Rankings and Recognitions

AMONG THE NATION’S BEST COLLEGEs

U.S. News & World Report

• Innovation: Hope is ranked #23 among the most innovative national liberal arts colleges in America, as selected by college presidents, provosts and admissions deans who responded to a peer assessment survey. 
• Outstanding research: Hope is ranked #31 and is one of only 54 colleges and universities including Yale, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and Michigan, recognized for providing outstanding undergraduate research/creative project opportunities. Hope is listed ahead of Furman, Dartmouth, Northwestern University, Purdue, Cornell, and MSU in 2025. 
• Among the best in the nation: Hope is ranked #90 in best liberal arts colleges in the nation (as opposed to region) in 2025.
• Also included as:
  
  • #87 in Best Value Schools
  • #164 in Top Performers on Social Mobility
  • #94 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs
  • #254 in Undergraduate Nursing Programs
  • #164 in Undergraduate Psychology Programs
• Strength in engineering:
  Hope’s engineering program is ranked 69th in the overview of 273 ABET-accredited programs at institutions where the highest degree is a bachelor's or master's.

American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation

Hope College ranks among the nation’s top research institutions, including being one of only 28 undergraduate-only schools recognized in the Research Colleges and Universities category by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation.

Money Magazine's Best Colleges

Hope is recognized on Money's list of Best Colleges — 745 colleges that combine quality and affordability, “where your tuition (and time) is likely to pay off.”   

“The college is at the forefront of dialogue about affordability and accessibility.” —Money Magazine

Niche Best Colleges

• Niche ranks Hope among the  Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Michigan , #2 Best Christian College and #2 Top Private University in Michigan.
• Niche ranks Hope the #1 Best College in the Grand Rapids metro area.
• Niche ranked Hope #24 of 333 Best Christian Colleges in America, #61 out of 309 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in America, and #88 out of 968 Best Small Colleges in America.

FISKE Guide to Colleges

Hope is one of only about 320 colleges and universities highlighted as “the best and most interesting institutions in the nation — the ones that students most want to know about.” The 2022 Fiske Guide to Colleges said this about Hope:

• “I feel pushed to work hard and study to perform at my best.”
• “This is a place where people are involved and love to build community.”
• “Hope is a place where students are challenged to become better students…  but, more important, better people.”

Forbes

• America’s Top Colleges: Hope is included in Forbes’ 2024 list of “Top Colleges” and ranks #49 in the Midwest when looking at alumni salary, debt, graduation rate, return on investment, retention rate, and academic success.
• Top Liberal Arts Universities: Hope ranks #57 among liberal arts universities in the nation.

Princeton Review 

• Hope is one of 150 institutions that The Princeton Review recommends in its 2025 “Best in the Midwest” listing.
• Hope is also included in the Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges: 2024 Edition for having exceptional commitment to sustainability.

Washington Monthly

Washington Monthly ranks Hope #116 — and #35 in research — of only 194 Liberal Arts Colleges in 2024 based on contributions to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and promoting public service.  

GREAT EDUCATION AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE

LendEDU

According to LendEDU, Hope is included in the "Top 500 Colleges & Universities with the Lowest Student Loan Debt for Parents" and recognized for "One of the Lowest Default Rates in Michigan and the country."

Great Value Colleges

Great Value Colleges named Hope one of the 30 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in the Midwest.

Return on investment

Hope College is listed in the Top 10 Higher Education Institutions by Median Lifetime Return on Investment (ROI) in Michigan. A Hope College graduate's ROI is over $340,000 higher than the mean ROI according to the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. ($554,407 compared to $214,085).

Best value christian College for INternational Students

Hope College ranked #10 in the nation from a list of 50 Best Value Christian Colleges and Universities For International Students by studyabroadaide.com our dedication to providing an excellent, values-based, Christ-centered education for international students.

EDsmart

EDsmart ranks Hope the #4 Christian College based on affordability, student satisfaction, academic quality and the median earnings of former students. 

COMMITMENT TO ECONOMIC DIVERSITY

New York Times

Hope was included on The New York Times’ third annual College Access Index, a ranking of just 150 colleges based on their commitment to economic diversity. Headlined the “Top Colleges Doing the Most for the American Dream,” the ranking is based on a combination of the number of lower- and middle-income students enrolled and the price it charges these students.

BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS

In 2021, OnlineChristianColleges.com ranked Hope the #30 Most Beautiful Christian College Campuses in North America based on awards and recognition, student enjoyment, notable features, and historical significance/environmental friendliness.

CHANGING LIVES

Hope is included in the book Colleges that Change Lives, which recognizes 45 colleges that develop a lifelong love of learning and provides the foundation for a successful and fulfilling life beyond college. According to the book, “Hope is first rate across the board, attracting students because of the reputation of its programs. Hope raises higher education’s moral and intellectual level.”

Sustainability

Hope College has been honored with Tree Campus USA® recognition by the Arbor Day Foundation since 2018.

The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) commends Hope College with "Gold" status for its transparent, self-reporting framework used to measure sustainability performance. Hope is also recognized for being among the top colleges and universities in the nation for research related to sustainability.

Innovative

Out of the "50 Underrated Colleges Doing Great Things," Hope is ranked #23 by College Consensus who also ranked Hope #18 in Best Christian Colleges & Universities and #9 in Best Colleges and Universities in Michigan.

ADVANCING SCIENCE

Hope was named by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement as the #1 undergraduate institution for dollars received in the foundation’s 100-year history (2012).

Top 25 for Peace Corps Volunteers

Coming in at #22, Hope made the top 25 among small colleges and universities producing Peace Corps Volunteers in 2017 — the only school from Michigan on the "small institutions" list and one of only three Michigan institutions of any size to be recognized.

INCLUDED IN THE LATEST EDITIONS OF:

• All-American Colleges: Top Schools for Conservatives, Old-Fashioned Liberals and People of Faith
• Putting Students First: How Colleges Develop Students Purposefully 
  Hope is one of of 10 faith-based colleges highlighted for doing an exemplary job in educating students holistically.
• Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers
  Hope’s dance and writing programs recognized as among the best in the nation.
• The Insider's Guide to Colleges

OTHER NOTABLES

• The first private, four-year, undergraduate liberal arts college in the country to achieve national accreditation in all four of the arts. 
• 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. One of only several dozen Baker Scholars Programs in the country.
• One of only 286 institutions in the U.S. to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest scholastic honorary society.
• Hope is ranked #22 Best Bachelor’s in Biology in the country for 2021 by BachelorsDegreeCenter.org.
• 13th in the nation for CPA exam pass rates among 294 comparable institutions
• 77% of Hope graduates were employed and 24% were in graduate school within six months of graduation.
• 92% of Hope seniors who apply to graduate school are accepted to their first or second choice.
• 85% of Hope pre-med students with a 3.5 GPA or higher are accepted to medical school.
• 75% of all Hope pre-med students get into medical school.
• On average, Hope’s medical school acceptance rate is more than 30% higher than the national average for all applicants.
• 86% of Hope pre-dental students with a 3.3 GPA or higher get into dental school.
• 85% of Hope pre-law students are accepted to law school.
• 82% of the most recent graduating class are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their jobs.
• Hope ranks in the top 0.7% of colleges for graduates pursuing Ph.D.s in chemistry.
• Hope ranks among the top 5% of colleges for grads pursuing Ph.D.s in all fields.
• Hope grads consistently land fellowships at top Ph.D. programs — Cornell, Duke, Harvard, Michigan, Stanford and more.

See the Grad Survey with data from our most recent graduating class