Haw. Rev. Stat. § 305J-7: Awarding degrees.

(a) A person, partnership, corporation, company, society, or association with a physical presence in the State shall not award, bestow, confer, give, grant, convey, or sell to any other person a degree or honorary degree upon which is inscribed, in any language, the word "associate", "bachelor", "baccalaureate", "post-baccalaureate", "master", or "doctor", or any abbreviation thereof, or offer courses of instruction or credits purporting to lead to any such degree, unless the person, partnership, corporation, company, society, or association is:

(1) A private college or university, seminary, or religious training institution that is authorized pursuant to this chapter;

(2) A school or educational program conducted by a religious entity that is owned, controlled, operated, and maintained by a religious organization lawfully operating as a nonprofit religious corporation and that awards only religious degrees or certificates, including but not limited to a certificate of Talmudic studies, associate of Biblical studies, a bachelor of religious studies, a master of divinity, or a doctor of divinity;

(3) An unaccredited post-secondary educational institution governed under chapter 446E; or

(4) A part of the University of Hawaii system.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), in order to award degrees in the State, all private college s and universit ies , seminar ies , and religious training institution s operating in the State on June 25, 2013 shall be authorized no later than July 1, 2014. [L 2013, c 180, pt of §2]

Revision Note

"June 25, 2013" substituted for "the effective date of this chapter" pursuant to §23G-15.