Hawaii has one university offering accredited dietetics education: the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Resident tuition runs about $15,600 a year against roughly $33,648 for non-residents, plus fees. Community college coursework in the UH system costs far less, at around $131 per credit for residents.
One fact shapes planning here more than anything else. Hawaii has no traditional ACEND-accredited dietetic internships. UH Mānoa operates an accredited Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway that fulfils the same requirement, but students who do not secure a place face applying to mainland programs and arranging Hawaii-based preceptors. Hawaii also requires state licensure to practise.
Nutrition Programs in Hawaii — Comparison Table
| School | Credentials | Est. Cost | Format | RD Pathway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Honolulu |
BS Dietetics — accredited DPD, produces a verification statement BS Nutrition, non-dietetics option — pre-health and graduate preparation MS Nutritional Sciences — with an RDN concentration Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway — accredited, fulfils the internship requirement |
$15,600 resident $33,648 non-resident plus about $934 in fees |
Campus in Honolulu | Yes — the only accredited route in the state, at both stages |
Figures are 2026–27 tuition for 12 or more credits per semester, taken from the university registrar, and exclude housing. Verify current rates directly before applying.
Which Hawaii Nutrition Program Fits You
Choose the BS in Dietetics if the RDN credential is the goal. It is the accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics and the only route in Hawaii that produces a verification statement. Nothing else in the state substitutes for it.
Choose the non-dietetics nutrition option only if you are heading elsewhere. The department offers a course of study designed for post-baccalaureate study in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or a graduate biomedical science degree. It explicitly does not meet the undergraduate requirements to apply for a dietetic internship.
Choose the MS with the RDN concentration if you already hold a verification statement. It pairs the graduate degree now required for the credential with the supervised practice pathway, though the two are applied for separately.
Plan for mainland supervised practice as a serious possibility. With no traditional internships in the state and limited places in the pathway, applying to accredited programs elsewhere — and confirming they accept Hawaii-based preceptors and rotation sites — is a realistic backup rather than a remote one.
Hawaii Nutrition Schools
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
UH Mānoa houses dietetics in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, within the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
- BS Dietetics — accredited Didactic Program in Dietetics; graduates receive a DPD verification statement
- BS Nutrition, non-dietetics option — built for pre-health and graduate preparation
- MS Nutritional Sciences — including an RDN concentration
- Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway — accredited by ACEND and fulfilling the same requirements as a dietetic internship
The ISPP is what makes the route completable without leaving the islands. It accepts two groups: graduates holding a DPD verification statement who did not match to an internship, and holders of a doctoral degree without a verification statement. That second category is unusual and worth knowing if you arrive from another field.
Two cautions. The MS with RDN concentration and the ISPP are separate applications — being admitted to one does not secure the other, and eligibility for the pathway requires a verification statement or a declaration of intent from an accredited DPD. And the non-dietetics nutrition option shares a department and much coursework with the accredited one while leading somewhere entirely different; the catalogue states plainly that it does not meet the requirements to apply for an internship. Confirm which option you are enrolled in.
How to Choose a Nutrition Program in Hawaii
Supervised practice is the bottleneck
In most states the question is which internship to choose. In Hawaii it is whether you can get one at all in state. The ISPP at Mānoa is the in-state option; beyond it, students apply to mainland programs and negotiate rotation sites and preceptors locally. Ask any mainland program directly whether it accepts Hawaii-based placements before applying, because not all do.
Cost varies enormously by residency
The gap between resident and non-resident tuition at Mānoa is roughly $18,000 a year, among the widest anywhere. UH system community colleges charge around $131 per credit for residents, and some also offer a reduced Pacific Island Jurisdiction rate for students from neighbouring jurisdictions, which is worth checking if you qualify. Starting general education and prerequisite science coursework at a community college and transferring is a genuine saving.
The master’s requirement changed in 2024
Since January 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration has required a master’s degree in any field, plus a verification statement from an ACEND-accredited program, to sit for the RDN exam. Supervised practice requirements run to at least 1,000 hours, with many programs structured around 1,200. A Hawaii bachelor’s alone no longer qualifies anyone, so plan the graduate step from the start.
Coming from outside the field
The ISPP route for doctoral degree holders without a verification statement is a rare provision, and it opens dietetics to people arriving from research or another health discipline. If that describes you, contact the dietetics program director before assuming a second bachelor’s is necessary.
Nutrition Licensure and Credentials in Hawaii
Hawaii requires dietitians to hold state licensure to practise. Registered dietitians credentialed in other states are recognised, but must apply separately for a Hawaii licence through the state Department of Health, providing CDR registration and meeting Hawaii’s own requirements.
The national CDR requirements apply alongside: an ACEND verification statement, a master’s degree, supervised practice hours, and a passing exam score. Continuing education is required to maintain the licence, and applicants holding foreign degrees must submit equivalency documentation. Confirm current requirements with the Department of Health before relying on them.
Before applying, verify three things directly with the department: that you are enrolling in the accredited dietetics option rather than the non-dietetics nutrition track, the current status and capacity of the Individualized Supervised Practice Pathway, since it is the state’s only in-state supervised practice route, and whether the mainland internships you are considering as a backup will accept Hawaii-based preceptors. A full University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa profile is in progress and will be linked here when it publishes.