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Preview:  Hope College


Thanks for visiting the Hope College booth! Feel free to ask about anything - we've got both Admission staff and current students for you to talk with. If you are not familiar with Hope, you might find it interesting to read how the Hope experience is regarded by organizations that evaluate colleges and programs. It seems they think Hope is a pretty good school!

  • In the "American's Best Colleges 2008" guide published by "U.S. News and World Report," Hope again appears in the top tier among the "National Liberal Arts Colleges" category. A total of 266 liberal arts colleges are considered on the national list.
  • For the fourth consecutive year, in the category "Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects", Hope is again recognized among only 65 other institutions as a national leader by "U.S. News and World Report".
  • In former New York Times education editor Loren Pope's book "Colleges That Change Lives", Hope is listed as being one of 40 schools that are "a well kept secret in a status industry" and one that outdoes "the Ivies and research universities in producing winners."

  • Graduate school acceptance rates are remarkably high at Hope.
    • 85% of those graduating seniors registered with the prelaw advisor are typically accepted into law schools.
    • 90% of applicants with grade point averages of 3.4 or above have been accepted by medical schools over the last 10 years.
    • Over the same 10 year period, 87% of applicants with grade point averages of 3.2 or above were accepted into dental schools.
    • In 2006 and 2007 students passed the state nursing licensing exam at a higher rate than both the state and national average.
    • The percentage of accounting majors passing the C.P.A. exam is above the national average.
  • Hope ranks in the top five percent of colleges in the nation in producing future Ph.D. holders, according to a Franklin and Marshall College study of 914 institutions. In the sciences, Hope ranks in the top four percent, and in chemistry, the top one percent! See how Hope compares to private, four-year institutions.
  • Received a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. for its CrossRoads Project, "A Program for the Theological Exploration of Vocation."
  • Hope's Van Wylen Library received the "Excellence in Academic Libraries Award" in 2004. The award recognizes library staff for quality services and resources to further the mission of the institution. Criteria include creativity and innovation in meeting the needs of their academic community, leadership in developing and implementing exemplary programs that other libraries can emulate, and substantial and productive relationships with classroom faculty and students.
  • Hope has 183 students in the sciences doing collaborative research with faculty. Many of these students are supported by grants through the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU). In fact, Hope is among the liberal arts colleges leading the nation for NSF-REU grants received.
  • The Templeton Guide: Colleges that Encourage Character Development recognized the college's First-Year Seminar, Campus Ministries and Senior Seminar programs for providing leadership in character development.
  • Hope has many honor societies, including a Phi Beta Kappa charter granted in 1971. Hope is one of only 255 institutions in the U.S. able to grant this distinction. Many individual departments offer honor societies, including Education, which was the first in the nation to offer a student chapter of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), and dance, which established the nation's first honorary society for dance students.
  • The 2007 Fiske Guide to Colleges includes Hope as one of "the country's best and most interesting institutions in the nation," observing that "While the college has pride in its Christian roots, it also provides a place for the less religious and more liberal. High marks are given to Hope's science programs and students activities, as well as the personalities on campus," and further praising the professors "for their teaching and accessibility."
  • Hope is the only college or university in Michigan where business students can participate in the George F. Baker Scholars Program, which provides a wide range of real-world experiences beyond the classroom.
  • Hope is the only liberal arts college in the nation to achieve national accreditation (recognition by national boards for high standards) in all four arts programs: Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre. Hope also has accredited programs in Athletic Training, Chemistry, Education, Engineering, Nursing, and Social Work.

  • Hope is one of only 10 church-related colleges and universities nationwide highlighted in the book Putting Students First: How Colleges Develop Students Purposefully. The institutions were included specifically for being "individually and collectively distinguished and distinctive in fostering holistic student development."

Type of School
    * Private
    * Liberal Arts College
    * Four-year
    * Reformed Church In America
    * Coed
    * Percent applicants admitted: 82%
    * Regionally Accredited
    * North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
    * College Board member

Calendar: Semester

Degrees offered:
    * Bachelor's

Setting
    * Urban setting
    * Small city (50,000 - 249,999)
    * Residential campus

Size
    * Total undergrads: 3,238
    * First-time degree-seeking freshmen: 808
    * Degree-seeking undergrads: 3,153

Student Body

1st-year students:
    * 68% In-state students
    * 32% Out-of-state students

    * 62% Women
    * 38% Men

    * <1% American Indian/Alaskan Native
    * 2% Asian/Pacific Islander
    * 2% Black/Non-Hispanic
    * 3% Hispanic
    * 89% White/Non-Hispanic
    * 2% Non-Resident Alien
    * 2% Race/ethnicity unreported

    * 38% in top 10th of graduating class
    * 72% in top quarter of graduating class
    * 95% in top half of graduating class