Universities in Hawaii

The University of Hawaii (UH) is a public, co-educational institution that confers associate, bachelor, master, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees. It is the largest university in Hawaii, composed of three university campuses, seven community college campuses, four education centers, an employment training center and various other research facilities spread out over the entire state. The university is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

• University of Hawaii at Manoa
• University of Hawaii at Hilo
• University of Hawaii – West Oahu

Community Colleges

• Hawaii Community College
• Honolulu Community College
• Kapiolani Community College
• Kauai Community College
• Maui Community College
• Windward Community College

Graduate Schools

• John A. Burns School of Medicine
• William S. Richardson School of Law

Research Facilities

• East-West Center
• Institute for Astronomy
• Lyon Arboretum
• Mauna Kea Observatory
• Waikiki Aquarium

Education Centers

• Molokai Education Center
• Lanai Education Center
• Hana Education Center
• Waianae Education Center

The University of Hawaii at Manoa is by far the largest campus and the flagship of the University of Hawaii System. It’s located in Manoa, an urban community of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, about three miles northeast from downtown Honolulu. The university is governed by the Hawaii State Legislature and a semi-autonomous twelve-member Board of Regents, which hires a president to be the administrator.

Founded in 1907 under the auspices of the Morrill Act as a land-grant college of agriculture and mechanic arts, the University of Hawaii at Manoa today offers 87 bachelor’s degrees, 87 master’s degrees and 53 doctorates. Currently, more than 20,400 students are enrolled in Manoa courses. Of these, about 65 percent are undergraduates, 57 percent are of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry and 56 percent are women.

Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) is a private, independent, co-educational, non-sectarian, not-for-profit and career-oriented university located in downtown Honolulu. Founded in 1965, it is the largest private university in the central Pacific today.

The university has two main campuses, one in downtown Honolulu and the Hawaii Loa campus, located near Castle Junction in Kaneohe. HPU also operates satellite campuses on U.S. military bases, including Pearl Harbor, Hickam Air Force Base, Camp Smith, Schofield Barracks, Tripler Army Medical Center and Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Furthermore, the Oceanic Institute is affiliated with HPU, so students have access to research programs in the marine and oceanic sciences.

The university is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the National League for Nursing. HPU is also a member of nationally recognized groups, such as the National League of Nursing and the Executive MBA Council. HPU confers associate, bachelor and master degrees.

The university is most noted for its diverse student body. The more than 9,000 students come from all 50 U.S. states and over 100 countries. Students can choose from over 50 undergraduate degrees and 11 graduate degree programs. HPU’s largest academic programs are in nursing and business administration.

Brigham Young University Hawaii (BYU Hawaii) is a private, co-educational university located in Laie on Oahu’s windward coast, about 35 miles from Honolulu. The university is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and named after the American religious leader, colonist and first territorial governor of Utah and founder of Salt Lake City.

The university is an undergraduate institution serving some 2,400 students from Asia, the Pacific Islands, the continental United States and other parts of the world. Students come from over 70 countries. Nearly 50 percent of all students come from foreign countries.

One of the prime institutions of BYU Hawaii is the Polynesian Cultural Center, the largest living museum of Polynesian culture and traditions in the state of Hawaii. The Center is also the number one paid tourist attraction in Hawaii. More than 30 percent of BYU Hawaii students work there as performers, guides, food service personnel and in other positions to help pay for their educations.

Brigham Young University Hawaii features programs in business, education, computers, technology, the sciences and fine arts, 24 degree programs in total. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private, co-educational, not-for-profit university in Honolulu. It was founded in 1955 by the Society of Mary, a Roman Catholic religious order also known as the Marianists. The university is named after Father William Joseph Chaminade, a French priest and the group’s founder.

Located in Honolulu’s district of Kaimuki, Chaminade confers associate, bachelor and master degrees in the arts and sciences. The university specializes in business, communication, education, interior design, law and religious studies degree programs. The university is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Total enrollment is over 2,750.

Argosy University is a private, co-educational university with locations in 18 U.S. states. Argosy University Hawaii was founded in 1994. It confers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.

The campus is located in downtown Honolulu. The institution also has satellite locations on Maui and in Hilo on the Big Island. Argosy University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Hawaii Tokai International College (HTIC) is a two-year liberal arts college located in Honolulu. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). HTIC is the only campus in the U.S. of the Tokai University Educational System of Japan (TES).

Currently, the college offers three academic programs: the College Preparatory program, the Associate of Arts degree (Liberal Arts program) and the International Programs.

Honolulu University is a private, co-educational, not-for-profit institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate distance learning degree programs. The university was founded by Warren Walker as Golden State University in California and has been in Hawaii since the early 1990s.

The institution is accredited by the Akademie fuer Internationale Kultur- und Wissenschaftsfoerderung (APICS), which is located in Switzerland. Honolulu University is also a member of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE). However, Honolulu University is not accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Secretary of Education.

The university claims to follow university models such as the Excelsior College in New York or the Open University in England, but these are accredited institutions. Its approach to learning is that knowledge can be gained in non-traditional settings and college credit can be gained based upon assessment of former learning.

Honolulu University offers undergraduate, master and doctoral degrees and credit for career and life-learning experiences. The institution’s programs are designed primarily for career professionals or self-learners.

The International College and Graduate School is a private, co-educational, Christian college and seminary located in Honolulu. Established by James R. Cook and J. William Cook in 1971, the school grew out of the International Baptist Church of Honolulu and Western Seminary, a theological institution located in Portland, Oregon. It is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.

In 2006, International College and Graduate School changed its name to Hawaii Theological Seminary. The seminary confers the Certificate in Biblical Studies, Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, Master of Arts in Religion, Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry.

Remington College – Honolulu Campus is a private, co-educational college offering associate and bachelor degrees and diplomas in certain fields. The institution is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. Current enrollment is 538.

The college offers degrees in business, computer science, electronics and the medical field. It is located in downtown Honolulu. Remington College also has 21 other campuses on the continental United States.

Heald College Honolulu is a private, co-educational, not-for-profit institution offering associate degrees and certificate programs. Established in 1993, the Honolulu Campus is conveniently located in the Ala Moana district of Honolulu. The college offers degree programs in business, technology and healthcare. Each semester the average enrollment is about 900. Heald College also has ten campuses on the U.S. mainland. The institution is regionally accredited.

Established in 1973 by the late Mitsuru Omori, Hawaii Business College is a private, co-educational institution located in Honolulu. The college confers associate degrees in business, computer and healthcare. Current enrollment is about 350. Hawaii Business College is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.

TransPacific Hawaii College is a private, co-educational institution offering intensive ESL programs and associate degrees. The college’s goal is to educate international students first in ESL (an intensive English language course that typically lasts for six months) and then in a college-level curriculum so that they can complete an American Associate of Arts degree after another 18 months. They are then prepared to transfer to a 4-year college or university.

The college was founded in 1978 and was known as Kansai Gaidai Hawaii College. It changed its name to TransPacific Hawaii College in 1998. The college is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. It is located in East Honolulu, about five miles (8 km) east of Waikiki. TransPacific Hawaii College accepts applications from students whose second language is English and whose goal is to transfer to a 4-year institution in the United States or another country.