Hope College


Hope College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, United States. It was originally opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman college class matriculated in 1862, and Hope received its state charter in 1866. Hope College is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and retains a Christian atmosphere. Its campus is adjacent to the downtown commercial district and has been shared with Western Theological Seminary since 1884. The Hope College campus is located near the eastern shores of Lake Michigan and is 2.5 hours away from two major cities, Chicago and Detroit.

History

Hope's motto is taken from Psalm 42:6: "Spera in Deo". The college's emblem is an anchor. This is drawn from a speech by Albertus van Raalte, the leader of the community, on the occasion of the founding of the Pioneer School in 1851: "This is my anchor of hope for this people in the future,". The primary-level Pioneer School was later expanded to secondary and college-level education as Hope College. Van Vleck Hall, which originally housed the Pioneer School, is the oldest building on campus and serves as a dormitory. It is the city's second-oldest building. The first college class matriculated in 1862, and Hope received its state charter in 1866. The college admitted its first female students in 1878.
2015 marked Hope College's 150th year of education. The celebration began with the 150th commencement on May 3, 2015. The year held two grand openings, the Kruizenga Art Museum and the Jack H. Miller Center for Musical Arts, and the groundbreaking ceremony of the Jim and Martie Bultman Student Center. The college also sponsored the Presidential Colloquium lecture series, which featured an address by David Brooks on Christian education in the 21st century.
A marker designating the college as a Michigan Historic Site was erected in 2019 by the Michigan Historical Commission. The inscription reads:
In 1851, four years after settlers from the Netherlands founded Holland, the Pioneer School was established to meet some of the educational needs of the young colony. This school, the predecessor of Hope College, received direction and financial support from the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America. The school evolved into the Holland Academy, which in 1862 enrolled its first college class. On May 14, 1866, the institution was chartered as Hope College, and on July 17, 1866, the first class of eight students was graduated. The college’s name, seal, and motto are derived from a statement of the founder of Holland, Rev. Albertus C. Van Raalte, who said of the Pioneer School, “This is my Anchor of Hope for this people in the future.” In the decades that followed, a strong college of arts and sciences was developed which continues to serve the church and the community.

Presidents

The following people have presided over the college:
  1. Philip Phelps Jr.
  2. Charles Scott
  3. Gerrit J. Kollen
  4. Ame Vennema
  5. Edward D. Dimnent
  6. Wynand Wichers
  7. Irwin J. Lubbers
  8. Calvin A. VanderWerf
  9. Gordon VanWylen
  10. John H. Jacobson
  11. James E. Bultman
  12. John C. Knapp
  13. Dennis N. Voskuil
  14. Matthew A. Scogin

    Hope Forward

Hope Forward is a program that allows students to receive gifted tuition. Instead of paying upfront, students are invited to support future students through donations after they graduate.
Hope Forward has gained national attention, including an episode of in June 2023 of Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast, titled "A Good Circle", which highlights the potential for this innovative model to transform higher education.

Academics

The college offers 90+ majors, all of which lead to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. It has a student population of about 3,200, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1.
The college offers off-campus study programs in several cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and overseas programs for the summer, semester, or an academic year. Among its international programs, a longstanding summer semester in Vienna is popular among students.
Hope College is a member of the Great Lakes College Association.
In the 2025 U.S. News & World Report ranking of schools by undergraduate research and creative projects, Hope College is ranked #22. Hope also ranked #84 in the National Liberal Arts category.
Courses offered at Hope are divided into five disciplines:
  • General Education: In General Education courses students encounter a diverse array of topics rooted in the liberal arts education. Regardless of their majors, students take courses in art, history, language, literature, math and sciences. They also participate in a First-Year Seminar course and a Senior Seminar course. These courses were developed to help transition students in and out of their college career.
  • Arts and Humanities: The Fine and Performing Arts degree at Hope College consists of four departments, which include Art and Art History, Dance, Music and Theatre. The Humanities division includes the departments of English, History, Modern and Classical Language, Philosophy and Religion.
  • Natural and Applied Sciences: The Natural and Applied Sciences programs include Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Nursing and Physics.
  • Social Sciences: A Social Science degree consists of the departments of Communication, Economics and Business, Education, Kinesiology, Peace and Justice minor, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology/Social Work.
  • Pre-health programs: There are a wide variety of pre-health programs at the undergraduate level. They include Chiropractic Medicine, Dentistry, Genetic Counseling, Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapy, Podiatry, Public Health, Speech Language Pathology and Veterinary Medicine. Other pre-health professions include Nursing, Athletic Training, and Pre-clinical Psychology.
Hope's most popular majors, in terms of 202 graduates, were:
  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Engineering
  • Nursing
  • Exercise Science
  • Communication
  • Biology
  • Education
  • Social Work
  • Political Science

    Accreditation

Hope College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Campus life

Housing

On-campus housing is provided in 11 residence halls, 24 apartment buildings, and 70+ houses that the college owns near the campus. A small percentage of students—primarily juniors, seniors, and Holland, Michigan residents—live off-campus. All full-time students without commuter status are required to live in on-campus housing for three years.

Demographics

Most Hope students come from the greater Great Lakes region. In 2023 approximately 90% of the student body came from Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Approximately 79% of the student body is white; students from minority backgrounds account for about 16% of the student body. Approximately 3% of the student body is international.

Student organizations

The college offers 80 student-led clubs and organization such as Dance Marathon and Relay for Life, an FM radio station, newspaper, literary magazine, and yearbook, plus a variety of academic, musical, spiritual, literary, social and athletic clubs. About 10–12% of students belong to social fraternities and sororities, which are local to Hope rather than chapters of larger organizations, with the exception of one fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa. Hope also houses the 6th oldest fraternity that is still in existence, Omicron Kappa Epsilon. The college holds Sunday evening worship services and Monday/Wednesday/Friday Chapel services on campus. Attendance at these events has been voluntary since 1970, yet students routinely fill Dimnent Memorial Chapel to its capacity of greater than 1,000 students at each service.

''The Pull''

"The Pull" is an annual tug-of-war between the freshman and sophomore classes at Hope College. It takes place across the Black River in Holland on the last Saturday of September every year. The Pull dates to 1898. Each team has 19 students on the rope as "pullers," and another 19 acting as guides and morale boosters, or "moralers", as well as one pull "anchor" on each team. The freshmen are coached by juniors, and the sophomores by seniors. This arrangement has led to the rivalry between even and odd year classes. Even years' colors are red and white, while Odd years' colors are maroon and gold. The competition is limited to three hours; it previously had no time limit. The winner is the team that takes the most rope.

''IMAGES: A Reflection of Cultures''

IMAGES: A Reflection of Cultures is an annual international showcase featuring an array of skits, dance, song and other clips of culture and language performed by students from around the world.

''The Nykerk Cup Competition''

The Nykerk Cup Competition is a multifaceted tradition between freshmen and sophomore women involving song, play, and oration. As in the Pull, freshmen are coached by juniors and sophomores by seniors, also contributing to the "Odd Year" and "Even Year" competitions. Junior and senior coaches arrange the music, write the plays, and guide the orators as they craft seven-minute monologues. Upperclassmen also apply and are selected for a leadership board that plays an essential role in making this event a reality. Men participate in the competition as "moralers" by supporting the participants while building sets and coordinating scene changes. The competition takes place during Family Weekend in late fall each year. A panel of judges scores the performances of each class and the winning team claims the highly coveted Nykerk Cup. The tradition was started in 1936 by Dr. John Nykerk, Hope professor and founder of the college’s music department.