Welcome
Since 1988, Kuaʻana has served thousands of Hawaiian students with academic and financial support in need-based tuition waivers, mālama ʻāina community engagement, and financial aid and scholarship support at UH Mānoa campus.
As the financial and scholarship services unit of Native Hawaiian Student Services, we aim to support, educate, and advise Native Hawaiian students in navigating the financial aid and scholarship resources available to help complete their educational goals at UHM.
About Kuaʻana
In October of 1988, upon the recommendation of the Hawaiian Studies Task Force in the Kaʻu Report of 1986, to address the under representation of Native Hawaiian students, the Kuaʻana Student Services was established and later changed to Kuaʻana Native Hawaiian Student Development Services. Kuaʻana is a service program for Native Hawaiian students that is organized within the Hawaiʻinuiākea and Native Hawaiian Student Services at UH Manoa.
Since 1988, Kuaʻana has served thousands of Hawaiian students academic support student services that include need-based tuition waivers, mālama ʻāina activites, an annual financial aid fair to allow students to interact face to face with financial aid, tuition waiver and scholarship resources on and off the Mānoa campus. In addition, students may visit the Kuaʻana office to speak with staff about academic or financial related concerns.
What does Kuaʻana mean?
Kuaʻana is the Hawaiian term for older sibling. With this position in the ‘ohana, the kuaʻana assumes the responsibility of taking care of the younger sibling. At Kuaʻana Native Hawaiian Student Development Services, the kuaʻana, in terms of experiences in higher education, assist the kaina, or less experienced students, by assuring that they receive as much kokua as they need to meet their academic goals.
Kuaʻana Native Hawaiian Student Development Services creates firm foundations for Hawaiians to succeed in both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Kuaʻana Native Hawaiian Student Development Services collaborates with academic programs and other Native Hawaiian student service programs to create foundations for student academic success to increase matriculation of Native Hawaiian students in the UH professional programs.
Through the creation of culturally sensitive recruitment and retention programs, activities and projects, and referrals to existing campus resources. Kuaʻana provides Native Hawaiian students with opportunities to establish solid foundations in skill building, leadership development assisting in increasing their successes in higher education.
Kuaʻana Native Hawaiian Student Development Services provides need-based tuition waivers for undergraduate, and classified graduate native Hawaiian students enrolled at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa campus only.
Tuition waiver awards are made with the application available between January and April. Students qualify based on financial need and must complete the annual Free Application For Federal Student Aid.
To be eligible for the tuition waiver, you must meet the following requirements:
Students receiving a Graduate or Employee Tuition Waiver may not be eligible for the Kuaʻana Tuition Waiver.
Students enrolled in the following UH Mānoa programs may not be eligible:
We are located on the 1st floor of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Queen Liliʻuokalani Center for Student Services (QLCSS), housed in Native Hawaiian Student Services Room 113.
Phone: (808) 956-5945
Email: kylehelp@hawaii.edu
Mailing Address:
Kuaʻana Native Hawaiian Student Development Services
2600 Campus Road, QLCSS 113
Honolulu, HI 96822
