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’s president.

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

Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ the Program

Anchored in Hope’s 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 Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ community.

“A 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 Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ.â€
—Student in the 2025 Cohort

Âé¶¹ÊÓÆµ 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’s 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 — diverse in background and field of study — 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, “What can I give to make the world better?â€

“I 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.â€
—Student in the 2026 Cohort