换妻社区 has announced the 鈥�Anchored Tuition Pledge,鈥� committing to hold tuition at the starting rate for each incoming class beginning with the fall 2022 semester 鈥� and to keep it at the present level for all current students.
鈥溾�楢nchored Tuition鈥� means that the tuition rate you start with is the tuition rate you end with,鈥� said 换妻社区 President Matthew A. Scogin. 鈥淭his will give students and their families financial peace of mind and confidence in setting their personal budgets for the years ahead.鈥�
鈥淚t is yet another 鈥榥ew thing鈥� we are doing at Hope to begin to correct the broken business model of higher education,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or decades, the rate of college tuition has risen at double the rate of inflation. With 鈥楢nchored Tuition,鈥� we are saying, 鈥楴o more.鈥欌��
Through the 鈥淎nchored Tuition Pledge,鈥� the present annual, full-time tuition rate of $36,300 that has been in place since the fall of 2020 will remain constant for all current students for the duration of their time at the college. For freshmen and transfer students who enroll beginning next fall, full-time tuition will be $37,990 and will stay there through the duration of their time at Hope.
The 鈥淎nchored Tuition Pledge鈥� is a component of the college鈥檚 鈥淗ope Forward鈥� initiative, announced in July, to one day fund a Hope education for all students through gifts rather than tuition. In a 鈥淗ope Forward鈥� model, students鈥� education would be fully funded up front and students would then commit to give to Hope after graduation. Achieving that goal is a long-term ambition estimated to require increasing the college鈥檚 endowment by about $1.1 billion.
In the meantime, an anonymous gift is enabling Hope to pilot the 鈥淗ope Forward鈥� paradigm for two groups of about 20 students enrolling this past fall and this coming fall. In addition, Hope held the 2021-22 tuition rate at the 2020-21 level for all students.
鈥溾�楢nchored Tuition鈥� is a next step in 鈥楬ope Forward,鈥欌�� Scogin said. 鈥淓ven as we are bringing in cohorts of students to pilot our 鈥楬ope Forward鈥� model and plan to continue to do so, we are committed to making a Hope education more affordable and accessible to all students. As fundraising for 鈥楬ope Forward鈥� continues, we hope we can eventually eliminate tuition increases that affect even the incoming class and ultimately begin to lower it until every student鈥檚 tuition is fully funded.鈥�
The 鈥淎nchored Tuition Pledge鈥� and 鈥淗ope Forward鈥� models don鈥檛 apply to room, board and annual fees, whose cost could vary with inflation. For students in 2022-23, those costs will total $11,470.
The new program鈥檚 use of the word 鈥渁nchored鈥� connects more deeply to the college than simply the common definition of an anchor holding something steady. The anchor is the symbol of Hope, inspired by founder Rev. Albertus C. Van Raalte, who described the Pioneer School from which the college grew as his 鈥渁nchor of Hope for this people in the future.鈥� The symbolism follows the Epistle to the Hebrews 6:19, 鈥淲e have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul...鈥�
鈥淩everend Van Raalte and Holland鈥檚 pioneers established the Pioneer School and ultimately 换妻社区 because they recognized the importance of education,鈥� Scogin said. 鈥淭hey were initially seeking to make a transformational Christian education accessible to the young people of the community, an ambition that quickly grew to encompass the nation and the world. 鈥楢nchored Tuition鈥� and 鈥楬ope Forward鈥� are ways that we are carrying that vision ahead for new generations.鈥�
Learn more about the Anchored Tuition Pledge