International Students

International Students

This page contains special information just for HPU international students to help them financially succeed while at HPU.

 

PAYING TUITION

Hawai'i Pacific University has partnered with Flywire to accept payments from international students worldwide. Easily and securely make education payments in your own currency, using local payment methods from the safety and convenience of your home or wherever you may be located. With real-time tracking and around-the-clock multilingual support, Flywire offers students a trusted and secure way to easily pay your tuition and fees. 

How to pay online: 

  1. Log in to the myHPU portal, then click "Business & Payments." 
  2. Click on "Make a Payment" and follow the prompts to select "International Payment."

This helpful video explains Flywire in detail and is a valuable resource if you are wondering how the process works and whether your bank works with Flywire. Note that step 1 is different than in the video - you will start in the myHPU payment portal, not on Flywire's website. 

 

With Flywire international payments, you can have peace of mind: 

  • Know where your payment is in the bank transfer process and see when HPU receives your payment
  • Get help when and how you need it through Flywire's 24-hour multilingual customer support 
  • Full fee transparency. There are no intermediary bank fees - eliminate hidden or surprise fees, and ensure Hawaii Pacific University receives the correct amount
  • Save on exchange rates – in most cases you can make a payment in your home currency. Flywire will process the currency exchange, offering you wholesale exchange rates, unmatched by traditional banks.
    • Flywire has a Best Price Guarantee so you can always be sure that you are receiving the best transfer price. If you find a cheaper way to transfer funds, explore the Best Price Guarantee.
  • If a refund needs to be issued to you for any reason, sending your money back through Flywire is a snap! Learn more below in the REFUNDS section.
  • Flywire is secure and safe. Flywire's robust internal controls and security protocols ensure your payment is protected. 

HPU does not accept direct wire transfers for any student payment, foreign or domestic currency. 

HPU does accept many international credit/debit cards within the payment portal. Note that there is a 4.75% processing fee for payments made with international credit cards, so we encourage you to pay using options that incur lower fees (such as via Flywire as explained in this section). 

Resources from Flywire:

If you decide to open a US checking account while studying at HPU, you will have the ability to make payments in MyHPU, Business & Payments.This option is fee-free! 

Find out more by visiting hpu.edu/pay. 

Health Insurance Verification Fee

To avoid a $100 nonrefundable fee, follow the procedures of the Office of International Students and Scholars to submit your required Health Insurance Verification documentation at least two weeks before the first day of classes. 

Government Funding Documentation

To provide proof of educational cost to a government payer or other entity who may be refunding you your tuition costs, please use your admissions letter or your eBill Statement. The Business Office will not customize or provide alternative documentation unless it is in the format of an official financial verification form provided by your government entity.

Enrollment Verifications must be completed by the Registrar's Office, not the Business Office. 

HPU is not able to provide eBill Statements or similar documentation before charges are assessed each term. This typically takes place no later than 6 weeks before the start of each semester. HPU will not provide eBill Statements or similar documentation information for students who are not registered. 

Payment Policies and Deadlines

  • Tuition is due to be paid before the start of each semester. Official dates are published in HPU's Academic Calendar. 
  • Students are responsible for paying tuition less any anticipated scholarships, loans, discounts, or other aid and benefits in full by the tuition due date, or be enrolled in a payment plan before this date.
  • If your scholarship is not on your account, ensure you have met all requirements of your scholarship, such as being registered as a full-time student.
  • If you have questions about the amount of your scholarship, if applicable, refer to your letter of admission. The Business Office is not able to answer questions about the amount of scholarships any student has been awarded. 
  • International students must ensure their account is in good standing (paid in full) timely. Students who do not pay their account balance in full in a timely manner  risk being dropped from their courses. International students who are not enrolled in courses at HPU and who remain in the US may violate the terms of their visa. Students must monitor their student email account for important communications from the Business Office. 

REFUNDS

Your SEVIS Domestic U.S. Address (SD) is not the same as your Mailing Address (MA). If you are physically on-island during any given term, we recommend updating your Mailing Address (MA) to reflect your current location/P.O. Box. If HPU issues you a refund check for any reason, the USD check will go to your Mailing Address (MA). 

If you lived in On-Campus Housing while studying at HPU, once your Housing Agreement ends you may be entitled to a Housing Deposit Refund. Your Housing Deposit will first apply to any housing damages which are applied after check out from Housing. Your deposit will then be applied to any unpaid charges on your student account (tuition, replacement ID or UPass, lost book fees, etc.). If there is any remaining credit on your account at that point, you are entitled to whatever remains of your Housing Deposit Refund. 

  • FLYWIRE
    • If you paid HPU using Flywire, your refund will be automatically processed to the payment method you originally used with no additional action needed from you. 
    • If you have not used Flywire before, the Business Office staff will create an account for you in the Flywire Payables system. You will then receive an email from the Flywire Payables system requesting that you provide your banking information. Please follow the instructions in that email, as completing these steps is required before your refund will be processed. This option is less costly than a traditional wire for you and for the university. 
  • FEES
    • Flywire Payables reserves the right to update their fees from time to time. The current fee can be obtained from Flywire Payables at the time of initiating payment.

      Example of Flywire Payables Latest Fee Schedule:

      ACH to United States (USD) - $1.00 USD/payment
      EFT to Canada (USD) - $1.00 USD/payment
      Local Bank Transfer/International ACH - $4.00 USD/payment
      SWIFT Bank Wires (made in local currency) - $25.00 USD/payment
      Non-FX SWIFT Wires (e.g., USD wires to China) - $25.00 USD/payment

      Foreign Exchange ("FX") Pricing: Exchange rates are agreed upon at the time of each transaction. Exchange rates are valid for that transaction only and are not guaranteed for any other transaction.

TAX RETURN DUE DATES AND FORMS TO NONRESIDENTS

Form

Due Date

Extended Due Date*

IRS Form 1040-NR or
IRS Form 1040-NR-EZ,
with IRS Form 8843
attached

April 15

(June 15 - only if
you did not receive
any wage income)

 

October 15

(December 15 - only if
you did not receive
any wage income)

Hawaii Form N-15

April 20

October 20

*Please review the form instructions for how to request an extension of time to file your tax return. Note that there is no extension of time to pay your taxes. 

Generally, if a due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal or state holiday, the due date is the next business day. 

Federal Forms

Hawaii Form

You may have to file additional forms based on your unique situation. To determine whether any additional federal or state tax forms may be required, please read the form instructions at the links above or consult your tax advisor.

Please also read the form instructions to learn how to complete and file each form.

Tax Information

IMPORTANT! This site contains general tax information for HPU international students. HPU faculty and staff are not authorized to provide tax advice and do not provide personal assistance in completing tax returns. Please consult a tax advisor for any tax advice or additional information related to your specific situation.

In the United States, there is an income tax at the federal or national level as well as the state level for most states. US citizens, resident aliens, and nonresident aliens are subject to federal and state income tax, but different tax rules may apply depending on your status.  

A student is a nonresident alien if the student is not a US citizen, does not have a green card, and does not meet the "substantial presence" test. Most international students are nonresident aliens, but please consult your tax advisor for your particular situation. 

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) administers the federal tax, and the Hawaii Department of Taxation administers the state tax in Hawaii. 

The tax year for individuals is from January 1 through December 31. 

Nonresident alien students must file a US tax return if they have any of the following types of income for the calendar year:

  1. A taxable scholarship or fellowship grant,
  2. Income partially or totally exempt from tax under the terms of a tax treaty, or
  3. Any other income that is taxable under the Internal Revenue Code.

 

If a portion of your wage income or scholarship income was withheld from you for tax purposes, you may be able to receive back some or all of the amount that was withheld, but only if you file a tax return.   

A scholarship or fellowship is excludable from income only if both of the following are true:

  1. You are a candidate for a degree at an eligible educational institution (HPU is an eligible educational institution), and

  2. You use the scholarship or fellowship to pay qualified education expenses.

Qualified education expenses include the following items:

  • Tuition
  • Required fees to enroll
  • Required course fees, books, supplies, and equipment

Qualified education expenses do not include the cost of the following items, even if required:

  • Room and board
  • Travel
  • Research
  • Clerical help
  • Equipment and other expenses that are not required for enrollment in or attendance at an eligible educational institution

The amount of the scholarship used to pay any expense that is not a qualified education expense is generally taxable.

Tax treaties reduce the U.S. taxes of residents of foreign countries. The United States has tax treaties with a number of foreign countries. Under these treaties, residents (not necessarily citizens) of foreign countries are taxed at a reduced rate or are exempt from U.S. taxes on certain items of income they receive from sources within the United States. These reduced rates and exemptions vary among countries and specific items of income. 

To determine whether you may benefit from a tax treaty, review the following IRS resources:

IRS Form 1042-S reports certain US source income paid to a foreign person and the withholding, if any, on that income. You may have received a Form 1042-S from HPU for the following reasons:

  1. You received a taxable scholarship used to pay for your housing, travel, or other living expenses.
  2. You earned wages from HPU, but at least a portion of your total wages was exempt from tax due to a tax treaty benefit.
  3. You received a prize, award, or other type of taxable income from HPU.

The Form 1042-S will show the following information:

  • Box 1 - Type of income:
    • Code 16 = Scholarship or fellowship grants
    • Code 20 = compensation during studying or training
    • Code 23 = other income (prizes, awards, etc.)
  • Box 2 - Gross income amount
  • Box 3a - Whether an exemption applies
    • Code 04 = exempt under tax treaty
  • Box 10 - Total amount withheld (You may be able to receive a portion of this amount back from the IRS if you file a tax return.)

Because a Form 1042-S reports taxable income or income that is exempt under a tax treaty, you should file a US tax return if you received a Form 1042-S.

HPU will mail you a Form 1042-S on or around March 15. You may not have received a Form 1042-S if the scholarship was either

  • Not paid by HPU
  • Not paid during the previous year, or
  • Applied to your tuition and did not exceed the amount of your tuition and required fees.

However, you may not have received a Form 1042-S if you did not update HPU with your latest mailing address or SEVIS address. 

If you still believe that you should have received a Form 1042-S from HPU but did not, please send an email to apfinance@hpu.edu so that we can investigate further.

IRS Form W-2 reports taxable wages and withholdings on those wages. You should have received a Form W-2 from each of your employers where you earned taxable wages during the previous year. 

The Form W-2 will show the following information:

  • Box 1: Federal taxable wages
  • Box 2: Federal income tax withheld (You may be able to receive a portion of this amount back from the IRS if you file a tax return.)
  • Box 16: State taxable wages
  • Box 17: State income tax withheld (You may be able to receive a portion of this amount back from the state if you file a tax return.)

Because a Form W-2 reports taxable wages, you should file a US tax return if you received a Form W-2.

You may not have received a Form W-2 if the amount of your earned wages did not exceed a tax treaty exemption benefit that applied to you.

However, you may not have received a Form W-2 if you did not update your employer with your latest mailing address. Please note that if you worked for HPU in the previous year, you can electronically access your Form W-2 at https://my.hpu.edu under the Employee Self-Service link. 

If you still believe that you should have received a Form W-2 from HPU but did not, please send an email to payrollinfo@hpu.edu so that we can investigate further.

Please note that HPU faculty and staff are not authorized to provide tax advice and do not provide personal assistance in completing tax returns.