First-Year Students

In order to select fall classes, all incoming first-year students complete a registration survey. This survey asks you a few questions about yourself and allows you to request specific classes if you desire. After you submit the survey, Registrar’s Office staff will review your information, along with any credit that you have already earned, and create a fall schedule for you.

The registration survey will be emailed directly to your Hope account on Tuesday, May 23.

You will also need to complete the information for your academic advisor survey, emailed to you on June 27. This will help your advisor get a jump start at getting to know you.

If you still have questions about registration after you have reviewed these pages, email firstyearreg@hope.edu.

NUMBER OF CREDITS

Unless you specify otherwise, you will be taking 14–16 credits in your first semester. This usually translates to 4–5 courses. Completing 15 credits per semester for four years will result in earning the required 120 credits to graduate. That is why we recommend taking 14–16 in your first semester. If you have already earned AP, IB or transfer credit, or plan to enroll in a summer term, the number of credits you need to earn each semester may be reduced.

Twelve credits per semester is considered full time. If you are a foreign student, athlete or student with VA benefits, you need to earn at least 12 credits per semester.

Credits taken above 16 result in an extra charge of $620 per credit hour. More information about costs can be found on the Business Services website.

AP, IB OR TRANSFER CREDIT

If you took AP or IB tests, you can review those pages to see how your score corresponds to Hope credit. If you aren’t sure of your score, you can leave that section of the worksheet blank. We will review it before we create your schedule.

We receive AP and IB scores around the beginning of July. If you indicated you wanted your score sent to Hope when you took the test, it will be sent to Hope automatically. If you did not, you will need to request it directly from College Board (for AP) or IB.

If you have taken dual enrollment courses, you can request to have them apply to your Hope record. They must appear on an official transcript from an accredited institution of higher education. You will need to contact the institution to request that they send us your official transcript, with your final grades. More information can be found on the transfer credits page, under the Incoming Students accordion. After we receive your transcript, we will evaluate it and place the applicable credits onto your record.

After we place AP, IB or transfer credit on your record, you can view it on your unofficial transcript in plus.hope.edu:

1. Log into plus.hope.edu
2. From the menu items, choose Registrar and Student Accounts
3. Student Records
4. Unofficial Transcript
5. Submit

If you don't see your credit listed, it might mean a few things: For transfer credit, we may still be reviewing your transcript, or, we have not yet received it from the institution. For AP or IB credit (after the first week of July), it means we either did not receive your score, or your score was not high enough to earn Hope credit.

MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS

On the major recommendations page, you can see examples of courses you might see in your schedule. This page also provides a sample schedule for each major and a link to the academic department website. If you see a specific course you would like to see on your schedule, you can request it in your registration survey.

Some majors require that courses be taken in a specific sequence in order to complete your degree in four years. If certain courses are listed as required for your major, we will make sure to place you in those courses.

You can find requirements for each major and minor in the College Catalog.

It's okay if you're undecided on a major. We will place you in general education courses or a course for a major you tell us you are thinking about. You will have plenty of time to consider potential majors.

ANCHOR PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS

All Anchor Plan requirements must be met in order to graduate from Hope. You can look at the Anchor Plan recommendations for your first year to see courses you might see in your schedule. If you see a specific course you want on your schedule, you can request that in your survey.

SUBMIT THE INFORMATION FOR MY ACADEMIC ADVISOR SURVEY

The information for my academic advisor survey will be sent to your Hope email account on June 27. It due by July 21 and is a way for your advisor to get to know you a little bit before meeting you.

SUBMIT THE CLIFTONSTRENGTHS ASSESSMENT

The CliftonStrengths Assessment will offer insight into your top five personal strengths. Hope College uses CliftonStrengths in a variety of ways throughout campus, including Orientation and First-Year Seminar. Building an understanding of your strengths can add significant insight into your overall personal and career development and can positively impact your academic success while at Hope College.

The Boerigter Center for Calling and Career and Academic Advising ask that all incoming first-year students complete this assessment by July 21.

general information

This assessment will take 30–45 minutes to complete. There are no wrong answers and you are encouraged to 'go with your gut' in terms of how you respond. Each question has a 20-second timer, so, again, these are meant to be fast and measure your first inclination. You will have access to your results once you have completed your assessment but no further action is required before your arrival to campus.

COMPLETING THE ASSESSMENT

1. Go to hope.gallup.com
2. Click New Account below the Register heading.
3. On the Registration page, enter your information in the available fields and when done, select the "I have read and agree …" box. You will be asked to create a username and password. Be sure to use your Hope email address as your username. Then click Create Account.
4. You will receive an email confirming your registration. Click the link in the email to complete your registration.
5. The link will return you to hope.gallup.com. Log in with your username and password that you created. Click the Let’s Get Started button to complete your assessment. 

Your CliftonStrengths results, along with many additional resources from Gallup, will be immediately available to review one you have completed the assessment.

If you have questions or are experiencing difficulty, use the help feature on the Gallup site or email EducationHelp@gallup.com.

If you have already taken CliftonStrengths prior to coming to Hope College, please contact the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career at careers@hope.edu for instructions on integrating your results with Hope's system.