Students

Admissions

The admission process begins when a prospective student expresses interest in the HWPEP by sending a note to their facility’s Corrections Program Coordinator (CPC) for Post-Secondary Education. Prospective students are evaluated by the Michigan Department of Corrections to ensure they meet the program’s eligibility criteria:

• Must have at least six years until their Earliest Release Date (ERD), giving sufficient time to complete the program
• Must have a high school diploma or a GED
• Must have a record of good behavior for at least 12 months

Qualifying candidates are added to a waiting list and will complete an application in March of each calendar year. The application includes a series of written essays designed to assess an applicant’s readiness for college-level learning and the transformation it generates. A Hope College admissions committee selects approximately 20 candidates for admission to the program. Admitted students are transferred to the Muskegon Correctional Facility in June to begin classes in the summer semester.

Curriculum

All HWPEP students participate in a traditional liberal arts education offered in the context of the historic Christian faith. The program lasts at least four calendar years and requires 120 credit-hours.

Students at Muskegon Correctional Facility follow the same program of general education as traditional students on the Holland campus, including:

• Mathematics and Natural Science
• Fine Arts
• Humanities
• Social Sciences

HWPEP students major in Faith, Leadership, and Service, a course of study combining religion, the humanities and social sciences. The major is designed to bring about personal transformation and to equip graduates with a vision of and skills for leadership and service that can be put to use in their community — whether inside or outside of prison.

Formation

HWPEP emphasizes whole-person development, including intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual formation. Formational activities are intertwined with classroom learning.

Co-curricular formational activities help students process their learning and consider how it shapes and equips them for service to others.