Trinity College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
New London, Connecticut · Private nonprofit · Selective · CDS 2024-2025
Trinity College is a private nonprofit university in New London, Connecticut that admits about 38% of applicants, making it a selective school. The average family pays about $33,998 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Economics, Psychology, General and Political Science and Government, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 83% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 5.2 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Trinity College is a private institution located in New London, Connecticut with a selective admissions profile. For the most recent reporting cycle, Trinity College admits between a quarter and half of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 38%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1412 and an ACT composite around 32. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $33,998 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Trinity College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Trinity College?
Admitted students at Trinity College typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Trinity College weight in admissions?
Trinity College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Class rank
- • Standardized test scores
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
- • Level of applicant's interest
SAT and ACT scores Trinity College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 660–730, with an EBRW midpoint near 714. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 31–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1160 |
| 50th percentile | 1280 |
| 75th percentile | 1400 |
| % submitting SAT | 54% |
| 25th percentile | 28 |
| 50th percentile | 30 |
| 75th percentile | 32 |
| % submitting ACT | 12% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Trinity College actually cost?
Published tuition is $64,812 for in-state students and $64,812 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $17,885 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $33,998 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 14% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $33,998 |
| Application fee | — (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Trinity College
| Regular deadline | 1/15 |
| Notification date | late March |
| Reply deadline | 5/1/2025 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/15 |
| ED acceptance rate | 41% |
Will my child graduate from Trinity College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Trinity College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Trinity College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Economics, Psychology, General and Political Science and Government. Across all programs, Trinity College confers roughly 289 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Economics program report a median income of about $109,560 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | 72 | $109,560 |
| Psychology, General | 45 | $66,708 |
| Political Science and Government | 38 | $104,506 |
| Biology, General | 30 | $56,157 |
| Computer Science | 27 | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 26 | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 26 | — |
| English Language and Literature, General | 25 | $57,334 |
Is Trinity College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Trinity College disclosed 10 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 5.2 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 10 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Trinity College?
About 99% of undergraduates at Trinity College live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 0% of men join a fraternity and 0% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Connecticut parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Trinity College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Trinity College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Trinity College
What GPA do I need for Trinity College?
Admitted students at Trinity College typically present unweighted GPAs in the 3.6–3.9 range with several honors or AP courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Trinity College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 660–730, with an EBRW midpoint near 714. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 31–33.
How much does Trinity College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Trinity College after grants and scholarships is $33,998 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Trinity College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Trinity College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Trinity College?
Trinity College accepts about 38% of applicants out of roughly 7,950 who apply each year. That makes it a selective school.
Is Trinity College test-optional?
Yes. Trinity College is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Trinity College?
About 83% of students at Trinity College graduate within six years. 90% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Trinity College?
Trinity College's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 41%, compared with its overall rate of 38%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Trinity College look for in applicants?
Trinity College rates course rigor, GPA and character and personal qualities as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Trinity College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Trinity College is a private nonprofit institution located in New London, Connecticut.
What are the most popular majors at Trinity College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Trinity College by annual graduates are Economics, Psychology, General and Political Science and Government. The school awards about 289 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Trinity College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Trinity College reported 10 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 5.2 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Trinity College?
At Trinity College, 99% of undergraduates live on campus, 0% of men are in fraternities, 0% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Trinity College, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.