Prospective students applying for entry to the university as international students will need to go through one of the many offices that handle admissions for the university. Here is a brief outline of the steps for international students that will be getting I-20 created by ISS or Graduate Division.
1. Getting Admitted to the University.
Applications will go through one of the following offices and accepted students will be contacted by the same office with their acceptance and additional information to start their entry into the university.
| Student Type | Admissions Office |
|---|---|
| General undergraduate students | The Office of Admissions |
| General graduate students | The Graduate Division |
| Undergraduate business student with direct admission to Shidler College of Business | Shidler College of Business - Undergraduate Admissions |
| Graduate business student with direct admission to Shidler College of Business | Shidler College of Business - Graduate Admissions |
| Medical Student | John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) - Office of Admissions |
| Law Student | William S. Richardson School of Law - Admissions & Aid Office |
| Non-degree students on independent or partner institution exchanges | Mānoa International Exchange (MIX) Program |
2. Getting Your Certificate of Eligibility: Form I-20 or DS-2019
You will receive a Form I-20 (for F-1 student) or DS-2019 (for J-1 student) Certificate of Eligibility (COE) once you’ve submitted a complete application and your documents are approved for processing by your relevant UH Mānoa admission’s office.
Please refer to your letter of acceptance for your designated admissions team. (See Table in Step 1 for reference)
Reach out to your admissions counselor if you have questions about the time it takes to receive your COE after receiving your official acceptance letter.
At this time some offices will elect to send documents via UH FileDrop, a secure file transfer site usable by members of the university. If sent this way you will receive an email from a UH email (@hawaii.edu) with the subject line “Files are available for you at the UH FileDrop Service” and information inside the email about your I-20 document. Please make sure to download your document before the links expire.
Do I Need To Do Anything After Getting My I-20 or DS-2019?
After obtaining their I-20 or DS-2019 (Non-Canadian) students who do not already have their visa will need to apply for their F-1 or J-1 visa. More information can be found on the Student Visa Application Process page.