History

• Founded in 1823, one of the oldest colleges in the country. 

• Independent, nonsectarian liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut.

• Eighth oldest chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in the country.

Points of Pride

• Trinity’s key asset is the strength and quality of faculty and student interaction. The student-to-teacher ratio is 10:1.

• Trinity is consistently ranked among the nation’s best colleges:

  • In the 2002 U.S. News and World Report rankings, Trinity was among the top 25 Best Liberal Arts Colleges, and ranked 9th among the nation’s most selective Liberal Arts Colleges.

  • In Kaplan’s 2001 Guide to the Best Colleges, Trinity is profiled as "an All-round Gem."

  • In 2000, the College was recognized for its efforts to enhance campus diversity in aMagazine: Inside Asian America and the Kaplan DayStar Guide to Colleges for African-American Students.

  • In 2000, Yahoo! Internet Life ranked Trinity as one of the top 10 "Most Wired Liberal Arts Colleges in the Nation."

  • In 1999 (and 1977), Trinity received an honorable mention for the Time/Princeton Review’s “College of the Year” award.

• Trinity’s involvement in Hartford is a deep-rooted tradition:

  • The College supports an expanding program of urban academic initiatives
    to incorporate community learning and research into Trinity courses.

  • More than half of all undergraduates complete at least one internship in the
    Hartford area, and nearly half participate in community service projects.

  • Trinity is leading a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization program
    through strong partnerships forged with area organizations. Most notable
    among its successes is the nationally acclaimed Learning Corridor.

• Trinity is one of only a few liberal arts college whose engineering program is certified by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. 30% of the engineering students are female, compared to a national average of 18%.

• Trinity’s faculty and alumni have won Pulitzer Prizes, Guggenheims, Rockefellers, a MacArthur, and many other distinguished awards.

The Students

• The undergraduate student body consists of 1,950 students, 50% female, 50% male, 19% minorities.

• Students come from 46 states and 41 foreign countries. The states with the largest number of students are: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, California.

• There are 112 student organizations on campus. 18% of students join Greek societies.

• The most popular majors are Political Science, Economics, History, English.

• About 40% participate in intercollegiate athletics and even more play intramural sports. The men’s squash team has won the National Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association team championship three years in a row.

 The Faculty

• The College has 196 full-time faculty, 44% female, 56% male, 15% minorities. 91% hold the highest academic degree in their field.

• All faculty members teach both introductory and advanced courses. They also engage in scholarship and research, often with undergraduates.

• Members of the faculty have received prestigious grants from many sources to assist in teaching and research, including the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, International Research Exchange Program, NASA, Pew Charitable Trusts, W.M. Keck Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The Curriculum

• Trinity offers 36 majors, including engineering, computer science and 9 interdisciplinary offerings, with more than 970 courses to choose from.

• Nearly half of the students study abroad, including at Trinity’s own global learning sites in such locations as South Africa, Trinidad, and Russia.  Other  curricular options include domestic study programs, internships, independent study, and self-designed interdisciplinary majors.

• Special programs include the Guided Studies Program, Interdisciplinary Science Program, Cities Program, Human Rights Program, and the Tutorial College for selected sophomores.

The Campus

• Trinity’s 100-acre campus is located in the capital city of Hartford, CT.

• Trinity is currently engaged in an extensive campus revitalization project to create a campus that better supports Trinity's educational mission.

• New campus buildings include the Admissions and Career Services Center, the Jewish cultural center named Zachs Hillel House, and the Summit residential complex. Other projects include the Vernon Street revitalization effort and several athletic facility renovations.

• Trinity’s Library is in the midst of a $35-million renovation and expansion that will transform the present facility into a state-of-the-art headquarters for learning. The Library houses one of the largest and most comprehensive college library collections in New England, with over one million print and 250,000 microform and audiovisual materials.  The nationally distinguished collections include the Enders Ornithology Collection.

• Off campus, the 223-acre Trinity College Field Station at Church Farm in Ashford, CT, is dedicated to research in the natural sciences and a wide range of environmental educational endeavors. Plans are being developed for use of Church Farm buildings to support programs in the arts.

Admissions, Financial Aid

• A record number of students applied last year (5,476) for the class of 2005, and the percentage that Trinity admitted (30%) was one of the lowest among the top liberal arts colleges, placing Trinity among the most selective colleges in the country.

• Trinity’s comprehensive financial aid program represents a College commitment of over $14 million. Approximately 45% of students receive some form of aid. The College continues to meet all of the demonstrated financial need of students who qualify for such assistance. 

College Financial Picture

• Trinity’s strong financial footing is based on a record of 31 years of consecutive balanced budgets, an achievement matched by few other colleges, as well as on the strength and rapid growth of its endowment, increasing eight-fold in the last two decades.

• The market value of the College’s total endowment is $343 million as of June 30, 2001.  The operating budget is $86.5 million, net of financial aid. Gifts and pledges to Trinity totaled $31 million in FY01, nearly three times more than the amount ten years ago.

Alumni

• Trinity alumni live in all 50 states as well as outside the United States.  Nearly 70% of the Trinity alumni who graduated five or more years ago went on to graduate school. 36% have rewarding careers in business, 15% in education, 12% in legal services, and 8% in science and engineering.

• Trinity’s alumni stand out nationally for their leadership in every walk of life and include noted researchers, renowned figures in the arts, a stunning array of corporate chief executives, and powerful voices in economic, political, and social thought.