Hope Theory (Snyder, 1994; 2002) is a framework through which goal pursuit has been studied over the past two decades. According to Snyder (2002), individuals with higher levels of hope, as compared to their lower hope peers, set goals that are higher quality and are better able to generate routes to achieve their goals, predict and overcome obstacles, and effectively harness mental energy during goal pursuit. Hope Theory posits that these goal setting behaviors act as the mechanisms through which hope and goal attainment are related (Snyder, 1994; 2002). Empirical research supports the relation between hope and goal setting behaviors (Cheavens, Heiy, Feldman, & Rand, under review; Snyder et al., 1991) as well as the link between hope and goal outcome (e.g., Feldman, Rand, & Wrobleski, 2009; Guter & Cheavens, 2016). Furthermore, Goal Setting Theory research links related goal properties (e.g., difficulty, specificity, importance) to goal attainment (Locke & Latham, 2006). However, the complete model in which the relation between hope and goal outcome is mediated by goal setting behaviors has not yet been tested. In this study, we sought to address this gap using a longitudinal design of goal setting and pursuit among a sample of college students (Study 1: N = 121; Study 2: N = 139). As predicted, hope significantly predicted goal outcome. However, while there were positive, small-to-medium sized associations between hope and self-reported goal commitment, confidence, and perceived effectiveness of planned pathways, hope was not significantly related to coder-rated (i.e., “objective”) goal setting. Furthermore, only self-reported goal commitment and confidence, not objective ratings of goal setting, significantly mediated of the relation between hope and goal outcome. Using exploratory analyses, we found that hope moderated the relation between goal quality and 2-month goal outcomes such that at lower levels of hope, individuals who set higher quality goals achieved their goals at rates indistinguishable from higher-hope individuals, while at higher levels of hope, goal achievement was not related to goal quality. If replicated, these findings suggest that the mechanisms of successful goal pursuit may differ at lower and higher levels of hope and that goal setting interventions focused on setting high quality goals and pathways may be of particular benefit to lower-hope individuals. In addition to providing information about the relations between hope, goal setting, and goal outcome, the results illuminate methodological considerations for future research.