The Price of Paradise

Read this First:

All placements for exchange through the National Student Exchange are administered by the NSE coordinator at the student's home school. If you are not sure who that is or where the NSE office is on your campus, please visit http://www.nse.org/offices.asp for more information. All NSE campuses are listed, with the location of the NSE office on that campus.

Introduction: Many students are attracted to the dream of studying on exchange at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. Visions of sandy beaches, palm trees, sparkling blue water, and endless days of sun fill their fantasies.

Others are attracted to the idea of living in such a diverse environment, learning more about the peoples of Hawai`i, Asia and the Pacific.

Indeed, the opportunities for study in Asian and Pacific languages and cultures, as well as social science and humanities courses reflecting these cultures, are unmatched, as are those in the sciences. But because Hawaii attracts so many exchange students, there are some realities that should be considered before choosing UHM for exchange:

A very limited number of students can be accepted on Plan B. Students from schools offering Plan A cannot be accepted on Plan B, unless UHM is sending a Plan B student to that school.

Although UHM’s tuition cost is still moderate, tuition will be approximately $3,900 per semester, including campus fees (please refer to the "Campus Budget Information" section at www.nse.org, found in "Student Information").

Most students accepted for exchange must process financial aid (all FAFSA) through UHM. The UHM FAFSA code must be listed on the FAFSA or renewal FAFSA by mid-February if possible. Students should also respond promptly to all communications from the UHM financial aid office (at least two months are required to process aid applications after the student's file is complete, including verification process, etc.)

There are not sufficient campus housing spaces available for all NSE students who want to exchange to UHM. Those students with permission to apply for campus housing must follow up promptly, as obtaining assignments is very competitive. The range of costs is approximately $2,000 to $2,800 per semester (depending on hall, for a double room; this does not include meal plan purchase, which is required for the residence halls, not for campus apartments). Those who sign a year contract (including winter break) will pay a penalty if they cancel the spring portion. A deposit is due upon assignment (usually sometime mid-summer). Visit www.housing.hawaii.edu for the latest information and rates.

A few students willing to live off-campus will be accepted, mostly on Plan A. However, off-campus rentals are scarce and expensive.

There is NO CAMPUS PARKING for NSE students. However, there is an excellent city bus system. A free bus pass will be provided as part of student fees beginning in 2010.

For advising purposes, the UHM course catalog is available at our website, www.catalog.hawaii.edu. We will mail the fall schedule of courses as soon as it is available, around April 20; it is also posted online at that time at www.hawaii.edu/myuh/manoa. For many courses, exchange students must provide the department with evidence of prerequisites at their home school equivalent to the UHM prerequisites for the course.

Because of the large number of exchange students attending UHM, there is no early registration and it is therefore not a good school for juniors and seniors with specific course needs. Registration for exchange students is quite late (with transfers).

There is no guarantee of getting courses, and students need much flexibility in courses they plan to take as some will be closed by the time they register. Again, in general, we are not a good exchange campus for juniors and seniors with specific course needs. If a major is not listed on the searchable majors list on www.nse.org, it is not available to exchange students. UPPER DIVISION BUSINESS COURSES ARE CLOSED TO EXCHANGE STUDENTS.