A College Education is too Expensive

A College Education is too Expensive

Hope is going to change that. Hope Forward is an entirely new funding model that will provide fully-funded tuition for every student at Hope College.

Instead of charging tuition before receiving a transformative Hope education, this “pay it forward” approach will ask students to give to the college after they graduate — providing the same opportunity for future students. And because they will graduate free from the burden of debt, they’ll be better positioned to pursue lives of impact, not just income to pay the bills.

A college funding model based on generosity and giving? We believe that could change everything.

About Hope ForwardWays to Give

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A Catalyst for Hope

Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell hosted a dynamic keynote presentation at Hope College’s Catalyst Summit, which provided an energizing exploration of how to improve access to college.

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College Without Tuition | SXSW EDU 2022

College will never be free. The question we need to ask is: who should pay for it, and when? The current model — used throughout higher ed — forces students to pay a lot at the poorest point in their lives, burdening them with debt for decades. But a bold new way called "Hope Forward" flips the current model on its head.

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Follow the Money: How Student Loans Derailed American Higher Education

Every student who takes Economics 101 learns the concept of supply and demand—specifically, how a decrease in the supply of a good or resource drives up its cost. Can supply-and-demand theory also explain the rising cost of attending college?

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Why the Four-Year Degree is Still the Best “Pathway Program”

This op-ed is the third in a series in which President Matthew Scogin from Hope College will be exploring the ways that the economics of higher education influence the decisions students make about their education—and what we (as a country) can do to improve access to higher education.

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Rethinking the Economic Model of Higher Education

This op-ed is the second in a series by President Scogin. "The discussion around improving access to higher education -- specifically due to the decades-long price increase of a four-year degree -- is typically framed as whether or not college should be free."

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To Preserve the American Dream, Improve Access to Higher Ed

This op-ed is the first in a series in which President Scogin be exploring the ways that the economics of higher education influence the decisions students make about their education—and what we (as a country) can do to improve access to higher education.

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Hope Forward: Three Pillars

  • Being transformed by Hope should not come with a price tag.

    Accessibility
  • Graduates give out of gratitude for the gift they have received.

    Generosity
  • Hope Forward will transform our relationship with students and alumni.

    Community