UHMC began as Maui Vocational School in 1931. In 1958 the Department of Public Instruction authorized a name change to Maui Technical School to reflect an upgrade of education to a technical level. In 1964 the State Legislature enacted the Community College Act establishing a statewide community college system under the University of Hawai‘i. Maui Technical School was incorporated into this system on July 1, 1965.
In 1966 the UH Board of Regents authorized the College to confer the Associate in Arts and the Associate in Science degrees and approved a name change to Maui Community College. The first lower division transfer courses followed in September 1967.
In February 2010, the UH Board of Regents approved a name change to University of Hawai‘i Maui College to more accurately represent the college’s programs and services, which include baccalaureate programs. The College remains one of seven community colleges in the UH system, and the only college in Maui County.
