Admissions Volunteer Program Manual

The mission of the Trinity College Admissions Volunteer Program is to enhance Admissions Office programs by engaging the talents and energies of alumni, parents, and friends of the college who want to be involved in the effort to enroll outstanding students. The primary function of an AVP volunteer is to act as an ambassador for and to promote awareness of the college. Personal attention and close relationships among members of Trinity’s community are defining characteristics of our institution. By taking an active interest in a prospective student and communicating with that student during his or her college search process, a volunteer can demonstrate the essential character and values of Trinity College. 

Engage. Connect. Transform. As the preeminent liberal arts college in an urban setting, Trinity College prepares students to be bold, independent thinkers who lead transformative lives.  

We engage. We foster critical, reflective engagement with scholarship and the creative arts as well as with one another and the wider world. Our location in Connecticut’s capital offers excellent opportunities for engagement beyond the classroom in internships, student research, and community learning.  

We connect. We link students, faculty, and staff to form a diverse community of learning. The connections of Hartford and Trinity College engage students as global citizens in the wider world, and a network of devoted alumni provide lifelong opportunities for Trinity graduates.  

We transform. We combine the liberal arts with life in a diverse city, enabling students to learn what they love, to build confidence, and to become leaders and innovators. We support all members of our community in achieving their potential and in moving forward with the skills to navigate and transform a dynamic world.  

Trinity College is where the liberal arts meet the real world. 

All volunteers must agree to and abide by our Confidentiality Policy and our Eligibility Policy. Both policies and their accompanying forms are available on the AVP Portal for volunteers to review and complete. 

Confidentiality Policy 

In order to carry out volunteer duties, members of the Admissions Volunteer Program may be given access to information that is considered confidential. All members of the Admissions Volunteer Program are required to abide by the confidentiality policy laid out by the Trinity College Admissions Office. 

Click here to read the complete Trinity College Confidentiality Policy 

All admissions volunteers will be required to have completed and signed an electronic Confidentiality Agreement through their volunteer portal in order to participate in the Admissions Volunteer Program. This form must be completed only once. Once a volunteer signs the Confidentiality Agreement, they will be held to it in perpetuity.  

Eligibility Policy 

All admissions volunteers are required to complete an Eligibility Form on an annual basis in order to opt in and continue their participation in the Admissions Volunteer Program (AVP). The Eligibility Form will be made available to all volunteers on the AVP Portal.  

Volunteers who are found to have a conflict of interest in a given year will not be allowed to volunteer in that particular admissions cycle, but may volunteer in future cycles when they meet the eligibility requirements. A volunteer has a conflict of interest and may not participate in AVP if they: 

• have a family member who is applying to college in the current admissions cycle, regardless of whether that family member plans to apply to Trinity College; 
• are employed by an admissions, financial aid, or related department of a college or university; 
• work as a high school college counselor/adviser, as an educational/college consultant, or provide services relating to college applications such as essay writing, test prep, or application review; 
• serve as a volunteer for any other undergraduate institution. 

College Overview 

• An independent, nonsectarian liberal arts college located in the capital city of Hartford, Connecticut
• Student/faculty ratio of 9:1
• Approximately 2,194 undergraduate men and women from 48 states and 78 countries; 49.5% identify as male and 50.5% identify as female*, 23% students of color, 13% international students
• Degrees offered: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts
• Among the country’s most selective colleges
• Founded in 1823—one of the oldest colleges in the country, second oldest in state of CT
• Nation’s eighth oldest chapter of Phi Beta Kappa
• For current tuition and fee information, please click here. 

* Using federal race/ethnicity and gender categories as defined by the national center for education statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. Trinity College recognizes a broader ranged of identities in the student, faculty, and staff community

Founded in the spring of 1823 as Washington College (the name was changed in 1845), Trinity was only the second college in Connecticut, Yale being the first. Although its principle founder and first president, RT. Rev. Thomas Brownell, was the Episcopalian Bishop of Connecticut, its charter prohibits the imposition of religious standards on any student, faculty members, or other members of the college, consistent with the forces of religious diversity and toleration in force at the time.  

A year after opening, Trinity moved to its first campus, which consisted of two Greek Revival-style buildings, one housing a chapel, library, and lecture rooms and the other a dormitory. Within a few years the student body grew to nearly one hundred, a size that was rarely exceeded until the 20th century. In 1872 an important step toward the future was taken when the trustees sold the “College Hill” campus to the City of Hartford as the site for a new state capitol. Six years later, the college moved to its present 100-acre location.  

The buildings that surround the main quad are generally viewed as America’s earliest examples of “Collegiate Gothic” architecture and, together with the imposing Gothic chapel completed in 1932, are a compelling reminder of the medieval origins of collegiate institutions. They became a model for other institutions and set the standard for college architecture. Even today, they are studied by architectural historians, and their 2008 renovation has been celebrated enthusiastically in the restoration world. 

To read more about the history and traditions of Trinity College, click here.  

Students at Trinity can choose from a diverse and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that broadens the mind and deepens knowledge. Trinity’s curricular philosophy is based on the belief that active learning – learning that becomes a truly engaging and lasting process – flourishes when students have both responsibility for shaping their academic programs, as well as close working relationships with faculty. 

Students are provided with a basic direction through a distribution requirement (one course in each of five categories: the Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, Numerical & Symbolic Reasoning, and Social Sciences). In addition, all first-year students must complete either a first-year seminar or one semester in one of our 6 Gateway Programs, a two-course writing intensive requirement, a global engagement requirement, and a second-language requirement. 

For a list of our current majors and minors, please click here. 

Participation in clubs and organizations at Trinity is a great way for students to get involved, find their community, and make an impact on campus starting in their first year. At the annual Activities Fair, students learn about the organizations we have on campus and how to participate.  

With over 140 clubs and organizations, there is no shortage of ways to get involved at Trinity. You can read more about our organizations, club sports, and community and cultural houses here.  

Additionally, you can read about our Center for Hartford Engagement and Research here to learn how our students are getting involved in the Hartford community.  

Prospective students and other guests will be especially interested in learning about the nature of the residential experience at Trinity (i.e., academic programs, housing, and social life). The college is consistently seeking new ways to engage students in community-building activities and new avenues for students to pursue their academic and extracurricular interests within the dormitory environment. The Office of Campus Life is committed to developing policies, procedures, and programs that promote the academic, social, and personal success of the student body. 

In the months before they officially enroll at the college, first year students return a questionnaire detailing their personal habits and preferences. This questionnaire is used to assign each student a roommate. The most common housing arrangement for first year students is a one room double. First year students are also placed in a Nest with the Bantam Network. These Nests are designed to support students in their transition to college life.  

Upper-class students have a wide array of residential choices made available to them through the Office of Campus Life. They can choose to be a part of the regular lottery system, apply for a place in a theme residence hall, or in themed housing. 

The Fred Pfeil Community Project (The Fred), housed in Summit East, is a residentially based social program that aims to provide an inclusive student space where social, cultural, and intellectual interests intersect. The members of The Fred host weekly events ranging from reading groups to concerts. All events hosted at The Fred are open to the entire student body. 

Other special program halls available to students include “quiet,” Wellness/Substance Free, Coed Suites, and the cooking unit residence hall.

Trinity seeks a diverse group of highly motivated students who have completed a rigorous course of study in secondary school and have demonstrated talent, energy, and leadership in a variety of extracurricular activities. Trinity has no specific GPA minimums or test-score cutoffs. The college is highly selective with an acceptance rate of 33%. 

At least 16 academic units are recommended, including a minimum of four years of English, three years of foreign language, two years of laboratory science, two years of algebra, one year of geometry, and two years of history. Transfer students with a 3.0 GPA in a strong course of study at another accredited college or university will be considered for admission to the sophomore or junior classes. 

It is important to remember that there is no single determining factor in whether an applicant is accepted or not. Factors that are considered by the Admissions Office are: 

• Potential for success at Trinity as demonstrated by the applicant’s high school record.
• Rank in class or grade point average (when available). The competitiveness of the high school and the level of course work (Honors, Advanced Placement, or IB courses) are also considered.
• One recommendation letter that can speak to academic experience. Additional submissions are optional.
• Standardized test scores: SAT or ACT optional. Students whose first language is not English should support the TOEFL, IETLS, or DuoLingo English Test.
• Extracurricular activities and community involvement and/or employment. Remember, the quality of involvement is important, not the quantity.
• Personal interview (not required, but strongly recommended)
• Personal essay
• Other special interests, talents, (athletic, artistic, musical) or connections to the college (alumni children)

To learn about admissions requirements, including deadline, please click here. 

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 our newly admitted first-year financial aid candidates. Together, we can make it possible for you to attain a Trinity College degree. 

Because we are committed to meeting the full, calculated financial need of all the financial aid applicants that we admit, we encourage applicants to apply for aid if there is any doubt that they and their families can finance their full cost of education. Approximately 65 percent of our student body receives need-based financial assistance from Trinity and an additional 4 percent receives financial assistance from federal, state, and private funds. Each year, the college commits more than $60 million of our own funds to financial aid.

For more information about financial aid, please click here.