A Trinity College education is one of the most important investments you will ever make. It is an investment not only for today but also for a lifetime. While you and your parents are making a financial commitment to your education, Trinity has made its own commitment to meet the full, calculated need of all of our admitted candidates. Together, we can make it possible for you to attain a Trinity College degree, a well-known mark of achievement.
The expense of an education at Trinity is often more than a student and his or her family can meet during the four undergraduate years. The College recognizes this and has, therefore, established a substantial financial aid program designed to provide assistance to deserving students who desire to study at Trinity.
Central to the College’s aid program is the concept of financial need. The College assumes that the parents and the student together will accept responsibility for as great a share of the total educational costs as possible. Where such family resources are inadequate, the College will provide supplementary assistance.
Many students and parents are surprised to learn they qualify for assistance. In one recent first-year class, the median family income of students receiving aid was $83,000. As a general rule, families are encouraged to apply for aid if there are doubts about their ability to finance the education. Approximately 40 percent of Trinity’s undergraduates are receiving need-based financial help from College, federal, or state funds.
Funds to support the financial aid program come from several sources. A portion of the College’s endowment has been specifically reserved for scholarship purposes. These funds are augmented by the College, which allocates a part of its annual operating budget toward the maintenance of the program. In addition, gifts from alumni, parents, and friends are an important source of funds for grant and loan purposes. Federal Pell grants, Perkins loans, Stafford loans, state scholarships, and private grants are also available. Finally, the College administers a large student employment program.
All student financial assistance is renewable yearly, assuming that a student's family continues to demonstrate calculated need. Financial documentation must be updated each year to provide the College the opportunity to recalculate your need as family circumstances change or as college costs rise.