The largest incoming class in Hope College history has helped lift Hope to record enrollment for a second year in a row.
Hope has enrolled 3,343 students this year, a total buoyed by the 904 first-time students who enrolled this fall.
The previous highs, both set last year, were 3,249 and 848 respectively. It is the seventh year in a row that overall enrollment at Hope has been above 3,200.
The enrollment by class, with last year’s class in parentheses, is: freshmen, 889 (847); sophomores, 818 (756); juniors, 728 (698); seniors, 816 (867); and special students, 92 (81). The student body consists of 1,338 men and 2,005 women from 45 states and territories and 35 foreign countries.
The largest representation is from Michigan with 2,272 students. Other states represented with 10 or more students include: Illinois, 467; Indiana, 95; Ohio, 71; Wisconsin, 53; California and Minnesota, 42 each; Florida, 21; Colorado, 20; Pennsylvania, 19; Iowa, 15; New Jersey, 14; New York, Texas and Virginia, 13 each; and Kansas, 11.
Foreign countries represented in the student body include: Afghanistan, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Canada, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, India, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam.
Students transferring to Hope from other colleges and universities total 47, compared with 64 in 2011. There are 85 students in off-campus programs, compared to 77 last year.
Hope College was chartered in 1866 and is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA). The college offers courses in 89 majors leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.