Program Costs and Fees

Program Costs and Fees

Find out about all of the costs and fees associated with the Exchange, Hoakipa, and Independent Visiting Student programs, including tuition, insurance, visas, accommodation, and cost of living. 

Tuition and Student Fees

The amount that you will pay for tuition and fees depends on whether you are an Exchange, Hoakipa, or Independent visiting student. The following sections will explain the differences. 

  • Exchange Students – Exchange students pay tuition to their home institution. Tuition and student fees will be waived for Exchange students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
  • Hoakipa Visiting Students – Hoakipa Visiting Students come from universities with which UHM has a Hoakipa Scholars Program agreement or a Student Exchange agreement. Hoakipa Visiting Students pay a discounted tuition rate equivalent to 150% of the resident tuition rate and are required to pay student fees.
  • Independent Visiting Students – Independent Visiting Students (sometimes referred to as “free-movers”) come from universities with which UHM has no formal agreement. Independent Visiting Students pay the non-resident tuition rate and are required to pay student fees. 

The estimated costs are listed in the MIX Financial Certification Form, which students are required to complete as part of their application. This form can be found on the Useful Documents page.

Payment

UHM has partnered with Flywire to streamline tuition payment for international students. Go to hawaii.flywire.com to create a new account or login to an existing account. Payments can be made from any country or bank. Payments are almost always accepted in foreign currency, with excellent exchange rates, potentially allowing you to save a significant amount of money. Refunds are also much easier to process via Flywire. Flywire payments must be completed and processed by the bank no later than five (5) business days before the payment deadline. An email confirmation will be sent when a payment is received. For more details on payment methods, including Flywire, see How to Pay.

Tuition Waivers and Discounts

If UHM has an agreement in place with your home university, you will be eligible to receive a tuition waiver or tuition discount. This tuition waiver or discount will be applied to your account just before the initial registration period. Please note that it will take at least 24 hours to take effect. Moreover, if you have yet to register for courses, it will not take effect until at least 24 hours after you have registered.  Course Fees, which are associated with specific courses and cover additional expenses, such as lab equipment or art supplies, are not covered by the tuition waiver/discount and must be paid for in full by the given deadline. Costs associated with housing/meals are also not covered by the tuition waiver/discount. If you have any questions about your tuition waiver or discount, please contact us at inbound@hawaii.edu. Note: Independent Visiting Students are not eligible to receive a tuition waiver or discount. 

Additional Expenses

In addition to tuition and fees, there may be some additional expenses to be aware of. Some notable expenses are highlighted in the following sections. 

Housing

If you are interested in living in on-campus housing, you can find the rates on the Student Housing Services website, Student Housing Rates. Please note that on-campus housing is not guaranteed for Exchange, Hoakipa, or Independent visiting students. Off-campus housing may be a more affordable option in some cases. For information on housing and meal options, you can visit our page on Housing & Meals.

Health Insurance

The University of Hawai’i (UH) requires F-1 and J-1 international students to have adequate health insurance coverage throughout their programs of study. F-1 and J-1 students must either enroll in a UH endorsed student health insurance plan or furnish proof of enrollment in a health insurance plan that provides the required minimum coverage set by the President or the President’s designee. More information can be found on the Health Insurance page. 

Visa 

A student, who is not a US citizen or permanent resident (resident alien), will need a student visa in order to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Costs associated with the visa application are the responsibility of the student. 

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