Institute of Clinical Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Key Highlights

• Established in Honolulu in 1996
• Authorized by Hawaii through March 6, 2028
• Offers only specialized graduate professional education in acupuncture and herbal medicine
• Main campus includes a teaching clinic and herbal dispensary

Student Life & Environment

Student experience at ICAOM is shaped by a compact professional-school setting rather than a residential undergraduate campus. The main Honolulu premises combine teaching, study, administration, and patient care. Students have access to the institution’s specialized library, which contains resources in acupuncture, Chinese medicine, natural sciences, biomedicine, nutrition, and complementary medicine. The catalog also identifies computer workstations, wireless internet, an online catalog, and a reference collection available near the classrooms and clinic. The teaching clinic is a defining part of student life. Students move from academic study into supervised encounters with community patients, gaining experience with acupuncture, herbal medicine, tui na, cupping, moxibustion, and lifestyle counseling as appropriate to their training. The school also operates an herbal dispensary. These responsibilities mean attendance, professional conduct, health documentation, and clinical readiness are practical parts of enrollment. ICAOM does not provide on-campus housing. Students must arrange their own accommodation and should budget explicitly for Honolulu living costs and transportation. The official materials do not document conventional residence halls, varsity athletics, or a broad portfolio of clubs. Applicants seeking a traditional university social environment should recognize that ICAOM instead offers a focused community organized around graduate professional training, clinic work, and relationships with faculty and fellow practitioners.

Location & Surroundings

ICAOM’s main campus is at 100 North Beretania Street in Chinatown Cultural Plaza, downtown Honolulu. The setting places classrooms and the teaching clinic within a commercial and cultural complex containing shops, restaurants, and other services. The catalog notes that the Hawaii State Library is within walking distance, giving students an additional nearby study resource. Honolulu offers an urban island setting, but prospective students should plan carefully for daily travel and living expenses. The catalog describes Oʻahu’s public bus network as extensive and identifies parking in Chinatown Cultural Plaza and on nearby streets; it nevertheless recommends reliable personal transportation. Parking rates and availability should be confirmed directly because they can change. ICAOM also lists a facility at Waimea Town Plaza in Kamuela on Hawaiʻi Island. Applicants should not assume that every course or full degree can be completed there: the official homepage describes it as an additional facility, while Honolulu is explicitly identified as the main campus. Students interested in Hawaiʻi Island clinical activity should ask the institution which components are offered in Waimea and how frequently travel between islands might be required.

Costs & Career Outcomes

ICAOM’s 2026–2027 catalog sets full-time tuition at $380 per credit for students taking at least 12 credits per trimester and part-time tuition at $410 per credit. It estimates total program cost at $70,000 for the master’s and $75,000 for the doctorate. These figures are institution estimates, not individualized cost-of-attendance budgets. The catalog warns that tuition and fees may rise annually and are also subject to Hawaii general excise tax. Students should additionally plan for registration and clinical fees, examinations, approximately $500 per trimester for books and supplies, housing, food, transportation, and other living costs. No campus housing is provided. The catalog says eligible students can use federal Title IV student loans and that approved veterans’ education benefits are available. It identifies 12 credits as full-time enrollment for financial-aid purposes. Prospective borrowers should request a current aid estimate and compare total borrowing with realistic early-career earnings; the institution does not publish a current salary guarantee. Both programs are designed for professional acupuncture and herbal-medicine practice. The catalog states that graduates meet educational preparation goals for national certification examinations and identifies eligibility for the relevant national and California examinations. Hawaii licensure requires completion of qualifying education and passage of the national board examinations. Requirements differ across states, and ICAOM expressly does not guarantee examination success or licensure. Students should verify the school’s current professional-disclosure determination with the licensing board in the state where they intend to work before enrolling.