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Course Completion Policies

All ELI courses must be completed within the first year of study at the university. This is a university requirement. ELI Placement Test results will be available the day after you take the test. Results are posted on the ELI website (click on “Check Your ELI Test Results” on the toolbar). These results show which courses you placed into, if any, and give a schedule for completing your ELI requirements. In some cases, the results will tell you to see an ELI advisor or the ELI  Director.

The following schedule shows how many ELI classes you would need to take in each of your first two semesters, depending on how many ELI courses you placed into and depending on whether your first semester at UHM is Fall or Spring semester.

Total Number of ELI Courses Required Fall-Spring or Spring-Fall
6 courses 3-3
5 courses 3-2
4 courses 2-2
3 courses 2-1
2 courses (undergraduates) 2-0
2 courses (graduates) 2-0 or 1-1
1 course 1-0

NOTE FOR EXCHANGE STUDENTS: There is a different policy regarding completion of ELI courses for exchange students. If you are an exchange student, you are required to meet with an ELI advisor the day after you take the ELI Placement Test.

ELI courses count as 3 CREDIT HOURS EACH when calculating your course load. Undergraduates can take a maximum of 19 credits; graduates can take 12 credits. For example, if an undergraduate student places into all 6 ELI courses, they would have to take 3 ELI courses (9 credits) the first semester and 3 the second semester. This means that the student could take as many as 10 additional credits of non-ELI courses (however, if you place into all 3 ELI courses in your first semester here, we recommend that you take fewer than the maximum credits, to allow yourself time to get used to studying at UHM).

You must follow the course completion plan determined by your placement. If you do not register for the courses that are required, a hold will be placed on your registration, and you will not be able to register for future semesters.

Also, it’s important to remember that ELI requirements are university policy. Failure to complete ELI requirements may mean that you are not allowed to graduate from the university or receive your degree.