Registration Policies and Procedures

Viewing Course Descriptions

You can view course descriptions and prerequisite requirements from the UH Mānoa Catalog. The catalog is a comprehensive guide to UH Mānoa programs, course offerings, services, tuition, financial aid, faculty, facilities, academic policies, and other information of general importance to UH Mānoa students.

Checking Class Availability

The Class Availability lists the courses and sections that are being offered. Consult course listings regularly for the most up-to-date information on class cancellations, course additions, and changes in meeting times, locations and instructors. Click on the Course Reference Number (CRN) to view the academic calendar for the course.

Viewing Academic Calendars

Outreach College courses often have varied start and end dates with unique deadlines for registration, withdrawals, and refunds. See the Academic Calendar for each of your courses.

Consulting with Your Advisor or Home Institution

Before registering for classes, meet with your home institution academic advisor to review degree requirements and get help selecting courses. Credits earned at UH Mānoa are applicable toward degrees only as determined by your home institution.

Obtaining Course Syllabi

If you require a more detailed course description or syllabus, please contact the instructor listed on the Academic Calendar or contact the Academic Department. Some departments provide course syllabi on their website.

Finding Instructor Contact Information

Clicking on the CRN from the Class Availability will bring you to the academic calendar that lists the instructor for the course. Clicking on the instructorʻs name will give you a contact email address. If no instructor is listed, please contact the Academic Department.

Online Courses

To find UHM online courses on the Class Availability, look for locations or rooms designated as “ONLINE.” You can also search for online courses through the web registration system. For additional information about online classes, see UH Online.

Most online courses use Laulima. Laulima is the University of Hawaiʻiʻs online learning management system that offers instructors tools that can facilitate classroom activities in the online environment.

Login to Laulima directly or through MyUH Services. Laulima can conveniently be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, excluding down times for updates and daily maintenance.

Once you have officially registered, your course(s) will appear on Laulima. Students are required to use their UH account to access Laulima for the duration of the course. You can find tutorials and user information on the Laulima website. For questions about how Laulima will be used for your online course, contact the instructor for details.

Summer Sessions Courses

Recommended Maximum Number of Credits

Summer Sessions courses are highly accelerated and most meet everyday; we want you to plan your schedule and time accordingly.

We strongly recommend students enroll in no more than 8 credits per 6-week session and no more than 3 credits per 3-week session.

If you are accustomed to taking fall and spring courses on a semester schedule, a 3-credit summer course offered over three weeks is the equivalent of enrolling in a 16-credit hour semester (or 24-quarter unit) load. Taking 6 credits in six weeks is also the equivalent of enrolling in a 16-credit hour semester load.

Maximum Credits

Students may not register for courses (credit or audit), in excess of the maximum credits allowed by the registration system, unless given permission for an overload by the college or school in which they are enrolled.

Undergraduate students who request enrollment in 20 or more credit hours must obtain special approval from their College/School Student Academic Services office.

Graduate/post-baccalaureate students who request enrollment in 17 or more credit hours must obtain special approval from their Graduate Chair and/or Graduate Education Student Services.

Do I Need To Apply?

Please review the application criteria to determine if you need to submit an application.

Checking Your Registration Status

To reduce web registration problems, make sure you do not have outstanding financial obligations or health clearances and you are in good academic standing.

Clearing Holds

If you have holds that prevent registration, contact the office that placed the hold to determine the steps needed to clear and remove them.

To view details on holds, including contact information, login to MyUH Services and search for/click on View Holds on My Record.

Clearing Financial Obligation Holds

If you have an outstanding financial obligation (FO) at any of the University of Hawaiʻi institutions (e.g., tuition, housing, bounced check, library, or parking fines) a financial obligation “hold” is placed on your record. This “hold” will prevent you from registering and receiving a transcript or diploma.

To clear the FO hold, make your payment and contact the office that initiated the hold so that it may be removed.

Course Prerequisites

Some courses cannot be registered for unless you have completed other courses, placement tests, or other requirements. See Prerequisites for more information.

Course Restrictions

Course restrictions can range from major or class standing restrictions to department/instructor required approvals. These restrictions are listed on the Class Availability, right below the course title line.

If you have questions regarding your eligibility to register for a course, contact the instructor or the Academic Department offering the course.

Registering for these courses without correct classification or the proper approvals may result in error messages. Please refer to the list of Registration Error Messages.

Placement Exams

Some academic departments require placement exams in order to register for certain courses. See Placement Exams for more information.

Deciding on Your Grading Option

With a few exceptions, the letter grade option is automatically selected when you register online. However for many courses you may select one of three grading options:

* Letter Grade (+/- grade system)

* Credit/No Credit (CR/NC). No letter grade given for this pass/fail option. The CR designation denotes C caliber work or better.

* Audit (L grade on transcript)

For more details on grading options, go to the UH Mānoa Catalog.

The summer terms are accelerated, so there is not much time to make changes to your registration once the term begins. The last day to change grading options is the same as the last day to register (add) the course. View the Academic Calendar for your course, as this will show you course deadlines.

Auditing a Course

* Auditors receive neither grades nor credit for the course.

* Audited courses are recorded on UH Manoa transcripts with an “L” grade.

* Auditors are responsible for the full tuition and fees for the course.

* Auditors do not take course examinations. The extent of your classroom participation is determined by the instructor.

* Audited course credits are not counted towards full-time/part-time status for academic purposes.

Currently, audit registration is not available online. If you wish to audit a course, email contact Outreach College Student Services to find out whether the course can be taken for the audit grade option and to request an Audit Approval Form. Obtain the instructor’s approval on this form.

Submit the completed form through UH FileDrop – secure email (Recipient: OCHELP), by the last day to add the course.  

Registration

Registration Changes

Add, drop, or withdraw from courses online by accessing the registration system through MyUH Services. Make adjustments to your schedule within the published deadlines as shown on the Academic Calendar for the specific course.

If you do not officially drop a course, an “F” or “NC” grade may be assigned by the instructor in place of a passing grade. You may still be obligated to pay tuition and fees for these courses.

Any changes to your UH Mānoa enrollment status may impact benefits you are receiving. Drops and withdrawals may affect students’ academic standing or financial aid standing. With this in mind, carefully consider the implications of decreasing your credit load.

Review your class schedule and student account charges to confirm that the add, drop, or withdraw was processed correctly.

Adding Courses

Students may add or register for a course online up to the last day to add, as specified on the Academic Calendar for the course.

The last day to add is also the last day to:

* Switch sections,

* Change grading options, and

* Change the number of credits for a variable credit course.

Dropping and Withdrawing From Courses

* The student is responsible for reviewing the course Academic Calendar and meeting all deadlines for withdrawal and refund.

* The student is responsible for course withdrawal(s). Not attending, discontinuing participation without officially withdrawing, stopping payment, or a bounced check may result in your receiving an “F” or “NC” grade.

* Before the term begins, drop unwanted courses online through MyUH to avoid financial or academic penalties. Review your class schedule and student account charges to confirm that the drop processed correctly.

* Students with financial obligation holds on their records may drop or withdraw from courses by contacting Outreach College Student Services for assistance.

Drop, no “W” on record

Students may drop a course online up to the last day to drop without a “W” grade, as specified on the Academic Calendar for the course.

For drops with refunds, drop the course by the last day to receive 100% or 50% tuition refund (see Academic Calendar).

Withdrawal, “W” on record

Students may withdraw from a course online, after the last day to drop until the last day to withdraw from class, as specified on the Academic Calendar for the course.

Dropping a course with a “W” grade means that you are withdrawing from the course and will receive a “W” grade. No tuition will be refunded.

Financial Aid Recipients Dropping or Withdrawing From Courses

If you receive financial aid, please consult with a financial aid counselor from your home institution before dropping your course. You may be required to repay a portion of or all the aid you received (including tuition waivers).

Visiting International Students Dropping or Withdrawing From Courses

All international students issued an I-20 from Outreach College for the Summer Session(s), are not authorized to drop or withdraw below a full-time course load for the duration of the term the I-20 was requested.

Registration Error Messages and Approval Overrides

During your web registration session, error messages inform you of conditions that prevent you from enrolling (adding or dropping) in courses. See Registration Error Messages and Restricted Course Approval Codes for a list of possible error messages.

Reviewing Your Course Schedule

Sometimes courses are cancelled or course information is changed. Before the first day of class or after any add/drops you process on the web registration system, confirm your enrollment by reviewing your course schedule online.

If you are a visiting student, check your schedule before you commence travel to Hawai‘i. Checking your course schedule often for errors or updates is highly recommended.

Paying for Your Courses

Pay for your course tuition and fees online through MyUH Services or STAR. For payment deadlines and other important details, go to Payment Information for Extension Term information or Summer Payment for Summer Session.

After your payment and before your classes begin, verify that your payment has been processed, and check for any course schedule or instructor changes.

Waitlist

The registration waitlist is an electronic list of students waiting to register for a filled class. Once the maximum enrollment for a class has been reached and the class is full, some classes will have waitlist spaces available. Not all classes will have waitlists. If a class is closed and there is no waitlist, you may contact the instructor or the Academic Department to see if capacity overrides are an option.

Students may sign up for an electronic waitlist when they attempt to register for a class section that has reached its maximum enrollment. If a seat in the class becomes available, the first student on the registration waitlist for the class will be notified via email (notifications will only be sent to your UH Email account). Once notified, the deadline to register for the class varies between 24-48 hours and will be specified on the notification email. It is your responsibility to check your email regularly. Being on a waitlist does not guarantee registration in a class.

* You may sign up for more than one waitlist.

* You may occupy only one waitlist space at a time for a specific CRN.

* You may waitlist for multiple sections (CRNs) of the same course.

* You may waitlist for a different section (CRN) of a course (e.g. HIST 151) you are registered for.

If you no longer want the class that you are waitlisted for, please drop the class so that others on the waitlist may register for the class. You may drop your waitlisted class at any time even if you haven?t been notified of an available seat.

You will not be charged tuition and fees for a waitlisted course since you are not actually registered for it. Tuition and fees are charged only for registered classes. If and when you register for the class, charges will then be applied. If you are registered for other classes, you must pay your tuition and fees by the payment deadline. If you are disenrolled due to non-payment, you will also be dropped from all waitlists.

The waitlist feature ends the day before the semester officially begins. All waitlists will then be purged. As of the first day of the semester through the late registration period for the course, students may register directly into the class should a seat open up.

Notification of Available Seat and Deadline to Register

When a seat becomes available for you in the class that you’ve waitlisted for, an email will be sent to your UH Email account notifying you. The email will list the class and give you a deadline to register for this seat. The deadline will vary from 24-48 hours from the time the notification was sent. It is important that you check your email frequently if you waitlist for any class. Once the deadline to register for the seat has passed, the seat will be given to the next person on the waitlist.

If you missed the deadline and are still interested in registering for the class, you may attempt to add yourself to the waitlist again. You will be added to the bottom of the waitlist.

If you are waitlisted in multiple sections of a course and you are notified to register for one waitlisted section, you will not automatically be dropped from the waitlists of the other sections of the same course. You must drop yourself from those waitlists you are no longer interested in.

If you are waitlisted for a different section of a course you are already registered for and you are notified of an available seat in the waitlisted section, you must drop the section you are already registered in before you can enroll in the waitlisted class. You will not be able to register for the waitlisted section if you are still registered for the original CRN.

If you are registered for two classes that require that you be registered in both (co-requisite courses), and you are waitlisted for another section of one of the classes, you must drop the section of the class you are registered for AND add the waitlisted class in the same session, then submit your changes.

Registration Policies

Cancelled Courses

Course cancellation decisions are made about a week before the course begins. If courses are cancelled by the University, students will receive notification at their UH Email account and will be dropped from the course. If your course is cancelled, you may select an alternate course, otherwise, a 100% tuition refund will be issued. Be sure to review your schedule online. If you are a visiting student, check your schedule before you commence travel to Hawaiʻi. Checking your course schedule often for errors or updates is highly recommended.

Automatic Withdrawal, No Show Policy

Faculty will verify attendance of students registered in their courses by the last day to add. Students who are reported as not having attended or participated (“no show”) will be sent a notification email to their UH Email account and dropped from their class(es). Students who are receiving financial aid will have their aid recalculated accordingly.

Class Attendance

If you register for a class, but never attend or stop attending without officially withdrawing, you will receive an “F” or “NC” grade, as appropriate. Some departments require you to attend the first class meeting or your space may be assigned to another student and you will need to drop the class to avoid a grade of “F.”

Enrollment Verification

The Office of the Registrar can verify your current and past enrollment status for semesters you are or have been officially registered at UH Mānoa for health insurance, loan deferments, scholarships, or other benefits. You may request enrollment verification from the Mānoa Office of the Registrar.

Grade Reports

Grades are typically available for viewing on the Wednesday following the end of each Summer Session. View your grades and unofficial transcripts through MyUH Services – “View My Final Grades” or  STAR. Grades reports are not mailed. If a grade has not been posted by the end of the summer term, the course instructor has not submitted the grade. Please contact the instructor directly regarding the status of your final grade.

Transferring Credits

If you intend to transfer credits back to your home institution, consult with your home institution advisor before registering. Credits earned at UH Mānoa are applicable toward degrees only as determined by your home institution. Your school may ask for a copy of the course description from the UH Mānoa Catalog. If you need a more detailed course description or syllabus, contact the instructor or Academic Department.

How to Order Official Transcripts

Check with your home institution about transferring credits back. A transcript is usually required by the student?s home institution. You may order a transcript from the UH Mānoa Office of the Registrar by filling out the Transcript Request Form. Provide your home institution mailing address and transcript fee. A University hold may prevent your transcript from being issued.

Who Do I Contact for Assistance?

Admissions and Registration Assistance
Course questions, admissions, or non-STAR registration problems
Contact Outreach College Student

STAR GPS Registration Assistance
STAR Team
(808) 956-4036
starhelp@hawaii.edu

STAR Help
UH Username, Password, Login, or Connection Problem Assistance
ITS Help Desk
(808) 956-8883 or 1 (800) 558-2669
help@hawaii.edu

Laulima Assistance
Submit a Request Assistance form.