Hope College has enrolled a record number of students for the second year in a row, a total that includes a record number of first-time students.

Hope has enrolled 3,068 students this fall, including 811 students in college for the first time. The previous overall high was 3,035 in the fall of 2002, and the previous high for first-time students was 763 in the fall of 2001. The college has set records for overall enrollment in five of the past six years and for first-time enrollment in four of the past six.

The student body is comprised of 1,162 men and 1,906 women from 45 states and territories and 32 foreign countries.

The enrollment by class, with last year's class in parentheses, is: freshmen, 835 (758); sophomores, 719 (759); juniors, 697 (659); seniors, 745 (757); and special students, 72 (102).

Students transferring to Hope from other colleges and universities total 53, compared with 59 in 2002. There are 93 students in off-campus programs, compared to 105 last year.

The largest representation is from Michigan with 2,320 students, followed by Illinois, 306; Indiana, 95; Ohio, 60; New York, 50; Wisconsin, 32; Minnesota, 24; Iowa, 20; New Jersey, 18; Colorado and Pennsylvania, 13 each; and Missouri, 11.

Foreign countries represented in the student body include: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kosovo, Liberia, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Hope College was chartered in 1866 and is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA). The college offers courses in 73 majors leading to a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.