Purpose: The study examines a mediated mechanism for enhancing students' engagement i.e. peer, intellectual and academic engagement within a higher education setup via the interaction of hope and mindfulness. Design/methodology/approach: Data were conveniently collected using self-reported questionnaires from a sample of 542 students. PLSc-SEM was used to test the stated hypotheses. Findings: Results from the analysis showed hope and mindfulness positively predict student academic, peer and intellectual engagements. Furthermore, mindfulness positively mediates the effect of hope on academic, peer and intellectual engagements. Practical implications: This study demonstrates that management of higher institutions must develop effective and efficient policies targeted at enhancing students' hope and mindful awareness. Originality/value: This paper is the first to examine a model involving mindfulness, hope and peer, intellectual and academic engagement.