The University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu has partnered with the EIKEN Foundation of Japan and will now accept EIKEN results as evidence of English proficiency. This partnership will allow all University of Hawaiʻi campuses to now accept the EIKEN test for admission purposes, making it the first statewide system of higher education in the nation to use the EIKEN test systemwide.

“Our use of the EIKEN test and present and future cooperative partnerships with the EIKEN Foundation of Japan will benefit UH West Oʻahu’s efforts at internationalizing the campus and connecting our Hawaiʻi students to the world,” UH West Oʻahu Chancellor Maenette Benham said.

“This important step will strengthen what are already extraordinary ties between the UH System and the country and people of Japan,” UH President David Lassner said.

The University of Hawaiʻi has long been a major destination for Japanese students: UH Mānoa has more graduate students from Japan than any other university in the U.S., and Kapiʻolani Community College has more undergraduate students from Japan than any institution in the nation.

More about the EIKEN tests

EIKEN tests are administered at more than 17,000 sites across Japan and are also administered in London, New York, Los Angeles and Honolulu. These tests are recognized by more than 400 institutions of higher education in the United States, Australia and Canada.

—By Leila Wai Shimokawa