Do Utah Residents Get In-State Tuition in Hawaii? (Undergraduate, 2026)
WUE — 150% of the resident rate
Not in-state, but reduced — Utah and Hawaii both belong to Western Undergraduate Exchange, so undergraduate tuition at University of Hawai'i at Manoa can drop to roughly $18,900 a year against the $35,000 non-resident rate. Awards are limited and campus-by-campus.
- You would pay
- $18,900/yr
- Resident pays
- $12,600/yr
- Non-resident rate
- $35,000/yr
- Saved over 4 yrs
- $64,400
Conditional: Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
Tuition and mandatory fees only, compiled from published rates and rounded. Excludes housing, books and course differentials. Eligibility is decided by the institution, not by this page.
Open this pair in the checker to switch level, compare other states, or copy a link to the result.
Utah and Hawaii both take part in Western Undergraduate Exchange. That does not make you a Hawaii resident; it caps what a participating campus may charge you. At University of Hawai'i at Manoa the cap works out at roughly $18,900 against $35,000.
Seen from Utah, this is one option among 50. 13 other states offer Utah residents a reduced undergraduate rate, the lowest being Wyoming at about $10,050, against $10,000 for in-state study at University of Utah.
Confirm the specific campus takes part. State-level membership is necessary and not sufficient, and several flagship universities either exclude their most competitive majors or sit out entirely.
Every route from Utah to Hawaii
| Route | What it gives you | Per year | Saving | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Undergraduate Exchange | A WUE award caps tuition at 150% of the receiving institution's resident rate. About 170 public colleges and universities across the member states participate, and each one decides which majors it opens to WUE, how many awards it funds, and what GPA it asks for. | $18,900 | $16,100 | Conditional |
Where Utah residents pay less
Staying home, a Utah resident pays $10,000 a year for in-state undergraduate tuition at University of Utah. The cheapest Hawaii option for you is $18,900 at University of Hawai'i at Manoa, which is $8,900 a year more than staying home, or $35,600 over 4 years.
Utah belongs to Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) at undergraduate level, so 14 of 50 states offer Utah undergraduate students a reduced rate, and Hawaii is one of them.
| State | Route | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Utah to Wyoming | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Wyoming | $10,050 |
| Utah to Montana | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Montana | $12,000 |
| Utah to Nevada | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of Nevada, Las Vegas | $13,350 |
| Utah to New Mexico | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of New Mexico | $13,350 |
| Utah to South Dakota | Western Undergraduate Exchange · University of South Dakota | $13,600 |
Utah's neighboring states, compared
What a Utah resident pays for undergraduate tuition in each state that borders Utah, cheapest first:
- Wyoming$10,050/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Nevada$13,350/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- New Mexico$13,350/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Idaho$14,100/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Arizona$20,400/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
- Colorado$21,000/yr · Western Undergraduate Exchange
Compare all 50 states from Utah in the checker. Each figure is one reference campus per state, not a state average.
Hawaii residency, in brief
Hawaii grants in-state tuition after 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Haw. Admin. R. § 20-4), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile. Moving to Hawaii to enroll does not by itself start the clock.
Hawaii residency requirements in full · how long every state requires
Step by step
- Check that your chosen Hawaii campus participates in Western Undergraduate Exchange — membership is a state-level agreement, but each campus decides whether to offer it and how many awards to fund.
- Confirm your intended major is on the approved list. Individual campuses opt in and can cap or close awards — confirm with the school before you apply.
- Apply for the award at the same time as admission, and well before the campus deadline — most participating institutions award on a first-come basis and close early.
- Keep your Utah residency documentation current; the program is only open to residents of a member state.
- Compare the result against the residency route: Hawaii grants in-state status after 12 months of domicile, currently $12,600 a year.
Official links
Related
Asked and answered
›Do Utah residents get in-state tuition in Hawaii?
No — but you pay less than the sticker rate. Western Undergraduate Exchange caps undergraduate tuition at University of Hawai'i at Manoa at roughly $18,900 rather than the $35,000 non-resident rate. That is a discount, not in-state classification.
›How long does it take to get in-state tuition in Hawaii?
Hawaii requires 12 months of domicile before the term begins (Haw. Admin. R. § 20-4), and a financially dependent student takes the parents' domicile.
›How much would undergraduate study in Hawaii actually cost a Utah resident?
About $18,900 a year in tuition and mandatory fees under Western Undergraduate Exchange, against $35,000 at the published non-resident rate and $12,600 for a Hawaii resident. Over 4 years that is roughly $64,400 saved. Figures are compiled 2025–26 published rates and exclude housing, books and course-specific differentials.
›Where can Utah residents get reduced undergraduate tuition?
In 14 states at undergraduate level. Outside Hawaii, the lowest are Wyoming ($10,050), Montana ($12,000), Nevada ($13,350). Each figure is one reference campus, and awards are made campus by campus.
›Is studying in Hawaii cheaper than staying in Utah?
No. Utah's in-state undergraduate rate is $10,000 a year at University of Utah, and the cheapest Hawaii option for a Utah resident is $18,900, so Hawaii costs about $8,900 more a year, or $35,600 over 4 years, in tuition and fees alone.
Sources
Every eligibility rule on this page is checked against the operating compact commission or the state's own residency authority. Last verified 2026-08-07.
Tuition figures on this page are compiled 2025–26 published rates (basis: published compiled), rounded to the nearest $100 and refreshed each June. Eligibility rules are checked against the cited compact commission or residency authority.
- University of Hawai'i System — residency for tuition purposes ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Hawai'i at Manoa — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
- University of Utah — tuition and fees ↗Accessed 2026-08-07
How this page was made
Compiled and checked by Billy Reiner, editor of In-State Check. Last verified 2026-08-07.
- Compiled from published rate pages
- The in-state and non-resident figures are tuition and mandatory fees for one full-time year, read from University of Hawai'i at Manoa’s own 2025–26 rate page and rounded to the nearest $100. Housing, books, travel and course-specific differentials are not included in them.
- Checked against the administering body
- Compact membership at this level was checked against the commission that runs the program (WICHE). The residency test — the durational requirement, the domicile evidence and the dependent-student rule — was checked against University of Hawai'i System, Haw. Admin. R. § 20-4. Nothing here is taken from another comparison site.
Not advice. In-State Check is independent of every college, compact and state agency named here. Residency classification and award decisions are made by the institution you apply to. Found an error? Send the page URL and the source that contradicts it to [email protected], and the page is corrected and re-dated. Full methodology.