UH Offers $2,000 to Community College Transfers

The University of Hawaii System announced a new scholarship specifically for community college students completing a transfer to a four-year UH campus. The Next Step Scholarship, unveiled May 27, 2026, is designed to remove one of the most common barriers that stops students from finishing the move: financial uncertainty at the transition point.¹

The amounts are straightforward:

• Students enrolling full-time (12 or more credits) at a UH four-year campus in fall 2026 receive $2,000.
• Students enrolling part-time (6 to 11 credits) receive $1,000.

Eligibility requires that a student earned an associate degree from a UH community college during the 2025-26 academic year, or completed sufficient credits through an approved pathway or major.

The four UH four-year campuses covered: UH Hilo, UH Mānoa, UH Maui College, and UH West Oʻahu.

Who's Already Been Awarded

Of the 1,594 students UH identified as eligible, 438 had already started their transfer process and received the scholarship automatically with no application required. The remaining 1,156 students are eligible but need to complete their enrollment at a UH four-year campus to claim it.²

UH noted that the FAFSA is not required to receive the Next Step Scholarship, but filing one can unlock additional federal, state, and institutional aid that stacks on top of the scholarship. For most students, that means completing the FAFSA is still the right move even if the scholarship itself doesn't require it.

1,594 — Students eligible for the UH Next Step Scholarship for fall 2026 transfers from UH community colleges^{University of Hawaii System News, May 27, 2026}

Why Transfer Scholarships Matter Beyond Hawaii

This is a Hawaii story, but it reflects a national pattern worth knowing about.

The community college transfer pathway is one of the most cost-effective routes to a bachelor's degree. Students spend two years at the significantly lower cost of community college tuition, then transfer to complete their degree at a four-year school. Done right, total debt can be a fraction of what a four-year student accumulates at the same institution.

But transfer rates are much lower than they should be. Research consistently shows that the friction isn't primarily academic — it's financial and informational. Students don't know what transfer scholarships exist, they're uncertain how their credits will transfer, and the financial picture feels murkier at the transfer stage than it did when they first enrolled in community college.

UH's approach of auto-awarding to students already in the transfer pipeline is notable specifically because it removes the information gap. You don't have to know to apply — the scholarship finds you.

The Transfer Scholarship Landscape

Transfer-specific scholarship money exists at most four-year schools, and most of it is underused. A few examples:

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship: One of the most generous private scholarships in the country is specifically for high-achieving community college students transferring to four-year schools. We covered it in detail here.

Institutional transfer scholarships: Many four-year universities maintain dedicated scholarship budgets for transfer students — separate from freshman aid. These are rarely advertised on the main financial aid page; you often have to ask specifically.

Our transfer student scholarships guide covers the most widely available options and how to find institution-specific programs.

Before you transfer, ask your community college's transfer advisor whether an articulation agreement exists with your target school. These agreements specify exactly which courses transfer and how they count toward your degree — which can save you a full semester or more in tuition. Our guide to articulation agreements explains what questions to ask.

The Advising Gap That Blocks Transfers

The UH scholarship addresses money. But research published earlier this month by the Helios Education Foundation and Florida State University found that the majority of community college students transferring to four-year schools lack adequate advising about pathway alignment and transfer planning.

Most students navigating a transfer do so without a clear picture of which courses count toward their new degree, which financial aid carries over, or what the application timeline looks like at their target school. Our guide on how to transfer colleges walks through the process from GPA requirements to financial aid reapplication.

For students currently at community college trying to set themselves up for a successful transfer, the community college student success guide covers how to build the academic record and advising relationships that make transfer go smoothly.

What to Do If You're Eligible for the UH Scholarship

If you're a UH community college student who earned an associate degree this spring and haven't received a scholarship notification, contact the admissions office at your intended UH four-year campus directly. The scholarship was designed to be automatic, but students who haven't yet formally initiated their transfer application will need to do so before the fall 2026 semester begins.

For transfer students at non-UH schools: the lesson from this announcement is to contact the financial aid office at your target four-year school specifically and ask what scholarship money exists for transfer students — not just incoming freshmen. Most schools have it. Most students don't think to ask.

Footnotes

1. University of Hawaiʻi System News. (2026, May 27). New UH scholarship helps community college students continue to 4-year campuses. https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2026/05/27/next-step-scholarship/ ↩

2. Hawaii News Now. (2026, May 28). UH launches 'Next Step Scholarship' to help community college transfers. https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/05/28/uh-launches-next-step-scholarship-help-community-college-transfers/ ↩