▸Why do I have an Academic Advising Hold from the ELI?
You have a received an academic advising hold because your level of English proficiency qualifies you for admission; however, additional coursework in academic English may be required as part of your university graduation requirements. You will need to contact the ELI to see if you should be automatically exempted or if you need to take our placement test (and possibly ELI courses).
▸What is the mission of the ELI?
The ELI provides academic English classes for both undergraduate and graduate students who speak English as an additional language to facilitate their studies. The ELI offers academic English courses in reading, writing, and listening & speaking. ELI students work with experienced instructors to develop their academic English skills, and learn about useful learning strategies and resources. While taking ELI courses, these students take a limited number of other university courses here at UHM.
▸How does the ELI decide who does (and who does not) need ELI courses?
On the ELI website, we have a list of criteria for automatic exemption from ELI requirements at the following link. The Office of Admissions reviews the information you sent when you applied to UHM to see if you met any of these exemption criteria. Based on that information, the ELI places a “registration hold” on students who have not met any of the exemption criteria.
Students who are not exempt are required to take the ELI Placement Test. Some students do well enough on the test to be completely exempt, and others are placed into ELI courses. The ELI also places a different hold on new undergraduate students who are exempt but still need to take ESL 100 in order to fulfill the General Education “FW” requirement. (“FW” means “Foundations in Written Communication”.)
▸How can I clear the ELI’s registration hold?
There are three ways to clear the ELI’s hold:
Provide proof of meeting ELI exemption criteria. Contact the ELI and let us know which of the exemption criteria you meet. In particular, those students who have 6 years or more of schooling in an English-speaking country can fill out and submit this form.
Sign up for the ELI Placement Test. We offer the test the week before school starts and again in the evening during Week 1 of the semester (only for students who are late to arrive in Hawai‘i). To sign up for our test, go to this link.
If your hold says to take ESL 100. These students do not have to take our test; they only need to fulfill the “FW” requirement by taking ESL 100 in their first year at UHM (preferably in your first semester). Please contact the ELI and let us know when you will take ESL 100.
▸What does each hold mean?
Holds are placed on students that are flagged to take ELI courses. All students who have English as their second language must clear the ELI by either taking the ELI placement test, which is held at the beginning of the Spring and Fall semesters, or following the instructions below. Based on your scores on the test, you will be placed into ELI courses or exempted from them. These courses must be completed within your first two semesters at UH Manoa.
If the hold says “ELI Placement Test,” please sign up for the test at this page. After we receive your registration, we will remove your hold within three business days.
If the hold says “ELI Placement Test, no writing,” this is because you have been fully exempted from the writing section of the ELI Placement test as well as any further writing courses at UH Mānoa. However, you are still required to take the remaining sections of the test, so please sign up for the test at this page. After we receive your registration, we will remove your hold within three business days.
If the hold says “Take ESL 100 for FW,” please contact the ELI at uhmeli@hawaii.edu, or call 808-956-6946. Please have your full name and UH Identification Number ready. We will remove your hold and allow you to register for ESL 100. You can find out more about the University of Hawaii’s FW requirement at this webpage.
If the hold says “Probably exempt,” please contact the ELI at uhmeli@hawaii.edu, or call 808-956-6946. Please have your full name and UH Identification Number ready. You may be exempt from ELI requirements, so please check this page for a list of exemption criteria.
▸Can I retake TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or another standardized test before the semester starts?
Yes, and the ELI will look carefully at your new scores to ensure they meet a certain threshold. However, we can only use those scores if they are official, so be sure that you have official test results sent to UH Mānoa Office of Admissions for every time you take a test.
If you score lower than the exemption threshold, your scores will be used alongside your ELI Placement Test scores to place you into the highest level ELI courses possible. Please see this page for a full list of standardized tests that the ELI recognizes, and the scores required to be exempted. If you have taken a standardized test, please ensure that your scores are submitted to the admissions department and are showing in your STAR report. If you have taken one recently, you may send official scores to uhmeli@hawaii.edu as proof of your exemption status. Please submit any new scores at least two weeks before classes begin.
For any other questions about ELI requirements, registration, or credits, please visit this page and browse the many informational articles we have on ELI courses and policies. You may also contact us at uhmeli@hawaii.edu with any questions.