 2 W courses, 1 HAP course
  • Students may also earn exemption for up to three Focus requirements if they have one or more “extraordinary experiences” which meet the Focus Hallmarks. See the Focus Exemption web page for details.

Hawaiian/Second Language Requirement:

  • If a student’s International Baccalaureate or transfer credit is equivalent to a UHM course with an H/SL designation, the student gets credit for that level of H/SL.
  • Students may also earn “back credits” if they place into a higher-level language course but did not earn UHM credit for the lower-level courses. Students should speak with a School/College advisor for more details and can also refer to the official Back Credit Policy.  

2002 GEC and SEC statements on articulation

Transfer students should consult a UHM School/College advisor about their graduation requirements (and not solely rely on this website).

Courses that Transfer to UHM (Searchable Database)
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