{"data":{"id":"us-hi/haw.-rev.-stat.-305j-7","jurisdiction":"us-hi","citation":"Haw. Rev. Stat. § 305J-7","heading":"Awarding degrees.","body":"(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:\n\n(1) A private college or university, seminary, or religious training institution that is authorized pursuant to this chapter;\n\n(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;\n\n(3) An unaccredited post-secondary educational institution governed under chapter 446E; or\n\n(4) A part of the University of Hawaii system.\n\n(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]\n\nRevision Note\n\n\"June 25, 2013\" substituted for \"the effective date of this chapter\" pursuant to §23G-15.","path":["HI Code","Division 1","Title 18","Chapter 305J"],"source_url":"http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol05_Ch0261-0319/HRS0305J/HRS_0305J-0007.htm","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:11Z","sha256":"9a54f3b9038af1c04dccdb0d437b6c4dd02c31fe6c7211ea6e18ee6f3f3bbc3c","source_id":"us-hi","stale":false,"prev":"us-hi/haw.-rev.-stat.-305j-6","next":"us-hi/haw.-rev.-stat.-305j-8"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}