New Warrior Scholarships

The New Warrior Scholarships (NWS) programs are higher-tier, selective scholarship awards that are designed to recognize and celebrate both the academic strengths and demonstrated community impact of first-year, degree-seeking students who enroll at UH Mānoa in the semester following the completion of their high school diploma. These scholarships include:

• Regents Scholarship (For Hawai’i Residents)
• Provost Achievement Scholarship (For Hawai’i Residents)
• Mānoa Excellence Scholarship (For U.S. citizens who are non-Hawai’i Residents)
• Mānoa International Excellence Scholarship (For International, non-U.S. citizens who require an F-1 Visa to enroll at UH Mānoa)

New Warrior Scholarships are awarded at the start of the student’s Mānoa degree pursuit and is intended to support the student’s enrollment for 4 years, as they progress toward degree completion. This scholarship amount awarded is applied toward and reduces the student’s educational expenses.

The Office of Admissions selects and awards these merit scholarships based on a student’s admission application, a holistic academic record review, and the student’s demonstrated impact on their community/communities. In addition to submitting the admission application, students must also submit 1) a list of activities/achievements and 2) a short-answer essay response to demonstrate their community impact. See the Selection Process for Scholarship Award section for more details and information.

Since these are higher-tier, selective scholarships, students must apply for admission by January 5. When a student who is eligible for these higher-tier scholarships has been admitted, they will also receive instructions and information about how to submit additional required documents for scholarship consideration. The supplemental application for NWS consideration is due January 15. The Admissions and Scholarship Selection Committees will review applications in January and February, then notify applicants of the scholarship decisions around early March.

Regents Scholarship

The UH Board of Regents established the Regents Scholarships to support students with a record of outstanding academic achievement. The award amount is equivalent to full-tuition each year for 4 years + $4,000 per year stipend + $2,000 one-time travel grant. This scholarship is open to all Hawaiʻi residents.

Regents Scholars are also Honors Program Scholars, which means that in addition to the generous scholarship award, students receive the benefits of being in the Honors Program. These benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Personalized academic advising
• Guided engagement in research opportunities
• Access to and enrollment in small-sized classes
• Mentoring by world-class faculty in your field of study

Learn more about the Regents and Presidential Scholars Program.

Note: For those who are familiar with the Regents Scholarship program, please note that as of the Fall 2024, we no longer require students to live on campus. However, students are still encouraged to apply for housing so that they can have easy access to campus life and activities throughout their Manoa career.

Criteria for Scholarship Consideration

• Residency Status: Hawai’i Residents
• Student type: First-year, degree-seeking who enrolls at UH Manoa in the semester following the completion of their high school diploma
• GPA: Students with a 3.7 cumulative high school GPA or higher will be considered for this scholarship
• Number of awards offered: Historically, Manoa has awarded 16 Regents Scholarships each year. Note: If a student is offered more than one merit award by the Office of Admissions, they may only accept one of the awards.

Selection Process for Scholarship Award

The Office of Admissions selects and awards these merit scholarships based on a student’s admission application, a holistic academic record review, and the student’s demonstrated impact on their community/communities. When a student who is eligible for these higher-tier scholarships has been admitted, they will also receive instructions and information about how to submit additional required documents for scholarship consideration.

In addition to submitting the admission application, students must also submit 2 supplemental documents:

1. A list of activities/achievements that help us understand how you spend your time outside of the classroom. Provide as much information as you believe will help the admissions committee understand how you make an impact in your community/communities.
2. A short-answer essay response to the following prompt: Share with us the way(s) that you make an impact in your community/communities through your activit(ies)/commitment(s) and why that impact is important to you. Some of the questions you may want to address in your response include: Why is that activity/commitment important to you? How will that experience shape your college career at Mānoa?

Responses should be between 250-400 words. Responses below or above this range are still acceptable, as long as you address the prompt.

Optional: You may also upload an updated transcript (high school and/or college grades). We encourage you to submit updated grades if you have new academic information available since the time you originally applied for admission.