Hope College, Today

As a student on Hope's campus from 1976-1980, during the years when the report from LAUP was written, there is no doubt that you would be one of the few minority students on campus. Not only would you have non-Hispanic, White professors in all your classes except language classes, but you would be surrounded by White students in almost all spaces. In fact, Hope College didn't even collect ethnicity data until the year 2000, which speaks for itself.  

In the year 2000, out of a total of 3015 students enrolled at Hope, only 150 students were categorized as minority students. In 2018, out of 3048 students, minority students totaled 465. 

What does this mean for Hope students? 

More than these numbers, the culture and the attitude on campus tells the story of what diversity, inclusion, and representation look like on campus. 

What's it like on Hope's campus?

We asked Marvic and Elisabeth about their transitions to Hope College from high school.

Coming from West Ottawa, a high school that is about 50% white, Elisabeth said it wasn't much of a transition coming to Hope. She was used to having a majority of her classmates be white. 

Marvic, on the other hand, came from Holland High School, a school that is more diverse. "I could see the difference coming to Hope," she says. Being part of the Phelps Scholars Program, a living learning community on Hope's campus, provided classes with more diverse students. "Having a class with people who look like me gives me a sense of belonging."