Grow Our Own (GOO) Teachers Initiative tuition stipend
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education
State-funded tuition reimbursement (up to $15,190-$26,510, depending on the program) for UH Mānoa teacher licensure students who commit to teaching three years in Hawaiʻi public schools.
- How much
- Tuition and fees for required licensure courses: up to $15,190 (Post-Bac Elementary), $18,600 (Post-Bac Secondary), $23,520 (BEd Elementary Hawaiian Immersion) or $26,510 (MEdT Hawaiian Immersion) total, at 2026 rates
- Who qualifies
- Admitted to an eligible UH Mānoa College of Education teacher licensure program. Service commitment: teach full-time (K-12) in your licensed field in a Hawaiʻi public or public charter school for three years, starting the school year after graduation. If you don't finish the program or the three years, you repay HIDOE the full stipend (partial repayment may apply based on years served). Also: Priority for Hawaiʻi public and charter school employees (emergency hires, substitutes, educational assistants) (an extra route or priority, not a requirement).
- For undergrads, grad students, adults going back to school
- For education, teacher licensure students
- When to apply
- Opens later Annual, only if the Legislature funds it: the application opens in the fall and is due October 1; optional principal recommendations by October 22. The 2026 deadline (Oct 1, 2026) has passed.
- How to apply
- 1) Apply and get admitted to an eligible UH Mānoa College of Education licensure program (you must have applied to the program before applying for GOO)
- 2) Submit the GOO application (Kuali form linked on the GOO page) by October 1, including an essay on why you want to teach in Hawaiʻi
- A recommendation form from your school principal is optional and gives priority if received by October 22
- 3) Sign the three-year teaching agreement
- Questions: uhmgoo@hawaii.edu
- What you'll need
- state application + essay + recommendation
- Last checked
- October 5, 2026, against the official page (coe.hawaii.edu)
The details
A partnership between HIDOE and UH Mānoa's College of Education, funded when the State Legislature appropriates money ($1,000,000 awarded for the 2026-27 admission cycle, per the August 2026 update). Stipends reimburse tuition and fees for required licensure courses while you're enrolled (not courses you already took or repeat), at 2026 resident rates: Post-Baccalaureate Secondary up to 36 credits / $18,600; MEdT Hawaiian Immersion up to 46 credits / $26,510; Post-Baccalaureate Elementary up to 31 credits / $15,190; BEd Elementary Hawaiian Immersion up to 54 credits / $23,520. Neighbor-island students also get travel stipends for required in-person meetings. Eligible programs: BEd Elementary Education & Hawaiian Language Immersion, Post-Baccalaureate Certificates in Elementary or Secondary Education (including BAP, Health & PE, and Music), and the Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT K-12, including BAM). When applicants outnumber funds, priority goes to Hawaiʻi public and charter school employees (emergency hires, substitutes, educational assistants), HIDOE teacher-shortage areas and ESL licensure. You pay tuition up front and get reimbursed each semester after the drop deadline. Stipends count as taxable income (1099-MISC over $600). Special education licensure students use the separate SPED stipend instead.
More money from Hawaii
- State of Hawaiʻi B Plus ScholarshipUp to $2,000 (per UH Mānoa); renewable up to four years, depending on funding
- Hawaiʻi Promise ScholarshipCovers unmet direct educational costs (tuition, fees, books and supplies) after other grants; amount depends on funding, need and credits
Keep looking
- Answer a few questions to see every program you qualify for
- Federal aid and national scholarships (open to students in any state)
- The FAFSA in plain English (2027-28)
- Should I file the FAFSA if I don't think I'll qualify?
- FAFSA deadlines by state (2027-28)
- The FAFSA for parents: what you need to do
- How to save on textbooks: free, rented and cheaper options
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