Admission to Trinity College
This page offers an overview of admissions policies and processes. For complete information, visit the Trinity College Admissions and Aid website.
General Admission Policy
Enrollment in the first-year class totals approximately 575 full-time students. Since the College desires to maintain a community of students with diverse backgrounds and interests, and because the number of applicants greatly exceeds the number of places available, admission is the result of a highly selective process.
The College uses a holistic approach to student admissions with emphasis placed on high school transcripts, recommendation letters, leadership positions, work history, involvement in school and community activities, and other characteristics that predict success. Applicants should be well prepared for Trinity’s academic work and have the desire to contribute to campus and community activities.
Applicants for admission must apply by completing the Common Application. Additional pertinent information about the application process and application deadlines can be found here.
Personal Qualities and Character
Trinity is keenly interested in attracting and admitting candidates who not only demonstrate academic strength, but also desire to take initiative, search for truth, promote social justice, and build community. We place great value in a candidate’s capacity to move beyond the limits of personal achievement to involvement in the life of the community at large. We seek candidates who take an interest in the lives and welfare of others and/or place themselves in situations that call for personal initiative and leadership. We believe that such experiences develop an individual’s appreciation of ethical issues and may well enhance the capacity to make a difference in the society one will enter as a college graduate.
We believe that students should aspire to develop integrity as well as intelligence during their high school years. In addition to extracurricular, and academic talent, we recognize in the admissions process the development of strong personal qualities. Our pluralistic and democratic society requires many qualities from its leaders as it seeks to meet the challenges of the years ahead; character is certainly one of them.
Secondary School Requirements
Trinity requires a diploma from and certification by an accredited secondary school or a GED. An applicant’s academic program should consist of at least 16 academic units, typically including the following number of courses: English (four years), foreign language (three years), laboratory science (two years), algebra (two years), geometry (one year), and history (two years).
Because Trinity’s curriculum assumes entering students will have prepared themselves academically in depth as well as in breadth, successful applicants offer considerably more work than this in college preparatory courses.
Applicants who have academic programs that do not include study in the subject areas or for the number of years listed above should contact the Admissions Office for advice.
Trinity College supports the efforts of secondary school officials and governing bodies to have their schools achieve, when possible, regional accredited status to provide reliable assurance of the quality of the educational preparation of its applicants for admission.
Standardized Testing Requirements
Trinity does not require the ACT of the American College Testing Program, the SAT I Reasoning Test of the College Board, or SAT II Subject Tests. If an applicant chooses to submit test scores, it is the applicant’s responsibility to have scores sent to the Trinity Admissions Office. Trinity’s CEEB code is 3899. Trinity’s ACT code is 0598.
Trinity College requires all international applicants to demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting one of the following exams: Duolingo English Test, the International English Language Test (IELTS), or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Applicants are required to submit official English test scores. Applicants may request a waiver of the English proficiency requirement if they meet certain criteria outlined in the English Proficiency section of the Admissions website.
Early Decision
Traditional first-year applicants for whom Trinity is their first-choice college, and who agree to attend if offered admission, may choose to apply under either Option 1 or Option 2 of the Early Decision Program.
Option 1: All application materials (except the mid-year secondary school report) must be received no later than November 15. Candidates will be notified of admission decisions by mid-December.
Option 2: All application materials must be received no later than January 17. Candidates will be notified of admission decisions by mid-February.
Both options require a signed statement affirming the candidate’s commitment to attend Trinity if admitted. Candidates will receive one of three decisions—acceptance, deferral, or denial. Those denied admission under either early decision option will not be reconsidered as a regular decision applicant during the same admissions cycle.
Regular Decision
The regular decision deadline for traditional first-year applicants to Trinity is January 17. Candidates will be notified of admission decisions by early April.
International Students
Trinity College welcomes diversity in its student body and encourages applications from international students. For admissions purposes, international students are defined as non-U.S. citizens, regardless of country of residence. Need-based financial aid is available to a limited number of students in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans. International students applying for financial aid must complete the CSS Profile. Those who do not intend to apply for need-based financial aid must complete a Statement of Finances Form.
Once enrolled, international students must pursue a full course load (four courses per semester) to be eligible for student visa sponsorship (F-1). Trinity College has been approved for attendance of nonimmigrant students under the Immigration and Naturalization Service (at Hartford on April 30, 1954, with the file number A10 037 658) and issues student visas (F-1) for enrolling full-time international students.
Transfer Admission
Students who have matriculated at a two- or four-year accredited college who wish to transfer should visit Trinity's Transfer Admissions website for information about the application process. Candidates for admission by transfer should be prepared to provide catalogues and/or syllabi describing the content of college courses already completed and presently being studied.
For spring term admission consideration, candidates are required to complete the application process by November 1. Spring admission candidates whose applications are properly completed by this deadline should receive a decision by the end of November.
Transfer applicants who want to begin their studies at Trinity in the fall must complete the application process by April 1. Fall admission candidates who have properly completed their applications by the April 1 deadline should receive a decision by mid-May. Applicants who are not in good standing at their current or previous institutions will not be considered for admission.
A candidate admitted by transfer must earn at least 17.5 course credits through courses taught or supervised by Trinity faculty members. As a general rule, transfer credit will be given for courses comparable to those offered in the Trinity curriculum in which the applicant has received grades of C- or better. However, the number of course credits awarded to a transfer student for work completed at another institution prior to enrollment at Trinity College shall not exceed that which the student could reasonably have earned during a comparable period of residency at Trinity, i.e., an average of nine course credits per year.
Those admitted by transfer will be notified of the credit to be transferred toward general degree requirements at Trinity and which, if any, of the five parts of the distribution requirements have been satisfied by such credit. In all cases, the registrar reserves the right to award or withhold credit. After entering Trinity, transfer students may petition the appropriate faculty member regarding the use of transfer courses to satisfy major requirements or to replace up to three courses in an interdisciplinary minor. (Refer to “Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree” and “Interdisciplinary Minors” elsewhere in this catalogue.) Grades in courses taken before matriculation at Trinity are neither entered into the student’s Trinity record nor included in the student’s grade point average.
A full discussion of transfer credit policies is found in the “Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree” section elsewhere in this catalogue.
Campus Visits
Prospective students who are interested in visiting campus for a tour, interview, or group information session are encouraged to view the Admissions website for the most up-to-date campus visit offerings.
Additional scheduling questions can be directed to the Office of Admissions at 860-297-2180.
Interviews
Although an admissions interview is not required for traditional first-year or transfer applicants, this kind of meeting is a good opportunity for a mutual exchange of information. Students interested in scheduling an admissions interview are encouraged to visit the Admissions Office website for the most up-to-date interview offerings.
In the fall and early winter, interview appointments are reserved for high school seniors and students interested in transferring to Trinity. Juniors in high school will be able to register for interviews after March 1.
Advanced Placement for First-Year Students
Trinity’s academic departments will consider applications from entering first-year students for advanced placement. A maximum of nine course credits will be awarded according to the information found in the Advanced Placement for First-Year Students page within the transfer credit section of the Bulletin.