Important Update for Trinity College Students and Families
August 5, 2020
Dear Trinity Students and Families,
I hope this email finds you safe and healthy, as well as looking forward to returning to campus for the fall semester. As we prepare to welcome you, I write to provide information about our billing process for the 2020–21 academic year. Below you will find more about the following:
- Tuition was not increased for the upcoming year, and we reduced board rates by 5 percent.
- To maintain full-time student status, students must enroll in at least 4 credits in the fall and J-Term combined and 4 credits in the spring and summer terms combined.
- For meal plans, the college is offering the 19 Traditional Plan, the 15 Flex Plan, the 15-5 Flex Plan, and the Senior Plan.
- Refund policies—in case we need to return to remote instruction—have been established.
You already should have received an email notification about the fall 2020 semester student bill. The college has not increased tuition, the general fee, or room rates for the 2020–21 academic year, and we have lowered board rates by 5 percent. The new payment due date is August 26, 2020.
To maintain full-time student status and remain in good standing at the college, students must enroll in at least 4 credits in the fall and J-Term combined and 4 credits in the spring and summer terms combined. Students can take a maximum of 2 credits in J-Term, so they would need to register for at least 2 credits in the fall term to meet the 4-credit requirement. Seniors would need to make sure that the 4 credits needed for second semester are taken during the spring term since graduation will occur prior to the summer term. The maximum number of credits that may be taken in 2020–21 without surcharge is 11.5.
Due to COVID-19, the college and Chartwells have revised the meal-plan program for 2020–21. The program will consist of the 19 Traditional Plan, the 15 Flex Plan, the 15-5 Flex Plan, and the Senior Plan. We are discontinuing the 285 and the 255 Block Plans and the 19-10 Traditional Plan due to low usage during the 2019–20 academic year. The college will bill first-years and transfer students for the 19 Traditional Plan. The college will charge returning students for the plan they were on previously; if the plan is no longer available, they will be enrolled automatically in the 19 Traditional Plan. More information about meal-plan offerings can be found at www.dineoncampus.com/Trinity.
The Nelnet Campus Commerce system includes a detailed fall-term e-bill. Students can set up additional authorized payers in the Nelnet system. Please note that the current balance in the system may not represent the final amount due as your family makes decisions about housing and meal plans.
Given the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, we also want to share information about refunds if Trinity moves to a completely remote instruction model. These calculations will be the same regardless of whether the decision to switch to remote instruction is mandated by the state or federal government or decided by Trinity’s leadership. Room, board, and general fee expenses are eligible for refunds, and these refunds will be calculated on a prorated basis as the semester progresses (see details in the table below). Tuition is not included in the refund calculation, and all refunds would be issued net of any financial aid that is more than tuition. The refund calculation will begin the first Monday after the campus closes and moves to remote instruction.
| Week | Fall Refund Dates | Spring Refund Dates | Percentage Refunded |
| 1 | 9/7 or Before | 3/1 or Before | 100% |
| 2 | 9/14 | 3/8 | 88% |
| 3 | 9/21 | 3/15 | 76% |
| 4 | 9/28 | 3/22 | 64% |
| 5 | 10/5 | 3/29 | 52% |
| 6 | 10/12 | 4/5 | 40% |
| 7 | 10/19 | 4/12 | 28% |
| 8 | 10/26 | 4/19 | 16% |
| 9 | 11/2 | 4/26 | 4% |
| 10 | 11/9 or After | 5/3 or After | 0% |
Using the table above, if the college moves to remote learning prior to September 7 due to COVID-19 issues, students would be eligible for a 100 percent refund net of financial aid. If the campus moves to remote instruction on October 3, refunds would be calculated as of October 5, and students would be eligible for a 52 percent refund net of financial aid.
If a student must withdraw due to individual circumstances, that student’s refund will follow our existing personal withdrawal policy for refunds. A student who withdraws due to individual reasons before a campus closure, even if during the same semester as the campus closure, is not eligible for the refunds outlined above.
We appreciate your patience as we navigate this challenging time. If you have any questions, please contact the Student Accounts Office at [email protected] or 860-297-2028.
Sincerely,
Dan Hitchell
Vice President for Finance and Operations
