What is WICHE and what states qualify for WRGP?

UHM participates in the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), a Student Access Program administered by the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE). The program enables legal residents of WICHE member states and territories to enroll in selected out-of-state graduate programs at a reduced tuition of 150 percent of the institution’s regular resident tuition*.

Below is a list of WICHE member states and territories.

  • Alaska
  • American Samoa
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
  • Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)
  • Guam
  • Hawai‘i
  • Idaho
  • Montana
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • Republic of the Marshall Islands
  • Republic of Palau
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wyoming

What are the eligibility requirements for this tuition benefit?

  1. You must apply for admissions consideration to one of the participating WRGP graduate programs at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (list of programs is mentioned above).
  2. You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher from your Bachelor’s degree institution if applying after Spring 2020. For those applying for Fall 2019 or Spring 2020, a 3.5 GPA eligibility criterion is in effect.*
  3. You must be a legal resident of one of the participating WICHE approved states (list of states is mentioned above). This is determined from the residency declaration that you fill out at the time of admissions application.
  4. The WRGP tuition benefit must be awarded at the time of admissions and will be noted on your official letter of admissions issued by the Graduate Division Student Services Office. It cannot be converted once the first day of your first semester starts as a new graduate student at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.

*WRGP participants who are admitted prior to Fall 2020 will retain their resident tuition rates for the duration of the graduate program to which they were originally admitted, but must meet the 3.5 GPA eligibility criterion.

Terms/Conditions

  •  By participating in the WRGP tuition program, tuition is reduced on the basis of residency of a region listed above.
  • Because tuition is reduced on the basis of residency of a region listed above, the process of establishing Hawaiʻi residency for tuition purposes cannot happen until after terminating participation in the WRGP for a period of one year (AND meeting the necessary requirements to be eligible for resident tuition status during that one year). For more information on establishing Hawaiʻi residency for tuition purposes, contact the Office of Admissions.
  • Should you choose not to participate in the WRGP program, please contact the Graduate Student Services.
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