What are the deadlines for UH Mānoa's top freshman merit scholarships (Regents, Provost, Mānoa Excellence)?

Apply for admission by January 5 and submit the supplemental New Warrior Scholarship materials (activities/achievements list and a 250-400 word community-impact essay) by January 15. Committees review in January-February and notify applicants around early March. These awards are only made for fall-semester starts.

Is there an automatic scholarship just for grades?

There is no separate application for the Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship — admitted first-year students are considered from their admission application. For Fall 2026 entrants, Hawaiʻi residents receive $2,500 (3.20-3.49 GPA), $3,000 (3.50-3.69), or $4,000 (3.70+); WUE-eligible non-residents receive $2,000 at 3.50+; other non-residents receive $4,000 at 3.70+. However, selection involves a holistic review and awards continue only 'as long as scholarships are available,' so it is not a guaranteed automatic award.

How does WUE interact with merit scholarships?

WUE is a tuition reduction program (150% of resident tuition), not a scholarship, so 'scholarships and grants can be awarded in addition to WUE.' WUE-eligible students have their own Academic Merit band ($2,000/year at 3.50+ GPA) and a WUE-specific Mānoa Excellence amount (~$5,652/year, bringing them to the resident rate).

What does UH Mānoa cost for 2026-2027?

Per the official 2026-2027 Cost of Attendance: Hawaiʻi residents $30,088 (with parents), $33,696 (on-campus), $39,580 (off-campus); non-residents $52,120 / $55,728 / $61,612; WUE/Pacific Island Jurisdiction students $35,968 / $39,576 / $45,460. Resident tuition is $11,760, non-resident $33,792, WUE $17,640 (12 credits/semester).

What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?

Mānoa Academic Merit (Fall 2026+ awards): 3.20 cumulative GPA and earn 12+ credits per semester. Regents and Presidential: 3.5 GPA, full-time enrollment, and Honors Program engagement (Regents reviewed every semester). Provost, Mānoa Excellence, International Excellence, Transfer Merit: 3.0 GPA and full-time enrollment. International Merit Award: 2.0 GPA and full-time enrollment.

UH Mānoa· Renewal Rules

Keeping UH Mānoa’s Merit Aid for Four Years

What the financial-aid office actually requires after freshman year: minimum GPA, credit-hour pace, and the cliffs that quietly downgrade families mid-degree.

Verified Jun 20264 days ago· COWORK

At a glance

Renewable tiers: 11 of 11
One-time tiers: 0
Tiers with published renewal terms: 11
Renewal risk profile: moderate

Renewal risk profile

UH Mānoa's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship — Hawaiʻi Residents: See notes
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship — U.S. citizen, Hawaiʻi non-resident, WUE eligible: See notes
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship — U.S. citizen, Hawaiʻi non-resident: See notes
Regents Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships): Full-time enrollment
Provost Achievement Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships): Full-time enrollment
Mānoa Excellence Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships): Full-time enrollment
Mānoa International Excellence Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships): Full-time enrollment
International Merit Award Scholarship: Full-time enrollment
Presidential Scholarship (Upper-level Scholarship Programs): Full-time enrollment
Transfer Merit Scholarship (Upper-level Scholarship Programs): Full-time enrollment
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) tuition rate: See notes

Renewal terms by tier

Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship — Hawaiʻi Residents
$2,500-$4,000 per year
Entry requirements: 3.20+ cumulative high school GPA (banded: 3.20-3.49 = $2,500; 3.50-3.69 = $3,000; 3.70+ = $4,000) GPA
To keep it: Students Awarded in Fall 2026 and later: Maintain a 3.20 undergraduate cumulative GPA or higher; Enroll and earn at least 12 credits per semester at Mānoa.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/academic-merit-scholarships/
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship — U.S. citizen, Hawaiʻi non-resident, WUE eligible
$2,000 per year
Entry requirements: 3.50+ cumulative high school GPA GPA
To keep it: Students Awarded in Fall 2026 and later: Maintain a 3.20 undergraduate cumulative GPA or higher; Enroll and earn at least 12 credits per semester at Mānoa.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/academic-merit-scholarships/
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship — U.S. citizen, Hawaiʻi non-resident
$4,000 per year
Entry requirements: 3.70+ cumulative high school GPA GPA
To keep it: Students Awarded in Fall 2026 and later: Maintain a 3.20 undergraduate cumulative GPA or higher; Enroll and earn at least 12 credits per semester at Mānoa.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/academic-merit-scholarships/
Regents Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships)
Full tuition for 4 years + $4,000/year stipend + $2,000 one-time travel grant
Entry requirements: 3.7+ cumulative high school GPA to be considered (Mānoa page); UH System page states 3.8 GPA for UH Mānoa — conflict, see Section C GPA
To keep it: Maintain a 3.5 undergraduate GPA or higher; to be reviewed for eligibility every semester; Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) at Mānoa; Engaged in the Honors Program.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/new-warrior-scholarships/
Provost Achievement Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships)
$10,000 per year for 4 years
Entry requirements: 3.7+ cumulative high school GPA to be considered GPA
To keep it: Maintain a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or higher; to be reviewed for eligibility every semester; Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) at Mānoa.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/new-warrior-scholarships/
Mānoa Excellence Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships)
Approximately $22,032/year for 4 years (non-WUE) or approximately $5,652/year for 4 years (WUE-eligible) — brings cost down to Hawaiʻi resident tuition rates
Entry requirements: 3.7+ cumulative high school GPA to be considered GPA
To keep it: Maintain a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or higher; to be reviewed for eligibility every semester; Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) at Mānoa.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/new-warrior-scholarships/
Mānoa International Excellence Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships)
Approximately $22,032 per year for 4 years (equivalent to paying Hawaiʻi resident tuition rates)
Entry requirements: 3.7+ cumulative high school GPA to be considered GPA
To keep it: Maintain a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or higher; to be reviewed for eligibility every semester; Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) at Mānoa.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/new-warrior-scholarships/
International Merit Award Scholarship
150% of the resident tuition rate (page cites approximately $16,380 per academic year for 2023-2024)
Entry requirements: 3.3+ cumulative high school/secondary GPA (first-year) or 3.3+ college GPA (transfer) GPA
To keep it: Maintain a 2.0 undergraduate cumulative GPA or higher; Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) at Mānoa.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/academic-merit-scholarships/
Presidential Scholarship (Upper-level Scholarship Programs)
Full tuition for 2 years + $4,000/year stipend + $2,000 one-time travel grant
Entry requirements: 3.7+ college GPA to be considered GPA
To keep it: Maintain a 3.5 undergraduate GPA or higher; Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) at Mānoa; Engaged in the Honors Program.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/upper-level-scholarship-programs/
Transfer Merit Scholarship (Upper-level Scholarship Programs)
$2,000 per year for 2 years
Entry requirements: 3.3+ college GPA to be considered GPA
To keep it: Maintain a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or higher; Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) at Mānoa.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/fas/types-of-aid/scholarships/upper-level-scholarship-programs/
Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) tuition rate
Reduced tuition at 150% of resident rate (WUE page cites $16,956)
To keep it: You can keep your WUE status as long as you are a continuing undergraduate student and do not change state of residency. Students need to register for at least one credit each semester. If there is a break in attendance, not including summer, without a formal leave of absence, you must re-apply for admissions to be considered for WUE.
Source: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/admissions/financing/wue.html

How families lose this aid

Relying on the old, lenient 2.00 renewal GPA for the Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship.
For students awarded in Fall 2026 and later, renewal now requires a 3.20 undergraduate cumulative GPA AND enrolling and earning at least 12 credits per semester — a major jump from the 2.00 GPA standard that applies only to students awarded in/prior to Fall 2025.
Slipping below the per-semester renewal review on the high-tier awards.
Regents requires maintaining a 3.5 GPA 'reviewed for eligibility every semester' plus full-time enrollment and Honors Program engagement; Provost, Mānoa Excellence, and International Excellence require a 3.0 GPA reviewed every semester plus full-time enrollment. One bad semester can trigger a review.
Waiting until the regular admission deadline to apply for the Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship.
The Office of Admissions awards these 'throughout the application season and as long as scholarships are available' and explicitly encourages students 'to apply as early in the application season as possible to maximize their chances.' The award is also restricted to students who begin in the fall semester immediately following high school completion.

Renewal questions families ask

What are the deadlines for UH Mānoa's top freshman merit scholarships (Regents, Provost, Mānoa Excellence)?: Apply for admission by January 5 and submit the supplemental New Warrior Scholarship materials (activities/achievements list and a 250-400 word community-impact essay) by January 15. Committees review in January-February and notify applicants around early March. These awards are only made for fall-semester starts.
Is there an automatic scholarship just for grades?: There is no separate application for the Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship — admitted first-year students are considered from their admission application. For Fall 2026 entrants, Hawaiʻi residents receive $2,500 (3.20-3.49 GPA), $3,000 (3.50-3.69), or $4,000 (3.70+); WUE-eligible non-residents receive $2,000 at 3.50+; other non-residents receive $4,000 at 3.70+. However, selection involves a holistic review and awards continue only 'as long as scholarships are available,' so it is not a guaranteed automatic award.
How does WUE interact with merit scholarships?: WUE is a tuition reduction program (150% of resident tuition), not a scholarship, so 'scholarships and grants can be awarded in addition to WUE.' WUE-eligible students have their own Academic Merit band ($2,000/year at 3.50+ GPA) and a WUE-specific Mānoa Excellence amount (~$5,652/year, bringing them to the resident rate).
What does UH Mānoa cost for 2026-2027?: Per the official 2026-2027 Cost of Attendance: Hawaiʻi residents $30,088 (with parents), $33,696 (on-campus), $39,580 (off-campus); non-residents $52,120 / $55,728 / $61,612; WUE/Pacific Island Jurisdiction students $35,968 / $39,576 / $45,460. Resident tuition is $11,760, non-resident $33,792, WUE $17,640 (12 credits/semester).
What GPA do I need to keep my scholarship?: Mānoa Academic Merit (Fall 2026+ awards): 3.20 cumulative GPA and earn 12+ credits per semester. Regents and Presidential: 3.5 GPA, full-time enrollment, and Honors Program engagement (Regents reviewed every semester). Provost, Mānoa Excellence, International Excellence, Transfer Merit: 3.0 GPA and full-time enrollment. International Merit Award: 2.0 GPA and full-time enrollment.

Rules that bite at UH Mānoa

The renewal trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook, derived from UH Mānoa's own tier rules and not generic advice.

renewalRegents Scholarship (New Warrior Scholarships): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Maintain a 3.5 undergraduate GPA or higher; to be reviewed for eligibility every semester; Enrolled full-time (at least 12 credits per semester) at Mānoa; Engaged in the Honors Program. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

How UH Mānoa compares across our verified dataset

69 of 751 verified schools publish a top renewal tier requiring 3.5+ GPA or major-GPA gating.
UH Mānoa is one of them. Calibrate year-one academic load against the renewal floor, not just freshman survival.
669 of 751 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
UH Mānoa is one of them. The cohort minority (82 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
133 of 751 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.
UH Mānoa is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against UH Mānoa’s own published materials.