To gain admission to Shidler College of Business as an upper-level/transfer* student, all 4 admissions requirements (below) plus an application to Shidler** must be completed in the semester before the semester of desired entry into Shidler College:

1. 60 earned semester-hour credits (i.e., junior standing) - credits must be acceptable to UH Manoa, so must be non-repeated, college-level courses
2. Minimum cumulative Grade-Point Average (GPA) of 2.50 in all course grades (if any courses have been attempted at UH Mānoa, the applicant must also have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 in all UH Mānoa courses)
3. Computer Competency: Completion of ONE of the following two computer-competency course options with a minimum grade of "C" or better (i.e., "C-" grade will not be accepted).:
   • Option 1: complete BOTH LTEC 112 "Technologies for Academic Success" AND LTEC 113 "Technologies for Academic Success- Business"; or
   • Option 2: complete ICS 101 "Digital Tools for the Information World"
4. Completion of 7 pre-business core courses (see below) with a minimum combined GPA of 2.50 and with a minimum grade of "C" in each (i.e., "C-" grade or below will not be accepted)

Pre-Business Core Courses^

1. English Composition (ENG 100/190/ESL 100, OR ENG 200)
2. Calculus (BUS 250; NREM 203; OR MATH 203, 215, 241, or 251A)
3. Speech (COMG 151 OR COMG 251)
4. Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 130)
5. Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 131)
6. Introduction to Accounting I (ACC 200)^^
7. Introduction to Accounting II (ACC 210)^^

^See the University of Hawaii at Mānoa Catalog for course descriptions and prerequisites.

* high-achieving high-school seniors seeking entry to Shidler College of Business as a first-year/freshman student should consider the Direct Admit Program

** applicants who are not currently UH Manoa degree-seeking students must also apply to UH Manoa

^^Notes about the required Accounting sequence

Effective Fall 2020, the course number and topic ordering of the 200-level Accounting courses was changed at UH Manoa:

• ACC 200 (Introduction to Accounting I)
• ACC 210 (Introduction to Accounting II) (formerly ACC 201)

Because of this change, applicants are required to complete either of the following two options:

1. both ACC 200 and ACC 210 courses at UH Manoa or Windward Community College, or
2. both ACC 201 and ACC 202 courses completely outside of UH Manoa

there are no exceptions to this.

• For example, if ACC 200 is completed at UH Manoa, ACC 210 would need to be completed at UH Manoa or Windward CC. 
• If ACC 201 (a Financial Accounting course) is completed outside of UH Manoa, ACC 202 (a Managerial Accounting course) should also be completed outside of UH Manoa.
• If you are transferring into the UH system from another college, check if your Accounting courses may transfer as ACC 201/202 in the online course transfer database

If you have already successfully completed ACC 201/ACC 202 (outside of UH Manoa) or ACC 200/ACC 201 (at UH Manoa) with a "C" grade or higher, prior to Fall 2020, this change is not applicable to you. If you have any questions, email mark.nakamoto@hawaii.edu

Explanatory Notes/FAQ on Admission Requirements:

• When do I need to have admission requirements completed? / When do I apply? V

  • All Shidler College of Business admission requirements (credits, GPA, grades, coursework) must be completed by the end of the fall/spring semester before you plan on entering the College.

    Coursework: A student planning to start Shidler College in Spring, must complete all admission requirements by the end of fall; a student planning to start Shidler in Fall, must complete all admission requirements by the end of the spring semester. (Ex. It is February and you completed 45 credits in the fall, are currently taking 15 credits, and you completed all required admission coursework except ACC 210 but you are taking ACC 210 now, then you should be applying before March 1 for fall admission as you are on track to complete all requirements.)

    Fall admission course exception: Students applying for fall admission are expected to fulfill all admission criteria by the end of spring semester; however, we currently allow certain summer courses to count toward an applicant's consideration for fall admission IF the student meets both of the following conditions:

    (1) the student files an application for fall (to Shidler for UH Manoa students, or to both UH Manoa and Shidler for non-UH Manoa students) by the final deadline, and

    (2) the summer course(s) is both (a) taken at UH Manoa, and (b) taken and completed during Summer Session I.

    Notes on summer: (i) no other exceptions will be made 
    (ii) students applying for fall must complete a separate form (linked on the application page) to notify us if they plan to take a summer course that they want considered for their fall admissions decision. 

    Incompletes: Students with an "Incomplete" grade in any courses cannot be admitted to the Shidler College of Business. Any Incompletes must be changed to final grades before admission.

• How are the various GPAs calculated? V
  • Cumulative GPA is: Combined UH Mānoa + Transfer GPA from all other institutions attended (if applicable)
    • Students who earn 30 credits or more at UH Mānoa would use the Manoa GPA in place of transfer GPA or combined GPAs
  • Advanced business course GPA: If three or more business courses (or transferred equivalents) beyond the pre-business core courses (e.g., business law, Management, Marketing, etc.) have been attempted before admission to Shidler College of Business, a combined GPA in such courses of at least 2.5 is required for admission (this is in addition to meeting all other requirements listed above). Students admitted for fall should be aware of this requirement because summer courses are considered "before admission."
  • Official grades required: Take admission requirements for letter grades (i.e., not "Pass/Fail"). Grades must be reflected on official transcripts (for Spring 2020, we recognize many universities allowed CR/NC/P/NP grading systems, but we must be able to determine if you earned a "C" or better to be able to count the course for admission). 
  • Repeating courses: If a course is repeated, credit is only counted once for the purpose of meeting the total minimum credit requirement. 
    • Grade replacement in the GPA calculation: Starting with Spring 2023 admission, Manoa's grade replacement policy will be used in courses from any previous institution, not just courses from Manoa (previously, grades from all attempts were counted in calculating admission GPAs for courses taken outside UH Manoa) Courses in the pre-business core may be repeated only if the grade earned is a "C-" or below. Any attempt to repeat a pre-business core course where a "C" or better has already been achieved would NOT be factored into the pre-business GPA.
• I took courses outside of UH Manoa. How do I know if courses I took meet the admission requirements? V
  • If you are within the UH System (UH Community College, UH West Oahu, UH Hilo): Course numbering is mostly the same. The exceptions would be COMG (most other campuses call their department SP instead of COMG), and Accounting (see the section on Accounting, above).
  • If you are a transfer from outside the UH system: 
    • Official evaluation: After you apply to UH Manoa using an official transcript, are accepted and pay the deposit, Manoa Admissions will generate a transfer transcript in 3-4 weeks showing UH Manoa course and credit equivalencies to the courses you took. 
      • If a Business-type admission-requirement course (i.e., ICS 101, ACC 201, ACC 202, BUS 250) is listed as "Elective" either in your official transfer transcript from Manoa Admissions or in the Course Transfer Database: An accepted student may need to submit both a syllabus and a Petition for Course Equivalency to the Shidler College OSAS (e.g., you took a course called "Financial Accounting" at your college, but it is listed as transferring as "Elective" ---or is not listed at all---in the Course Transfer Database.) 
      • If a NON-business/liberal arts-type admission-requirement course (i.e., ENG 100, COMG 151/251, ECON 130/131, MATH 203/215/241/251)  is listed as "Elective" either in your official transfer transcript from Manoa Admissions or in the Course Transfer Database: Non-business courses are evaluated by Manoa Admissions (not Shidler College). You should contact their office if you have a question.

    • Estimate transfer credits: If you want to estimate before application/acceptance, use UHʻs Course Transfer Database. Find your current college in the Transfer From field, find UH Manoa in the Transfer To field, click Next, and then click Search.

       

• Are there limits on the number/types of courses I can transfer?
  • Residency requirements: To earn a BBA degree from UH Mānoa---in addition to completing all general education requirements, all Focus/Graduation requirements, and all major requirements---students also must complete a certain number and types of credits at UH Manoa (i.e., "residency requirement"). Students must complete 30 credit hours at UH Mānoa and a minimum of eight courses (24 credit hours) in upper division business courses at UH Mānoa, which must include a minimum of three courses (9 credit hours) in a studentʻs major, after admission to the Shidler College of Business.

  • Advanced business courses: Students who took advanced business courses from a college/university that is not accredited by AACSB International may have limits on the number of courses/credits they can transfer. In general, Shidler College of Business will not accept more than 2 courses of advanced business from a school that is not accredited by AACSB International toward our major requirements. 

     

• Are there other recommended courses for admission?
  • Focus on completing the listed admission requirements (and general education requirements). Taking courses "above and beyond" the admission requirements does not impress the admissions committee, so do not feel the need to take advanced Calculus II/III, intermediate or advanced Economics, etc. unless you have a natural interest in such areas. Sometimes courses you perceive to be "harder"/"higher-numbered" than the listed requirements may not fulfill the admission requirement at all, so it is usually safest to complete the requirement as listed (or an equivalent from another college/university).
  • While not required for admission, the prerequisite to BUS 315 (a required business core course for all majors) is completion of PSY 100 or SOC 100 with a "C-" grade or higher. Taking either course to satisfy the social sciences (DS) requirement is highly encouraged before admission, but not required (i.e., if you do not take the PSY 100/SOC 100 before admission, you may take it after admission).
• Are applicants with certain majors or minors not accepted to Shidler College of Business? V

  • Prospective students are ineligible for admission if they fall into these categories:

    • Applicants who have already completed a bachelor's degree in business (or related majors or extensive coursework) from UH Mānoa or any other institution cannot be admitted to Shidler College of Business to pursue a second bachelor's degree.
    • Applicants who have completed a business minor through the Shidler College of Business (or who have applied for the minor) or through another University, are not eligible to pursue either the business minor or a BBA degree/major with the Shidler College of Business.