Rooted in the pillars of community, access and generosity, the Hope Forward program supports students through a co-curricular learning community where they engage in off-campus retreats, seminars, mentorship, service-learning and regular connection with Hope鈥檚 president.

Through these experiences, students grow as lifelong learners and leaders who practice gratitude and generosity 鈥� not only receiving the gift of covered tuition but also learning to live lives of purpose, impact and shared responsibility.

About the Program

Anchored in Hope鈥檚 mission to educate students for lives of leadership and service, the Hope Forward program equips graduates to:

  • Be lifelong learners active in their communities
  • Engage with areas of hopelessness out of a personal hope and abundance
  • Give generously to create positive impact locally, globally and at Hope College

The Hope Forward cohort model progresses over four years in three categories: Community, Access, and Generosity. In Community, the four-year sequence is Formation, Involvement, Leadership, and Engagement. In Access, the four-year sequence is Self-Exploration, Creative Thinking, Problem Solving, and Positive Impact. In Generosity, the four-year sequence is Abundance, Gratitude, Generosity, and Philanthropy.Some highlights of the program include:

  • Dinners with the President: Intimate gatherings designed to foster connection and conversation around the origin, purpose and values of this bold vision.  
  • Off-Campus Retreats: Multi-day retreats that provide space for leadership development, reflection, goal-setting and deepening cohort relationships.
  • The Development of a Personal Portfolio: A creative and reflective project students build over four years, capturing their learning, growth and aspirations through writing, visual art, media or other format
  • Supplemental Advising and Mentorship: One-on-one coaching and mentoring designed to help students navigate their academic, professional and personal journeys.
  • Service-Learning Experiences: Opportunities to engage with local and regional communities through projects that cultivate generosity and learning through action.
  • Seminars and Banquets: Events that bring together students, alumni, donors and partners to express gratitude, celebrate milestones, share stories and build meaningful networks.

Additionally, Hope Forward hosts semester-long seminars that build essential competencies such as:

  • Presentation and storytelling skills
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising
  • Financial literacy
  • Human-centered design
  • Interviewing and resume development
  • Alumni engagement and leadership after graduation

Together, these experiences help students grow as generous, effective leaders prepared to make a lasting impact within and beyond the Hope College community.

鈥淎 beautiful part of the Hope Forward program is that students like me have entered a lifelong community. The Hope Forward vision does not want my own relationship with the community to end on the day I graduate from Hope College.鈥�
鈥擲tudent in the 2025 Cohort

About Our Students

Students participating in the program demonstrate a deep commitment to their education. Their GPA is academically on-par with their peers, dispelling the notion that eliminating tuition reduces a student鈥檚 incentive to take their education seriously.

Current students and alumni represent 28 U.S. states, 21 countries and 47 different majors/minors. We are also proud to say that 23% are first-generation college students. Together, they represent a vibrant community 鈥� diverse in background and field of study 鈥� driven by curiosity, ambition and a commitment to meaningful learning.

Our students are vocal about their desire to succeed and give back so they can bring hope to the world. Rather than focusing on what a career can offer them, students are asking, 鈥淲hat can I give to make the world better?鈥�

鈥淚 am given Hope Forward as a gift to think of myself less, both financially and mentally, as I steward my education well so that I can pour back into others who would continue to do the same. I go to college with an assurance that I am covered along with a glad responsibility to give back by passionately pursuing my dream to be a doctor who cares for his patients as much as he cares for the sciences.鈥�
鈥擲tudent in the 2026 Cohort

  • Hope Forward students standing around a Gateway Mission sign
  • Two Hope Forward students working in a playground
  • Three female Hope Forward students smiling for a selfie
  • Three Hope Forward students participating in a panel discussion at Hope College's Catalyst Summit
  • A Hope Forward student talks to Nate Haveman while looking at a framed artwork
  • A Hope Forward student speaking into a microphone at a podium with an arch of balloons behind him
  • Five Hope Forward students standing in a group and smiling at the camera
  • A Hope Forward student speaks to two other people at a reception
  • A Hope Forward student showing his artwork to viewers
  • Two female Hope Forward students smiling at the camera
  • Two male Hope Forward students working on a craft at a table
  • A man in a blazer looking at botanical prints in an art display
  • Three Hope Forward students participating in a panel discussion at Hope College's Catalyst Summit
  • A Hope Forward student in paint-covered overalls shows her work to others
  • Five female Hope Forward students working and laughing at a table
  • Hope Forward first-year students gathered in the president's backyard for a group photo with President Scogin and his wife
  • Hope Forward students gather for a group photo in front of the Kruizenga Art Museum
  • A Hope Forward student performs on guitar while another student looks on from behind a podium
  • President Scogin welcomes a new Hope Forward student who just signed their covenant
  • President Scogin shakes hands with a new Hope Forward student who just signed their covenant
  • Two Hope Forward students perform on guitar and sing for an audience in Winants Hall
  • President Scogin poses for a photo with a Hope Forward student who just signed their covenant
  • A group of Hope Forward students gather together for a photo at the Hope Forward Positive Impact Banquet
  • A Hope Forward student plays the keyboard at the Hope Forward Positive Impact Banquet
  • Two Hope Forward students pose for a photo at the sink while volunteering at a local food kitchen
  • Two Hope Forward students pose for a photo while volunteering to clean up litter
  • A group of six Hope Forward students gather for a photo in Maas Auditorium

HELP HOPE FORWARD

If you would like to speak to someone about a gift, please contact Philanthropy and Engagement.