About the Nā Kūpuna Program

The Nā Kūpuna (NK) program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) allows Hawai‘i residents aged 60 years or older to attend up to two courses at UHM free of charge without receiving credit.

Around 300 senior citizens aduit classes at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa each semester through the Senior Citizen Visitor Program/Nā Kūpuna Program. They add to a rich campus culture and contribute from their life experience to the classroom setting.

The program has been administered by the SEED Office since 1995.

Starting college at any age can feel overwhelming at times. We’ll guide you in taking some initial steps to help get you on your way. You can always reach out to us for help if you have any questions or just need some guidance along the way nakupuna@hawaii.edu, (808)-956-4642.

Program Goal

The NK Program seeks to promote lifelong learning opportunities and enhance wellbeing and quality of life for our growing aging and retired community at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Program Objectives

Program Eligibility Requirements

1) Participants must be 60 years or older.

2) Must have been a bona fide resident of Hawaiʻi for at least one calendar year (365 days) prior to the first day of classes in which they would like to register.

3) Medical Clearance for In-Person/Hybrid Participation. Clearance not needed if participation is for online classes.

1. - TB Clearance
  - If born after 1957, MMR immunizations are also required.
  - Lastly, one Tdap (Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis) vaccine is required and must be administered on or after age 11.

Steps to becoming a participant

Step 1: Do you meet the participant eligibility?

To join the NK program, all participants must be 60 years or older and, must be a bonafide residents of Hawaiʻi

Step 2: Gather Health Clearance

For those interested in participating in-person, health clearance must be provided with pre-registration form. Participants are required to submit:

TB Clearance, the TB clearance must be less than one year old, effective the first day of the semester. If you are a returning participant, please confirm with the program that our records are up to date. UHM accepts only the Mantoux Test (PPD) or report of a negative chest x-ray completed by a physician/clinic in the United States.
If born after 1957, MMR immunizations are also required.
Lastly, one Tdap (Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis) vaccine is required and must be administered on or after age 11. Submit Health Clearance with your Senior Program Registration form.

Step 3: Establish your goals and intentions

The Senior Program is only available during the Fall and Spring semesters, and summer classes are not available.
You may take a maximum of 2 courses per semester, or six credits in total. Excluded courses for NK Participants include: courses numbered 500 and above, creative writing courses in the English department, Tai Chi, Yoga, “Extension Courses” with the Outreach College, Law & Medical courses.
Class registration must first be approved by the faculty member teaching the course before joining the course.

Step 4: Consider the Pros & Cons

Registered under this program, you will not be charged tuition, but some fees might apply such as purchasing course textbook (not required but may be suggested by course instructor).

You will be enrolled into credit classes as an auditor, which means you do not receive academic credit, you’re not listed on official class lists, and do not receive a letter grade for the work you do.

You will not be eligible for educational discounts, access licensed academic resources and databases which includes texts that requires UHM login bypass. NK participants do not have access to the Warrior Recreation Center (WRC), Campus Center Computer Lab, Sinclair Library, and Rainbow Shuttle.

Step 5: Register

NK Pre-registration form will be open during the 10-day registration period. NK registration days will be announced through NK Registration Website and NK Newsletter. Be sure to subscribe to receive updates.

In selecting courses, you should refer to the Class Schedule.

For more FAQs, visit our FAQ page.

Program Details

Class Availability

Senior Citizen Visitor Program/Nā Kūpuna Program participants may register for up to two courses, undergraduate courses at the UH Mānoa campus. Majority of courses will return to in-person and some courses will remain online. Participants are able to participate in either with faculty approval. Courses for the semester can be found at this link Course Catalog.

The following are NOT available to our program participants: Courses numbered 500 and above, creative writing courses in the English department, Tai Chi, Yoga “Extension Courses” with the Outreach College, Law & Medical courses.

Course Information for Pre-Registration

Participants must complete pre-registration form prior to the start of semester within designated registration dates. Subscribe to the NK Newsletter to receive important dates and information.

Participants will need to have a working email address which they manage themselves. The program registration form is an online form that will require an email address to complete. Additionally, most correspondence with course instructors and access to course content will be on an online format through Lamakū.

To fill out the pre-registration form, you will be asked to provide the CRN for each course as well as course details, including Department, Course Number, Course Title, and Instructor for each course.

Faculty Approval Forms

Once pre-registration form is completed. Those who have successfully submitted registration form and health clearance information, will be instructed to start the process of obtaining Faculty Approvals. NK Participants are required to obtain permission from their course instructor(s) to audit their course. The course instructor has the may approve or deny the participants request. In the event the faculty approval is denied, participants can select an alternative course.

Faculty Approvals Forms are available hardcopy and online. The NK Program will notify participants when to initiate Faculty Approval process which will take place after the review of eligibility and pre-registration form is completed.

Health Clearance (In-person/Hybrid Participation only)

TB Clearance
If you were born after 1957, MMR Immunization records needed.
One Tdap (Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis) vaccine is required and must be administered on or after age 11

All new participants to the program must submit a TB test result that has been administered on or after January 8, 2017 demonstrating TB clearance. TB clearance results should be endorsed by a U.S. licensed physician and can be submitted to our office as a scanned copy sent to nakupuna@hawaii.edu or as a hard copy submitted to our office at Queen Lili’uokalani Center for Student Services (QLCSS) 413. If you have registered with our program during any semester since Fall 2016 and already submitted a valid TB result for those semesters, then you do not need to submit a new TB result unless otherwise notified.

Health clearance not needed for Online participation.

The NK Program does not keep health clearance information or records on file and participants are subject to submit proof at health clearance upon participation.

Other Learning Options & Opportunities

Adult Education Options

Besides our program at UH Mānoa, we would like to highlight some other options for continuing education outside of our program. Below, we list information on older adult education programs at UH Manoa and other UH campuses on O’ahu.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), located at UH Mānoa, offers a number of courses designed for older adults 50 and older. You can find out more about their program at this link: https://www.olliuhm.org/. The OLLI semester begins about a month later than the usual UH semester, so information on the upcoming semester classes may not appear until closer to the start of the semester.

Senior Citizen Visitor Programs at other UH Campuses

Windward Community College (WCC), Leeward Community College (LCC), Kapi’olani Community College (KCC), and UH West O’ahu (UHWO) all offer Senior Citizen Visitor Programs similar to our program. Course availability can be found at this website: https://www.hawaii.edu/myuhinfo/class-availability/. To register for these programs, see their websites and/or contact each program individually (see information below):

WCC: https://windward.hawaii.edu/how-to-apply/admissions-records/senior-citizen-visitor-pass/

LCC: https://www.leeward.hawaii.edu/registration

KCC: https://www.kapiolani.hawaii.edu/admissions/senior/

UHWO: Contact UHWO’s admissions office at: (808) 689-2900 or uhwo.admissions@hawaii.edu

Honolulu Community College (HCC) does not have a Senior Citizen Visitor Program, but has a similar program called the Emeritus College. Find more information by visiting pcatt.org/emeritus. Register by calling the Emeritus Office at (808) 845-9296 or in-person at 874 Dillingham Blvd., Bldg. 2, Rm. 507.

Contact Information & Giving

Supporting the Senior Citizen Visitor Program/Nā Kūpuna Program

You can support the Nā Kūpuna Program at UH Manoa through donations that help to sustain our mission. Donate online at: https://giving.uhfoundation.org/funds/12353504.

Contacting our Office

NK Staff is available to provide assistance and student support during regular business hours M-F 9am-3pm. NK staff can be reached via email (nakupuna@hawaii.edu) or telephone (956-4642).

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