Early College Scholars
Dual credit opportunities for Hawai‘i’s high school students
Through Early College Scholars, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa partners with Hawai‘i high schools to provide students with the opportunity to earn earn dual credit from both high school and college for courses completed. There are no tuition or fee costs to students! Dual credit courses were previously offered through a program called Mānoa Academy.
Eligibility Criteria
Your high school must be offering a UH Mānoa college course. Please inquire with your high school college counselor and ask about dual credit opportunities at your high school.
This program is available to 10th – 12th grade students with a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher. Note the coursework will be college-level and students will start an official college transcript.
Application Process
Go to the HOW TO APPLY webpage for details. Application deadlines are below:
| Term | Application Deadline |
| Spring 2023 January 9 – May 12 | November 10, 2022 |
| Summer 2023 Session 1: May 22 – June 30 Session 2: July 3 – August 11 | April 1, 2023 |
| Fall 2023 | April 1, 2023 |
| Spring 2024 | November 1, 2023 |
ECS for High School Administrators
If you are interested in offering a UH Mānoa course to your high school students, please complete the form on the Contact Us page as soon as possible. We recommend allowing six months or more for the process of setting up the course(s) and students.
Helpful Terminology
dual credit – high school students take a course and earn high school credit as well as college credit. The course and grade earned are added to their high school transcript as well as their college transcript.
pre-college – Anything before graduating from high school and entering college as a freshman
early college – Earning college credits (i.e., starting an official college transcript) before graduating from high school
Early College Scholars – UH Mānoa’s dual credit program. High schools partner with UH Manoa to provide students with a sheltered course, typically on the high school campus. Students earn high school credit and college credit. Students who participate will have the course and their grade earned added to their official University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s transcript.
Early Start Program – One of UH Mānoa’s summer bridge programs. Incoming freshmen can take 1-2 courses during Summer Session 2 with support from program staff. In addition, students attend a weekly workshop conducted by UH Mānoa peer mentors about navigating college life and the UH Mānoa campus. Making friends, learning from current students and the experience of a UH Manoa course BEFORE the freshman year makes the transition from high school to college smoother!
sheltered – only other high school students will be in the class
Summer Scholar Program – Qualified high school students are admitted to UH Mānoa just for the summer term. As long as they meet any prerequisites, they are able to choose from any of the courses offered during the summer (over 900 courses). In addition to academic readiness, student maturity is necessary as they will take courses with college-age students.