Student-Faculty Research

Honored repeatedly in 2017 for the quality of its undergraduate research program, Hope College is a magnet for students who want to dive into genuine scholarly work as undergraduates. Mentored collaborative research happens year-round — during the fall and spring semesters, in specialized May Term and June Term courses, and during the summer.

Hope’s program is unusually broad and deep: At the college’s 16th Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance in spring 2017, 357 Hope students from 28 departments and programs presented their work. During the academic year that ended in May 2017, Hope faculty formally supervised 295 students in research during the academic year, plus 182 students over the summer. Participating students frequently become co-authors on articles published in peer-reviewed professional journals.

2017 Honors

  • The Council on Undergraduate Research selected Hope as one of just three colleges and universities nationwide to receive its annual Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments. Hope is the only college in Michigan that has received this award, which is in its third year.
  • U.S. News & World Report lauded Hope in its 2018 Best Colleges guide (published in 2017) as exceptional for its emphasis on undergraduate research and creative projects. Hope is one of only 12 national liberal arts colleges that made the list — and one of only 42 institutions of all types.
  • For an unprecedented eighth time, a foundation that sponsors bio-medical research recognized Hope College’s excellence in faculty-student collaborative research. The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation awarded $104,000 to Hope to support four Hope science majors as they conduct research mentored by a Hope faculty member. The college received its first such award from Beckman 1998, and since then has named 26 Beckman Scholars. Ten now have Ph.D.s, four have obtained M.D.s, and two earned both; eight more are currently in graduate school. Hope’s Beckman Scholars have published 37 papers based on their work at Hope, and 214 papers based on graduate, postdoctoral, or independent work.