Gender Identification
In fall 2021 at the UH Mānoa, among the 2,167 NH students pursuing an undergraduate degree, 57% were female, 41% were male, and 2% did not provide gender identification according to these categories. Among the 723 NH students pursuing a graduate degree, 66% were female, 33% were male, and 1% did not provide gender identification according to these categories.
Note: These gender categories are based on UH Mānoa data gathered through the admissions application. We want to acknowledge that these categories do not accurately represent the gender identity categories of our student body and consider this a limitation of our research on NH students.
Geographic Origin
In fall 2021, the breakdown of NH undergraduate students by geographic origin were as follows: 70.3% Oʻahu, 6% Hawaiʻi island, 3.1% Kauaʻi, 0.2% Lānaʻi, 4.8% Maui, 0.8% Molokaʻi, and 14.8% outside of Hawaiʻi.
In fall 2021, the breakdown of NH graduate studetns by geographic origin were as follows: 66.3% Oʻahu, 10.2% Hawaiʻi island, 2.9% Kauaʻi, 0.3% Lānaʻi, 8.3% Maui, 0.4% Molokaʻi, and 11.6% outside of Hawaiʻi.
High School Background
¹CFAS refers to Citizens of Freely Associated States which includes Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia.
²The other category includes everything aside from a high school diploma (i.e., GED credential, homeschooled, certain other programs such as the Youth Challenge Program, as well as non-completers).
In fall 2021, of the NH students pursuing an undergraduate degree, 44.3% graduated from a Hawaiʻi public school, 36.3% graduated from a Hawaiʻi private school, 13% graduated from a US continental high school, 0.2% graduated from a US National or CFAS¹ high school, 0.5% graduated from an international high school, 2.7% had an other² high school type, and there was no high school data for 3% of undergraduate students.
In fall 2021, of the NH students pursuing an graduate degree, 39.4% graduated from a Hawaiʻi public school, 42.5% graduated from a Hawaiʻi private school, 8.7% graduated from a US continental high school, 1.5% graduated from a US National or CFAS¹ high school, 1.2% graduated from an international high school, 4.6% had an other² high school type, and there was no high school data for 2.1% of graduate students.
Admission Status
In fall 2021, of the NH students pursuing an undergraduate degree, 20% were new freshmen, 14% were new transfer students, 65% were continuing students, and 1% were returning students.
In fall 2021, of the NH students pursuing an graduate degree, 37% were new first-year graduate students, 3% transferred from other institutions, 58% were continuing, and 2% were returning students.
Graduate Assistantships
| Term | NH GAs | All GAs | % of NH GAs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 85 | 1281 | 6.6% |
| 2016 | 82 | 1249 | 6.6% |
| 2017 | 79 | 1236 | 6.4% |
| 2018 | 91 | 1278 | 7.1% |
| 2019 | 123 | 1336 | 9.2% |
| 2020 | 124 | 1353 | 9.2% |
| 2021 | 123 | 1423 | 8.6% |
At UH Mānoa there are a variety of graduate assistant positions tied to research, teaching, and other areas of expertise. Overall, graduate assistantships have fluctuated from 2015 to 2021, similarly, NH graduate assistant employment has also fluctuated. In 2021, NHs represented 8.6% of all graduate assistants employed at UH Mānoa.