How to Apply: Undergraduate Students
Find out how to apply to the Exchange, Hoakipa, and Independent Visiting Student programs at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the deadlines for submitting your application.
Nomination & Application Deadlines
Fall Semester (August – December)
- Application Opens: December 1
- Nomination Deadline: February 1
- Application Deadline: March 1
Spring Semester (January – May)
- Applications Opens: July 1
- Nomination Deadline: September 1
- Application Deadline: October 1
Applying as an Exchange or Hoakipa Visiting Student
Our Exchange program and Hoakipa Visiting Student program are open to students who are currently enrolled at one of our 90+ partner universities around the world. If your home university does not have a formal Exchange or Hoakipa agreement with the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, please scroll down to learn about applying as an Independent Visiting Student. Please note that if you already have an undergraduate degree you must follow the application instructions for Postgraduate Students instead, even if your current program is also at the undergraduate level. Students with bachelor’s degrees are considered postgraduate applicants by UHM.
In order to be eligible for the Exchange or Hoakipa Visiting Student program, you must:
- Be currently enrolled at one of our partner universities
- Be nominated as an Exchange or Hoakipa visiting student by your home university exchange office
- Meet our English language requirements
- By the time of application, have achieved a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, and have completed at least 24 transferable semester credits, as determined by UH Manoa Admissions (see Transcript Requirements for more details about what types of classes cannot be counted towards this requirement)
To apply to the program, the following is required:
- MIX Application
- UH Mānoa Application
- Transcript(s) (see requirements)
- Proof of English language proficiency (see requirements)
- Copy of your passport’s biographical information page
- MIX Financial Certification Form (not required for U.S. citizens)
Links to applications and forms are provided in the steps below.
The first step in the admissions process is for your home university exchange office to nominate you for the Exchange or Hoakipa Visiting Student program. Your home university exchange office can contact us at inbound@hawaii.edu to receive a link to the Nomination Form.
In order to be considered official documents, your transcript and proof of English language proficiency (if needed), must be submitted to our office by your home university exchange office. We cannot accept these documents directly from students.
If your home university exchange office does not already have access to these documents, please make sure that the guidelines below are followed carefully when providing them with these documents.
After they have submitted your nomination to us, they will receive a link to a document upload form, which they should use to upload your documents.
Before starting both applications, please read the MIX Application and UH Mānoa Application Guidelines for information on how to complete the applications correctly. In particular, please keep in mind that Exchange Students are not required to pay the application fee for the UH Mānoa Application. Only Hoakipa Visiting Students and Independent Visiting Students are required to pay the application fee to have their application processed.
After you submit your MIX Application, you will be emailed a link to the document upload form for students. Please use this form to upload the following documents.
- Copy of your responses from the UHM International (or Transfer) Application
- High quality color scan of your passport biographical information page
- MIX Financial Certification Form (not required for U.S. citizens)
- MIX Participation, Assumption of Risk, Consent, Waiver, Release and Indemnity Agreement for Incoming Students
If you did not receive a link to the document upload form after completing the MIX Online Application, please email inbound@hawaii.edu and we can resend the link.
After you have completed the application process, please allow some time for your applications and materials to be reviewed. Upon admission, you will receive an email from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Office of Admissions welcoming you to UHM. This email will contain your UH ID number, which you should use to set up your UH account and email address as soon as possible.
Please note that the email that you receive from the Office of Admissions is considered your acceptance letter. Students are no longer provided with a physical admission letter.
After you have received this email from the Office of Admissions, please also keep an eye out for two important emails from MIX. The first email will include a Welcome Guide for Exchange and Visiting Students, which will provide information on the next steps and preparing for your arrival. The second email will contain your digital I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility), which you can use to apply for your F-1 visa to study in the U.S. For more detailed information on the visa application process, please see the Visas page on the ISS website. Note: If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you will not be issued an I-20.
If you have any questions, or do not receive any emails as intended (make sure to check your spam folders as well), please contact us at inbound@hawaii.edu.
Applying as an Independent Visiting Student
If your home university does not have a formal Exchange or Hoakipa agreement with the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, you can apply for our Independent Visiting Student program. Students can apply for this program independently or with the assistance of their home university. Please note that if you already have an undergraduate degree you must follow the application instructions for Postgraduate Students instead, even if your current program is also at the undergraduate level. Students with bachelor’s degrees are considered postgraduate applicants by UHM.
In order to be eligible for our Independent Visiting Student program, you must:
- Be currently enrolled at an accredited tertiary institution
- Meet our English language requirements
- Have achieved a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent
- By the time of application, have achieved a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, and have completed at least 24 transferable semester credits, as determined by UH Manoa Admissions (see Transcript Requirements for more details about what types of classes cannot be counted towards this requirement)
To apply to the program, the following is required:
- MIX Application
- UH Mānoa Application
- Transcript(s) (see requirements)
- Proof of English language proficiency (see requirements)
- Copy of your passport’s biographical information page
- MIX Financial Certification Form (not required for U.S. citizens)
Links to applications and forms are provided in the steps below.
Before starting both applications, please read the MIX Application and UH Mānoa Application Guidelines for information on how to complete the applications correctly. In particular, please keep in mind that Exchange Students are not required to pay the application fee for the UH Mānoa Application. Only Hoakipa Visiting Students and Independent Visiting Students are required to pay the application fee to have their application processed.
Official transcripts: Independent Visiting Students must send their official transcript(s) by mail or via a certified digital platform such as eQuals. If sent by mail, transcripts must be sent in their original, sealed envelope to be considered official. Please see the Transcript Requirements page for more details.
English proficiency test score (if needed): The list of eligible tests and exceptions can be found on our English Language Requirements page. Most test scores must be sent directly to the Undergraduate Admissions Office by the testing authority. One exception is the Duolingo English Test. See below for more details:
- TOEFL iBT: The Educational Testing Service (ETS) code for UHM is 4867, division ‘undergraduate’.
- IELTS: You may request an IELTS USA test center to send copies of your Test Report Form to up to five institutions or organizations free of charge. Please note postal fees may be charged for these initial five Test Report Forms if the request is to be sent to institutions outside the United States via postal mail. After the fifth free Test Report Form, test centers may charge administrative and/or postal fees for Test Report Forms that are required to be sent by postal mail.
- Duolingo: We can accept the score report via email, as each official score report should include a link to the secure online certificate.
After you submit your MIX Application, you will be emailed a link to the document upload form for students. Please use this form to upload the following documents.
- Copy of your responses from the UHM International (or Transfer) Application
- High quality color scan of your passport biographical information page
- MIX Financial Certification Form (not required for U.S. citizens)
- MIX Participation, Assumption of Risk, Consent, Waiver, Release and Indemnity Agreement for Incoming Students
If you did not receive a link to the document upload form after completing the MIX Online Application, please email inbound@hawaii.edu and we can resend the link.
After you have completed the application process, please allow some time for your applications and materials to be reviewed. Upon admission, you will receive an email from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Office of Admissions welcoming you to UHM. This email will contain your UH ID number, which you should use to set up your UH account and email address as soon as possible.
Please note that the email that you receive from the Office of Admissions is considered your acceptance letter. Students are no longer provided with a physical admission letter.
After you have received this email from the Office of Admissions, please also keep an eye out for two important emails from MIX. The first email will include a Welcome Guide for Exchange and Visiting Students, which will provide information on the next steps and preparing for your arrival. The second email will contain your digital I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility), which you can use to apply for your F-1 visa to study in the U.S. For more detailed information on the visa application process, please see the Visas page on the ISS website. Note: If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you will not be issued an I-20.
If you have any questions, or do not receive any emails as intended (make sure to check your spam folders as well), please contact us at inbound@hawaii.edu.
