University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: merit scholarships by GPA
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa publishes merit aid criteria as a published grid keyed to GPA — the ACT is not used. Awards start at a 3.2 GPA and reach $4,000 a year. Because the bands are steps rather than a slope, a hundredth of a GPA point is worth nothing inside a band and the whole step at the edge of one.
Enter a GPA below to see which band it actually lands in, what that band pays, and what the next band needs.
Read this first
There is no separate application, but Mānoa selects recipients after a holistic academic record review and only while scholarships remain available — so meeting a GPA band makes a student eligible rather than entitled. Eligibility is also limited to students entering in the fall semester immediately after finishing high school.
Unweighted, as the school asks for it.
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Example — a 3.60 GPA
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship
$3,000 / year
About $12,000 over four years, if it renews.
UH Mānoa awards this on GPA alone, so an ACT score does not change it. A higher score can still matter for admission, for honours programmes, and at other schools on the list — but not for this award.
The ACT doesn't move the money here — but it still decides admission, honours eligibility, and what they is worth at the other schools on the list, where most awards are score-keyed.
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The published UH Mānoa merit aid grid
Reproduced in full from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s own pages for Fall 2026 entry. Nothing here is estimated: where the school states a benefit rather than a figure, that is what the table says.
Hawaiʻi residents
The only track with rungs below a 3.50. The award is applied against tuition.
$4,000
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship
No score needed
$3,000
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship
No score needed
$2,500
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship | — | $4,000 |
| Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship | — | $3,000 |
| Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship | — | $2,500 |
Source: Academic Merit Scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
US citizens who are not Hawaiʻi residents
One rung only. A non-resident below a 3.70 receives nothing from this programme.
$4,000
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship | — | $4,000 |
Source: Academic Merit Scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Non-residents on the Western Undergraduate Exchange rate
Qualifies from a lower GPA than the non-WUE track but pays half as much. Mānoa does not state whether a WUE student above a 3.70 may take the $4,000 instead.
$2,000
Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship
No score needed
| Award | With a score | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship | — | $2,000 |
Source: Academic Merit Scholarships · verified 2026-10-24
Does UH Mānoa superscore for scholarships?
Not stated for merit. Mānoa superscores for admission — it takes the highest scores from any test date in the same format — but the merit grid uses no score at all, so there is nothing for a superscore to move here.
With nothing published, plan for the stricter reading: look up your best single sitting in the grid above, work out your superscore as well, and ask UH Mānoa’s financial aid office which one they read before you count on the higher band.
Comparing schools? See which colleges superscore for scholarships — 66 of 501 commit to it, 52 say they do not, and the rest never say.
UH Mānoa scholarship deadlines
| Entry term | Due |
|---|---|
| Priority application deadline | January 5 |
| Final application deadline | April 1 |
Scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive, and official reports sent to schools can take longer, so the last useful test date is several weeks before the printed deadline. Check which test dates still make it.
Where these numbers came from
Every figure on this page was read from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s own published pages, linked below with the date we last confirmed them. We do not estimate a missing band or interpolate a value.
- Residency changes who qualifies rather than what the award pays. A resident qualifies from a 3.20; a non-resident needs a 3.70, and both receive $4,000 at the top.
- A WUE student qualifies from a 3.50 but receives $2,000 — half the non-WUE non-resident award. Mānoa does not say whether a WUE student above a 3.70 can take the larger one.
- There is no separate application, but recipients are selected after a holistic review and only while funds last.
- Only students entering in the fall semester immediately following high school graduation are eligible.
- The renewal GPA is 3.20 for students awarded from Fall 2026, up from 2.00 for earlier recipients.
- The award is applied against tuition rather than paid out.
- International students fall under a separate award and are not covered by these tracks.
- Mānoa's admissions deadline table was still labelled Fall 2025 when read, so confirm the dates for a later entry year.
Check before you rely on it. Grids change by entry year and schools update them without notice. This page is a reproduction with a date on it, not a guarantee, and it is not financial aid advice. ClutchACT is not affiliated with University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Frequently asked questions
What ACT score do you need for a scholarship at UH Mānoa?
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa publishes a merit aid grid keyed to ACT score and GPA. See the tables on this page for the current bands.
Is UH Mānoa test-optional?
Mānoa is test-optional for admission and operates a 'do no harm' policy, so a submitted score cannot count against an applicant. For merit aid the answer is different: the merit grid is keyed to cumulative high school GPA alone, with no test column. Mānoa does warn separately that some scholarships and direct-entry programmes may require scores, but this award is not one of them. Being admitted without a score and qualifying for money without a score are two separate questions.
How much is a 30 on the ACT worth at UH Mānoa?
On UH Mānoa's published grid for Fall 2026 entry, an ACT of 30 with a 3.6 GPA qualifies for Hawaiʻi residents — Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship at $3,000 a year, about $12,000 over four years if it renews; Non-residents on the Western Undergraduate Exchange rate — Mānoa Academic Merit Scholarship at $2,000 a year, about $8,000 over four years if it renews.
Does in-state or out-of-state change merit aid at UH Mānoa?
Yes. UH Mānoa publishes separate grids: Hawaiʻi residents run $2,500 to $4,000 a year, and Non-residents on the Western Undergraduate Exchange rate run $2,000 to $2,000 — a difference of $2,000 a year at the top. Check which grid applies to you before planning around a figure.
Does UH Mānoa superscore the ACT for scholarships?
Not stated for merit. Mānoa superscores for admission — it takes the highest scores from any test date in the same format — but the merit grid uses no score at all, so there is nothing for a superscore to move here.
When are UH Mānoa scholarship deadlines?
Priority application deadline: January 5. Final application deadline: April 1. The application and the official score report are both due by that date, and ACT scores take roughly two to four weeks to arrive — so the last useful test date is several weeks earlier than the deadline suggests.
Is this UH Mānoa scholarship data current?
Every figure on this page was read from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's own published pages and last verified on 2026-10-24. The sources are linked at the bottom of the page with that date. Grids change by entry year, so check the source before relying on a figure for a decision.
Other schools to check
What to do next
UH Mānoa awards on GPA — but the ACT still decides what you're worth elsewhere.
Most schools in this comparison are score-keyed even though UH Mānoa is not, so the same test still moves the money everywhere else on the list.
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