New Warrior Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by University of Hawaii

The New Warrior Scholarships (NWS) are prestigious, competitive scholarship programs aimed at acknowledging and rewarding the academic prowess and proven community contributions of first-year students pursuing a degree at UH Mānoa, immediately after their high school graduation. The scholarships offered include:

• Regents Scholarship (Exclusively for Hawai’i Residents)
• Provost Achievement Scholarship (Exclusively for Hawai’i Residents)
• Mānoa Excellence Scholarship (For U.S. citizens who are not Hawai’i Residents)
• Mānoa International Excellence Scholarship (For International students who are non-U.S. citizens and require an F-1 Visa to enroll at UH Mānoa)

The New Warrior Scholarships are granted at the commencement of the student’s academic journey at Mānoa and are designed to financially support the student’s four-year enrollment as they work towards their degree. The scholarship funds are used to offset the student’s educational costs.

The Office of Admissions is responsible for choosing and awarding these merit-based scholarships, taking into account the student’s admission application, a comprehensive review of their academic history, and their proven influence on their community or communities. Along with the admission application, students are required to submit 1) a record of activities/achievements and 2) a brief essay response to illustrate their community impact. More details can be found in the Scholarship Award Selection Process section.

Given the competitive nature of these scholarships, students must apply for admission by January 5. Once a student eligible for these scholarships is admitted, they will receive guidance on how to submit additional documents required for scholarship consideration. The deadline for the supplemental application for NWS consideration is January 15. The Admissions and Scholarship Selection Committees will evaluate applications in January and February, and applicants will be informed of the scholarship decisions by early March.

Regents Scholarship

The UH Board of Regents initiated the Regents Scholarships to assist students who have demonstrated exceptional academic performance. The scholarship covers full tuition for four years, a yearly stipend of $4,000, and a one-time travel grant of $2,000. This scholarship is available to all Hawaiʻi residents.

Regents Scholars are also part of the Honors Program, which means they enjoy additional benefits beyond the scholarship award. These benefits include, but are not limited to:

• Personalized academic guidance
• Assistance in finding research opportunities
• Access to and enrollment in small-sized classes
• Mentorship from top-tier faculty in your chosen field of study

Find out more about the Regents and Presidential Scholars Program.

Note: Starting from Fall 2024, the Regents Scholarship program no longer mandates students to live on campus. However, students are still advised to apply for housing to fully immerse themselves in campus life and activities throughout their time at Manoa.

Scholarship Consideration Criteria

• Residency Status: Hawai’i Residents
• Student type: First-year, degree-seeking students who enroll at UH Manoa immediately after high school graduation
• GPA: Students with a cumulative high school GPA of 3.7 or higher are eligible for this scholarship
• Number of awards offered: Historically, Manoa has granted 16 Regents Scholarships each year. Note: If a student is offered more than one merit award by the Office of Admissions, they can only accept one of the awards.

Scholarship Award Selection Process

The Office of Admissions selects and awards these merit scholarships based on a student’s admission application, a comprehensive review of their academic history, and their proven influence on their community or communities. Once a student eligible for these scholarships is admitted, they will receive guidance on how to submit additional documents required for scholarship consideration.

Along with the admission application, students are required to submit 2 supplemental documents:

1. A record of activities/achievements that provides insight into how you spend your time outside of the classroom. Provide as much information as you believe will help the admissions committee understand how you make an impact in your community/communities.
2. A brief essay response to the following prompt: Share with us the way(s) that you make an impact in your community/communities through your activit(ies)/commitment(s) and why that impact is important to you. Some of the questions you may want to address in your response include: Why is that activity/commitment important to you? How will that experience shape your college career at Mānoa?

Responses should be between 250-400 words. Responses below or above this range are still acceptable, as long as you address the prompt.

Optional: You may also submit an updated transcript (high school and/or college grades). We encourage you to submit updated grades if you have new academic information available since the time you originally applied for admission.