The trickle of students who began arriving at Trinity College early in the week is expected to turn into a deluge Friday when residential communities open to first-year students and the buildings swell with life.
Among the faces in the crowd that will assemble on the Main Quad on the afternoon of August 25 will be 590 members of the Class of 2027, culled from 6,492 applications. They will join their families and the College’s faculty and staff for the President’s Convocation and Matriculation Ceremony, which marks the official start of the academic year.
“Each and every one belongs at Trinity,” said Matthew S. Hyde, dean of admissions and financial aid, who will welcome the new students at Convocation. “There are no imposters here … My admissions & financial aid teammates did not make any mistakes.”
The newest class can be described by many measures. One member even celebrates her birthday on move-in day, said Hyde.
More members of the Class of 2027 are female than male—55 percent to 45 percent, respectively.
Most hail from the United States, but 74 students—or 13 percent—are from nations around the world. They represent 36 U.S. states and 46 foreign countries. Nearly half the class—273 students—are New Englanders.
Some students in the Class of 2027 call Hartford home. Other reside in capital cities around the globe including Beijing, Colombo, Hanoi, Kabul, Moscow, New Delhi, San Jose, Tokyo, Tripoli, Ulaanbaatar, and Washington D.C. The Bantam in the class who journeys the furthest to campus logs 9,376 miles across oceans and continents from his home in Melaka, Malaysia.
In all, 33 percent are students of color. Twenty-seven percent were recruited to represent the Bantams with their athletic prowess.
Significantly, 16 percent are the first in their family to attend college. Nearly three-quarters of the Class of 2027 applied for financial aid, and more than half—55 percent—had a demonstrated need. Nearly half decided to join the Trinity community through Early Decision.
Among the new class are 9 Posse Scholars, 5 Presidential Scholars, and 52 students are 1823 Scholars. There are 27 Davis United World College Scholars in the Class of 2026, plus 27 Arches Scholars.
Also of note among the new faces this year are 39 transfer students and 5 students in Trinity’s Individualized Degree Program (IDP), which welcomes those who are at least 24 years old or self-supporting.
At the end of the day, the students—and families who plan to attend the parent orientation—will gather on the Main Quad for the community cookout.
Afterward, remaining family members will depart, leaving their students for floor meetings and ice cream socials on their first night on campus, and a packed week of orientation before classes begin September 5.
