![students using computers](https://www.hawaii.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/system-my-future-hawaii-high-school-applicants.jpg)
This fall more than 1,800 seniors from 25 high schools applied to a University of Hawaiʻi campus through Hawaiʻi P–20’s MyFutureHawaiʻi (MFH) college and career planning portal.
MyFutureHawaiʻi is a customized college and career access portal that allows students to explore careers, skills and interests, search for colleges, learn about financial aid and track their courses and progress toward high school graduation using real-time data provided by the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education.
Students can also apply to any of the 10 UH campuses directly from the portal with their demographic and academic data being transferred directly (instead of self-reporting) to the UH application system.
![two students using computers](https://www.hawaii.edu/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/system-my-future-hawaii-students-300x169.jpg)
As part of Hawaiʻi P–20’s College Application and Exploration Season (CAES), high schools had the opportunity to use MyFutureHawaiʻi for their college application events.
“Using MFH for our application sessions was a time saver,” says Elaine Bowler, Waianae High School college counselor. “Students were able to login and complete an application seamlessly with support from UH admission reps and Hawaiʻi P–20. During one week of daily application sessions, over 230 of our seniors were able to complete a UH system application.”
CAES is an initiative that assists high school students with college applications and exploration and encourages high school seniors, particularly prospective first-generation students from low-income families, to apply to at least one college before graduating. Participating schools are given resources and guidance to coordinate their college application events. Most are supported by UH and other Hawaiʻi college admission representatives and are held during the school day.
The initiative started in 2012 and has proven successful in increasing college enrollment at participating schools. Results have shown that CAES participants enroll in college at consistently higher rates than the average schools. This year, 35 high schools statewide are coordinating college application events through the CAES initiative.