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Spring
Research current MBGP Regular/Cooperating faculty whose research aligns with your research interests. See the Admissions FAQ for some tips on contacting faculty.
Search for graduate fellowship funding and adhere to the deadlines (e.g., NSF Graduate Research Fellowship deadline is usually in early October). We list a few on the Admissions FAQ page.
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Summer
Ask at least 3 potential recommenders if they will write a strong letter of recommendation and complete an evaluation form for you.
Prepare your Statement of Objectives
Register to take the GRE and TOEFL/IELTS (if applicable; the GRE is no longer required for all applicants, but a few applicants might want to take the GRE based on their faculty/research interest—see the How to Apply page)
Look into graduate fellowships/scholarships that can help you pay for graduate school. Some of them have deadlines as soon as September/October. -
September - November
Apply to the University of Hawaiʻi through the Graduate Division. Have your transcripts uploaded. You must follow up with their office directly regarding your UH application. This is separate and in addition to materials required by the MBGP (i.e., letters of recommendation, CV, etc.).
Contact the 1-3 MBGP Level 3 Regular/Cooperating faculty whose lab/research group you might want to join (See the FAQ, below, on contacting faculty)
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October - December
Apply to the MBGP. Submit all required documents as indicated in the "How to Apply" section. The deadline is December 15
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November - December
Remind recommenders to upload their letters of recommendation. Deadline is December 15
Creating future leaders in Marine Science
Admissions: Frequently Asked Questions
Apply to the Program
How does the application process work?
Applying to graduate school is not a uniform process and varies widely by discipline. It is important to recognize that applying to the MBGP at UH is an immersive experience; the application form itself is only part of the process. Contacting potential advisors (i.e., current MBGP Faculty) before applying to discuss how your research experiences and interests intersect with their current and future endeavors is a central part of the experience. In this way, our program is similar to most competitive environmental, ecological, and evolutionary biology programs worldwide, but differs markedly from many other scientific fields such as engineering or medicine, where past performance and scores are paramount.
Admission to the MBGP is a 3-part process. (see How to Apply)
1) E-mail one or more MBGP Level 3 Regular/Cooperating graduate faculty members who do research in your area(s) of interest to see if there is mutual interest in working together. While you may apply to the program without a faculty sponsor, acceptance to the program is dependent on having a faculty sponsor. When a faculty agrees to sponsor your application, they are agreeing to serve as your advisor and committee chair, should you receive an admission offer.
2) Submit an online application to the Graduate Division.
The UH Manoa Graduate Division reviews all incoming graduate applications and verifies eligibility of students to enroll in graduate school. The Graduate Division application includes an online application, fee, and requests transcripts. International applicants have additional requirements.
3) Submit additional documents required by the MBGP (as outlined in the "How to Apply" section of our website).
These documents include the Supplemental Information form, Statement of Objectives, Letters of Recommendation and Evaluation Forms.
The MBGP Admissions Committee examines documents from Graduate Division application along with the documents that the applicant uploads directly to the Program.
The applicant must completed and submit the Graduate Division application and the MBGP supplemental materials by the deadline of December 15 in order to considered for admission to the 2023 MBGP cohort.
When should I start applying?
While we do not start accepting applications until September/October for the following Fall semester, it is best to start working on your application materials A YEAR prior to the deadline.
Go to "How should I prepare?" (below) for a detailed, suggested timeline of events.
What is a suggested application timeline?
How should I contact MBGP faculty?
As we mentioned in the Requirements, it is strongly recommended that all applicants contact the current faculty whose research interests match their own before/during the application process (i.e., a faculty member's support/interest in your application is an important part of any application to our program).
To start, look through our Faculty page for faculty listed under the Level 3 Regular/Cooperating faculty section (i.e., other faculty such as Level 1 Faculty or Affiliate Graduate Faculty cannot serve as a student's advisor and cannot recommend an applicant for admission). Most faculty have personal/professional websites linked to their names, and all should have a contact e-mail address listed.
A good initial e-mail to a faculty member would consist of a statement about why you're interested in that faculty member's lab/research (you may want to consult the faculty member's personal/lab website, ResearchGate, and/or Google Scholar), a statement of your qualifications/abilities and interest for research in that field, the topic(s)/research question(s) you might want to study for your thesis/dissertation, and your degree objective (i.e., MS or PhD) in Marine Biology at UH. You should also ask if they anticipate taking on any new students in the semester you want to start and attach (or offer to send) a complete resume/CV for their review.
If a faculty member is mutually interested in the possibility of working with you (i.e., becoming your advisor and welcoming you into her/his lab group should you be admitted) and responds positively, you could then inquire about what financial supports they might have for a new student (see below, "How do students pay for the program?"), or let them know if you might be bringing your own funding (i.e., you applied for a NSF GRFP, STAR, etc.)
Once you complete and submit the application to the MBGP, you should let the faculty member know that you followed through on your initial interest, so they can keep an eye out for your name when the committee starts reviewing applications.
Is the GRE General test required?
The Marine Biology Graduate Program no longer requires official GRE scores for all applicants; however, individual MBGP faculty may require (or recommend) that applicants interested in their research/lab submit a GRE General Test score.
(See the list of faculty requiring/preferring the GRE on our How to Apply page.)
Are there additional requirements for International students?
Yes, visit the Graduate Division page for international applicants for a complete list of additional materials required.
May I contact you to verify my application is complete?
The application process is such that applicants can readily self-verify completion of almost every step of the process:
- Graduate Division Application (you should receive an autogenerated e-mail for completing it) and application fee (receipt is e-mailed to you),
- transcript(s) (check the file[s] you uploaded in your Supplementary Materials Upload account),
- MBGP Supplemental Information Form (confirmation e-mail is sent to the e-mail you typed in when you submitted the form),
- CV (check the file you uploaded in your Supplementary Materials Upload account),
- Statement of Objectives (check in your Supplementary Materials Upload account),
- 3 letters of recommendation (check in your Supplementary Materials Upload account. (1) Check that you had the upload link sent to the correct e-mail address of your recommendation writer in the status field, (2) when the writer uploads a file, youʻll see a file name in the filename field—if they havenʻt uploaded anything, it will be blank. See the linked image. Send the writer a reminder, if necessary),
How the MBGP communicates about your application:
- Due to staffing and application volume, we will not be able to respond to application check e-mails before the deadline. Please refer to the self-check list (above) to check on your application status.
Graduate Division's e-mail communications:
An application to the MBGP has several parts, and a portion of the forms are required by Graduate Division.
Graduate Division will send an e-mail congratulating an applicant for a "complete" application if they have received the following from you:
- Graduate Division online application (see Step 3),
- application fee (see Step 3), and
- verified unofficial/official transcript (if there is an issue with an unofficial transcript, they will e-mail you) (see Step 4).
- (For an international student, they may also expect a TOEFL score before considering the application complete)
- Note that this "application complete" e-mail from Graduate Division is purely from their perspective/requirements and does not include the materials noted above that are required by the MBGP (i.e., letters of recommendation, CV, statement of objectives)
What are the most common causes of incomplete applications?
The most common reasons an applicant might have an incomplete application include the following:
1) Missing Application or Supplemental Information Form
An applicant only completed either the Graduate Division Application or the Marine Biology Supplemental Information Form instead of completing both. Make sure to follow all the steps on the "How to Apply" page.
2) Unacceptable Transcript
While it is allowed—at least in the initial application phase—to upload an "unofficial transcript" to satisfy application requirements (official transcripts must still eventually be sent and match the unofficial before an offer of admission can be made, though), rarely, an applicant uploads an unofficial transcript that does not meet Graduate Division's requirements, and the student is then notified they are required to send an official transcript, thus delaying their application finalization/review—possibly past the deadline.
(We recommend submitting official transcripts or scans of official transcripts when possible to avoid this issue)
3) Late/unsent letters of recommendation
While you cannot check the contents of a file a letter of recommendation writer uploaded (if you waived your rights to the letter, which we recommend), you can see if anything at all was uploaded.Check the Upload site and send reminders as necessary to the letter writers so that they submit letters by December 15.
4) late/delayed test score
- GRE: (the GRE General Test is not required for all applicants; however, some faculty do require/prefer to see a GRE test score when making admissions recommendations. A late GRE will NOT hold up review of your application by the committee, but it may for the individual faculty who require/recommend it. See the "How to Apply" page for the subset of faculty who require/prefer the GRE for their lab.) While many parts of the USA have numerous time/date options to take the GRE, this is not the case in certain countries/areas. We have had some international applicants tell us they needed to register several months in advance to take the GRE because nearby dates/locations filled earlier.
- TOEFL: This is a Graduate Division requirement. There may not be much flexibility if you submit this late.
An application-related webpage is not working. Who do I contact?
Contact Graduate Division for any issues with the online application, transcript information page, international student information, or the Supplementary Materials Upload site.
Contact the Marine Biology Graduate Program (mbiograd@hawaii.edu) for issues with the mbgp.manoa.hawaii.edu pages or the MBGP Supplemental Information form.
How will I be notified about the decision on my application?
When decisions are released depends on when applications are processed and when the committee is able to review them—we often receive many more applications than available spots, so this can take some time and varies from year to year. Notices (see below) may start to go out anytime between early February and mid-March as a result.
For the first round of accepted applicants, the first notification would be an e-mail from the Marine Biology Graduate Program indicating that the program intends to recommend the applicant for admission to UH Manoa (Graduate Division has the final say on admissions) and a request for a response. If all is in order, the applicant would receive an e-mail from Graduate Division with an official offer of admission and requiring a response no later than April 15.
While we do not have an official "waitlist," there are circumstances under which an applicant might be under strong consideration but not be extended an offer in the first batch of e-mails. Depending on the timing of offers to such candidates, the required response date might be after April 15.
Applicants who are declined for admission would receive an e-mail from Graduate Division.
Scholarships, Grants, Assistantships, and Funding
How do students pay for the program?
The cost of attendance (tuition, estimated housing/expenses, etc.) at UH Mānoa may be found here: http://www.hawaii.edu/fas/basics/student_budget/
MBGP students are supported by a range of sources. In a recent year, students reported the following:
- Fellowships: ~30% of students are supported by NSF-GRFP, NOAA Nancy Foster Fellowship, NOAA Margaret Davidson Fellowship, NASA FINESST, or similar graduate student fellowship program
- Research Assistantships (RA): ~33% of students are supported on a research assistantship, which is funded from a grant to their major professor or other faculty member; these positions are typically 20 hrs/week and include a salary, benefits, and tuition waiver
- Teaching Assistantships (TA): ~20% of students are supported on a teaching assistantship, most commonly from the College of Natural Sciences; these positions are 20 hrs/week of undergraduate teaching, and include a salary, benefits, and tuition waiver
- Graduate Assistantship (GA): ~10% of students are supported on a graduate assistantship, which is funded by a UH office or program; these positions are typically 20 hrs/week of administrative or programmatic work and include a salary, benefits, and a tuition waiver
- International Fellowship: ~3% of our students are international students supported on fellowship from their home-country education ministry or other government agency
- Outside Employment: ~1% of our students are concurrently employed, often by a state or federal management agency that provides tuition benefits for the studentʻs degree program
Some students supplement this funding with grants and loans (federal, UH, etc.). If you are a U.S. citizen and file your FAFSA, you may be eligible for grant and loan programs to help fund your studies or to supplement any funding. File your FAFSA by February 1 for priority consideration for financial aid.
The MBGP does not offer guaranteed support for students admitted to the program. However, admission offers come with a clear statement of any associated offer of funding. That is, your admission letter will state whether you are also being offered a teaching assistantship, graduate/research assistantship, etc. and the specific benefits (i.e., salary, tuition waiver) that the offer entails. Typically, admitted students will have at least one year of funding identified. However, DO NOT WAIT until admission to ask potential faculty sponsors about funding.
Once you have identified a potential faculty sponsor (see "How should I contact MBGP faculty?" above), you should discuss both mutual research interests and potential sources of funding. This funding could be a fellowship that you apply for (e.g., NSF-GRFP), an RA available on a grant to the faculty member, etc.
Most of our applicants are highly qualified for graduate school, and funding is the limiting factor in their admission. You will maximize your potential for admission by applying for fellowships/scholarships from state, federal, and private sources (see the next FAQs, below).
What graduate scholarships/fellowships could applicants consider before applying to the Marine Biology Program?
Notice: The dates in this section are not current. Please follow the links for updates.
Applicants could consider applying for extra-UH funding options to increase their options and flexibility. The following are a few that applicants have applied for in the past before starting the program (this is not an exhaustive list):
Fellowships for U.S.citizens include the following:
- If you are a US citizen and you anticipate being able to demonstrate financial need for graduate school, you should file your FAFSA by February 1 for priority consideration for federal and institutional financial aid.
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP): The application deadline for Life Sciences is October 18 in 2021 (with notification in early April 2022).
- Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans: The Fellowships are grants for up to two years of graduate study in the United States. A “New American” is an individual who (1) is a resident alien; i.e., holds a Green Card, or, (2) has been naturalized as a U.S. citizen, or (3) is the child of two parents who are both naturalized citizens. The deadline in 2021 was Oct. 28.
- NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program: provides support for master’s and doctoral degrees in oceanography, marine biology, or maritime archaeology, and particularly encourages women and members of minority groups to apply.
- National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship: Deadlines in previous years have ranged form early November to early December, so you should verify directly with them for this year (e.g., the deadline in 2020 was Nov. 2, 2020 for Fall 2021)
- U.S. Department of Defense SMART Scholarship: Scholarships cover up to the cost of tuition and are awarded for a minimum of 1.5 years and a maximum of 5 years of funding, depending on degree requirements. SMART is a one-for-one commitment; for every year of degree funding, the scholar commits to working for a year with the DoD as a civilian employee. Annual deadline is December 1.
- East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship: Masters and doctoral funding for graduate students from Asia, the Pacific, and the United States to participate in educational, cultural, residential community building, and leadership development programs at the East-West Center while pursuing graduate study at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Fellowship covers the cost of tuition and fees, books, housing in an East-West Center dormitory, and partial funding toward meals, health insurance, and incidental expenses. As it is a residential program, you must be available to move in in early-August should you win. Deadline is December 1.
- Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship: This year the program will award approximately 75 predoctoral fellowships. These fellowships provide three years of support for individuals engaged in graduate study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree. Deadlines in the past have been in December.
Non-US citizens could investigate the following:
- whether their country has a Fulbright Foreign Student Program that could be used at UH. Deadlines and materials vary widely by country, though, so investigate this early. (Note that as of 2021, UH does not routinely waive all tuition expenses for a Fulbright winner, but they do allow Fulbright winners to use the in-state tuition rate during the time of their Fulbright award. Consider the impact of paying in-state tuition on your Fulbright budget when applying)
- AAUW International Fellowship
- East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship (see above): In addition to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the award is also open to citizens of countries in the Pacific and Asia (including Russia)
- Some students have been awarded grants/fellowships from home-country education ministries (e.g., NSERC program in Canada), science-promoting government agencies, or charitable/research foundations
These links to scholarships that UH Manoa provides might also be helpful to some applicants: https://www.hawaii.edu/fas/info/scholarships.php
Are there any special funding opportunities for Hawai'i students in your program?
Notice: The dates in this section are not current. Please follow the links for updates.
The most discipline-specific award is the Hau'oli Mau Loa Graduate Fellowship. Eligible applicants would have
- graduated from a Hawai'i high school,
- be interested in completing a Masters degree in Marine Biology, and
- be committed to pursuing a career in natural resource management in Hawai'i.
- If you meet these criteria and will apply for the HML by the January 15 deadline, be sure to mention this to the 1-3 MBGP faculty you contact as prospective advisors. Your future potential MBGP advisor usually needs to write a statement/letter supporting your HML application, so their interest in your application and candidacy is important (and you would likely want to ask for the letter well before the holidays).
Other, more general UHM-related scholarships you may qualify for could be searched for here: https://www.hawaii.edu/fas/info/scholarships.php
The Hawai'i Community Foundation also has a scholarship search that may prove useful: https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/students
Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) students:
- Students with financial need may be eligible for a Kua'ana Tuition Waiver (deadline in 2021 was April)
- UH-OHA Ho'ona'auao Higher Education Scholarship (deadline in 2021 was March 1)
- Kamehameha Schools scholarships include some for graduate study
Is the Marine Biology Graduate Program a participant in the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE) Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP)?
Yes. Residents of a WICHE member state (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai'i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming) who meet the 3.0 GPA requirement and are admitted to our program (masters or doctoral), would qualify for the reduced tuition rate.
Applicants will not have to do any additional paperwork; if an applicant qualifies for the program, Graduate Student Services will process the WRGP materials and reduced tuition appropriately.
For more information, visit the WICHE WRGP page: https://www.wiche.edu/wrgp and the UHM WRGP page: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/wiche-program/
Are there fellowships or scholarships that may be applied for AFTER being admitted?
U.S. citizens may apply for a number of programs such as the NSF GRFP, Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program (NOAA), AAUW American Fellowship, Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, The Steven Berkeley Marine Conservation Fellowship, etc. that may cover some or most all expenses.
The UHM Graduate Division maintains a page of such programs.
The East-West Center, which is directly next to the UH Mānoa campus, has a Graduate Degree Fellowship program that includes tuition and housing for fellows interested in East Asia (this would be for the year following the first year as the application deadline is December for an award the following academic year). They also have a program allowing graduate students to participate in the Center's educational programs and leadership development programs that includes an opportunity to live in their housing, the Student Affiliate Program.
Finally, several departments accept applications for Teaching Assistant positions (e.g.., Oceanography, School of Life Sciences) and others may post GA/RA positions online (e.g., SOEST maintains such a list)
Your First Semester
I just received my acceptance letter! What now?
Your official admissions notification will come from the Graduate Division.
- Evaluate any funding in the letter.
- If you will be attending, complete and submit the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) to their office as soon as possible to accept your offer. The MBGP Coordinator will follow up with additional information about next steps.
Students should plan to be on 'Oahu by no later than Sunday, July 30 (we recommend at least a week earlier—if you are new to ʻOahu—for apartment hunting). MBGP incoming students have a required pre-term 2-credit course that starts before the fall term (on Monday, July 31, 2023 for Fall 2023 students) , and be available to be on campus facility most of the day every day the week before classes start (for TA trainings, graduate student orientation, committee meetings, etc.). The required pre-term course is anticipated to have fees of up to $500; more details will be provided as we get closer to summer 2023.
International students who will be working (i.e., research/teaching/graduate assistantship, etc.) may want to be on 'Oahu close to the full 30 days before the start of the Fall semester as allowed by a student visa as they will often need to get a Social Security card, process hiring paperwork, open a local bank account, get a local phone/SIM, etc.
When do I register for classes?
Registration for newly admitted students usually opens during late May. The Program Coordinator will send email updates as soon as Office of the Registrar publishes the date for the new academic year.
You can also view the current Academic Calendar here more the most up to date information.
What are the prerequisites to register?
Requirements will vary, but most students will need to submit their Health Clearance form before they are allowed to register.
Getting Situated
Where can I find information about housing?
There are various housing options while completing your graduate study in Hawaii.
UHM Student Housing Services has limited graduate housing available. The priority application deadline is usually May 1.
The East–West Center is a think tank that is very close to UH (literally across the street, and also closely aligned) and has housing that students can participate in through their Graduate Degree Fellowship (apply by December 1 for the following fall), their Student Affiliate program (May 15 deadline for fall), or the special housing program.
The majority of students, though, do live in off-campus housing. The Program can provide additional resources for finding off-campus options after admission.
How do I get to and around campus?
There are several options to get to and around campus. In addition to driving, we encourage you to explore alternatives such as Honoluluʻs TheBus (Students have access to the UPASS system through their student fees) as well as the Universityʻs free campus bus service, the Rainbow Shuttle that connects the campus to several local neighborhoods. Visit the Commuter Services page for more information.
If you do want to bring a car, there are commuter parking options. However, new students usually have lowest priority for on-campus parking passes for their first semester (continuing students may apply for on-campus parking starting in spring, but new students only apply about a week before classes start in August for any remaining parking passes)
How can I get more involved with student activities?
In addition to the relationships we hope you'll develop with your cohort, as well as the rest of the MBGP students during your graduate study, the UHM Graduate Student Organization is a great place to connect with other graduate students on campus.
Visit their site for more info on how to get involved, grants & awards, and resources for graduate students.
Other graduate student clubs include one for students whose advisors have labs on Moku o Loʻe; for students interested in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology; etc.
