UH Helps Residents Return to College, Earn Degrees

The University of Hawai‘i invites back Hawaiʻi residents who previously attended a UH campus but did not earn a credential.

The launch of a new “Round two. Stronger you. Come Back to UH” campaign is reaching out to 250,000 Hawaiʻi residents who have “some credits, no degree” (DBEDT, 2019).

The campaign includes advising, financial incentives, direct mailings and a redesigned website with information about returning to UH.

“From national and Hawaiʻi data, we know that higher education provides the best path forward for economic and social improvement for students, families and communities,” said UH President David Lassner in a press release announcement. “With ‘Round two. Stronger you.’ we are offering a quarter of a million Hawaiʻi residents the opportunity to leverage their past experiences and investments to build a better future.”

Under this initiative, dedicated counselors at each of the 10 campuses will advise students about re-enrolling and provide information about completing their degrees. This includes advising students about paying for college, academic requirements to complete or change their degree goals, and other support that they may need to be successful, including overcoming prior outstanding balances owed to UH.

There are special incentives for returning UH students, who may be considered for a $400 scholarship at the UH Community Colleges. There are more than 30,000 “stopped out” UH students identified who have already earned almost a million credits and may be eligible for this opportunity at the UH Community Colleges. UH Hilo, UH Mānoa and UH West O‘ahu are also offering a $500 scholarship to identified students who are not currently enrolled but are close to earning a degree.

“We want students to know that the credits they earned in the past still count towards a degree and that financial assistance is available to return to UH,” said Tammi Oyadomari-Chun, UH Community Colleges associate vice president of academic affairs. “Students may be a lot closer to completing their degree than they think, which may open up more opportunities in the workforce if they obtain that credential.”

The new campaign and financial incentives are made possible through a grant from the Lumina Foundation and supplemented by grants from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and Hawaii Leadership Forum.