Admissions


Tuition break: Residents of the following states and islands can enroll in our MA and PhD programs at a reduced tuition of 1.5x the regular Hawai’i resident tuition rates: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Idaho, Guam, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.  Click here to find out more.


Applications for admission to the M.A. and Ph.D. programs are accepted for the Fall semester only.

Additional admissions information for international applicants is available on the Office of Graduate Education’s website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/content/prospective-students


Applying to the M.A. Program

MA Application Instructions

We offer a BA-MA Combined Pathway Program that allows exceptionally motivated English majors at UHM to earn both degrees in as little as 5 years. 

BA-MA Application Instructions

The deadline to submit all application materials for the M.A. and BA-MA Combined Pathway programs is January 1.


Applying to the Ph.D. Program

PhD Application Instructions

Applicants to the Ph.D. program must hold or expect to hold prior to matriculation a Master’s degree in English or a closely related field.

The deadline to submit all application materials for the Ph.D. program is December 1.


Unclassified Students

Students who have received their bachelor’s degrees but who have not been admitted to the graduate program may apply to UH Mānoa as post-baccalaureate unclassified (PBU) students. Once admitted, such students may take graduate courses in English (except for 605) with the permission of the instructor and the Graduate Director. PBU students who are interested in applying for admission to the program at some future date should meet with the Graduate Director in English for advising and for a discussion of which courses will apply to their degree. Upon admission, PBU students have to petition for such courses to be transferred toward their degree. For information on applying as a PBU student, see the Office of Graduate Education’s website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/.