With many families struggling because of the economic impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Hope College will hold tuition, room and board at the same level during 2021-22 as during the current academic year. The move is also a step forward toward the college’s longer-term goal of making a Hope education more accessible and affordable for all students.
“In part, this freeze is our response to a difficult year that Hope students and families have endured,” said President Matthew A. Scogin. “We know that, for many students and families, financial hardship was a particular source of adversity. It is our hope that, by keeping tuition flat, we can help mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19 on Hope’s students and families.”
“The decision to keep costs flat, however, is more than simply a response to challenging times. Against the spiraling cost of higher education, it is a deliberate move to be counter-cultural,” he continued. “Sure, given the headwinds and future uncertainty, it would be easiest to follow what’s always been done. But we are committed to a longer-term ambition to make Hope more affordable and accessible.”
During his inaugural address in September 2019, Scogin cited addressing the business model of higher education as a major priority for his presidency. The coming school year will be the first time that Hope has frozen tuition since the 1960s.
The total direct costs during the current, 2020-21 school year, and for 2021-22, are $47,590. The total includes $36,300 for tuition; $5,020 for room; $5,920 for board (21 meals per week); and a $350 activity and support services fee.
Hope’s tuition, room and board, and fees are among the lowest compared to peer colleges and universities. For example, Hope’s direct costs during the current school year are the second lowest among the 13 colleges and universities that are members of the Great Lakes Colleges Association, where tuition, room and board, and fees range from $44,783 to $75,888.