College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Trinity College

CTMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #503 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks Trinity College #503 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

Trinity College is a private nonprofit university in Hartford, Connecticut, where the social sciences account for the largest share of degrees. Return is among the highest we track, while affordability is below the levels seen at many peers.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the model attributes more of that to a remainder it cannot explain than to the factors it measures. The typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools.

Pell students complete at a rate above the overall rate, and mobility is above average. The lowest income band pays a fraction of the published cost, while the highest band pays much more.

The admission rate is well below the median for comparable schools. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the four-year earnings figure is measured while most completers are in the workforce.

Trinity College at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
29.2%
Six-year completion[2]
83.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$83,645

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$18,325
Median student debt[4]
$23,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$60,796

Trinity College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Trinity College enrolls 2,146 undergraduates as a private nonprofit university in Hartford, Connecticut. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the college sits in the upper third (66th percentile).

Trinity College accepts 29.2% of those who apply, against a median of 71.2% at comparable institutions (same type and size). Retention stands at 90.0% for full-time first-year students, against a peer median of 83.4% at comparable institutions.

The six-year graduation rate is 83.8% for the first-time full-time cohort, against a peer median of 68.8% at comparable institutions. An estimated 3.4% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation rate describes most students who start here.

Its four stretch across a wide range. Return is the strongest (94th percentile) and affordability the weakest (7th percentile). Access and mobility sit between them (45th and 59th percentiles).

Return is Trinity College's strongest pillar and affordability is its weakest. Azimuth ranks the university #503 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

The return pillar sits at the 94th percentile, while affordability is at the 7th percentile. Mobility is at the 59th percentile and access at the 45th percentile.

13.8% of undergraduates at Trinity College receive Pell Grants. Those students complete at 89.8%, 6.0 percentage points above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole.

Azimuth ranks the university #810 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #599 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,828 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Trinity College rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#503

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 59
Access & reach
National percentile: 45
Affordability
National percentile: 7
Return on investment
National percentile: 94

01 / Trinity College briefing

Trinity College cost & financial aid[6][7]

Trinity College publishes a cost of attendance of $87,840, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $70,770, and room and board are $18,890.

For aid recipients, grants and scholarships reduce the sticker price by an average of $53,008. At Trinity, the average net price is $34,832, which is $7,461 above the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #1,320 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 7th percentile.

The published cost of attendance at Trinity College is $87,840 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,320 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $11,054, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $18,325, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $48,515. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $37,461.

Tuition and fees are $70,770. Aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, saving them $53,008.

The across all aid recipients is $34,832, which is $7,461 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal student loans.

That is $1,199 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions. 87.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $60,796 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month. It estimates what a family might pay and borrow under different scenarios.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$18,325

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Trinity College

Among undergraduates at Trinity College, 87.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $23,000.

That median is $1,199 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month.

Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $60,796. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 55% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $40,969 per borrower.

Including 51% of graduates with federal loans averaging $31,372. 11% of graduates held private loans, averaging $58,825.

Federally aided graduates of Trinity College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $83,645 four years after completing a degree. That figure lands in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

It is $15,395 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $6,828 more than the model expects for similar students.

That result sits at the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $56,128 on the downside to $118,583 on the upside.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal loans. That amount is $1,199 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $24,199.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $60,796. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$23,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$60,796

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$261/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$772/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Trinity College briefing

Trinity College career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Trinity College graduates earn a median of $83,645 four years after completion, at the 91st percentile for this measure. That places the university at the 94th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That figure is $15,395 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $6,828 more than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 76th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $617. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,211. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,062.

Four years after completion, federally aided Trinity College graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $83,645. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that median sits in the 91st percentile.

The earnings cohort includes 356 completers. Graduates earn about $6,828 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical outcome of $83,645, a downside of $56,128, and an upside of $118,583.

These are estimates derived from the program mix, not observed outcomes for specific graduates. An estimated 40.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide range: from $56,128 on the downside to $118,583 on the upside. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Economics graduates earn a median of $122,068 four years after completion, from 119 degrees awarded. Political Science follows at $94,097, with 84 degrees awarded.

Graduates of Trinity College earn about $6,828 more than the model expects for similar students. The median federal student loan debt for borrowers who finish is $23,000, $1,199 below the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $60,796 in Parent PLUS loans.

The return pillar sits at the 94th percentile. Affordability is the weakest of the four pillars at the 7th percentile.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$617
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$6,211
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$6,828

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Trinity College briefing

Trinity College acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Trinity College admits 29.2% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 7,460 first-year applicants and 2,182 admitted applicants.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
29.2%
25th percentile
1340
Median
1385
75th percentile
1453

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Trinity College briefing

What are the largest majors at Trinity College?[12]

The earnings spread across Trinity College's largest programs is wide, and the highest-earning field is also the most popular. Economics graduates earn a median of $122,068 four years after completion, from 119 degrees awarded a year.

Political Science is the second-largest program, with 84 degrees awarded and median earnings of $94,097. Public Policy Analysis follows at 40 degrees and $82,638.

At the more moderate end, Psychology and English Language and Literature sit closer together. Psychology reports $69,730 from 47 degrees awarded, while English Language and Literature shows $68,063 from 26 degrees.

The gap between the top and the bottom of the five largest programs is substantial, and a student's field choice here carries a large earnings difference.

The Social Sciences family accounts for 40.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded at Trinity College, with Economics as the largest single program at 119 degrees a year. Its graduates earn a median of $122,068 four years after completion, the highest among the programs with published earnings.

Political Science follows with 84 degrees awarded and median earnings of $94,097. Psychology awards 47 degrees and its completers earn $69,730.

The earnings spread across the five largest programs with published earnings runs from $68,063 in English Language and Literature to the top program's median. Public Policy Analysis sits in between, with 40 degrees awarded and median earnings of $82,638.

Trinity College awards more than two out of every five bachelor's degrees in the Social Sciences family, which accounts for 40.1% of degrees awarded. Biological Sciences is a distant second at 9.5%, followed by Psychology at 7.4%.

The university has 8 programs with published four-year earnings data. Economics is the largest single program, with 119 degrees awarded a year.

It is also the highest-earning program, with a median of $122,068 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.48x against the national median for its field. Political Science is the second-largest program at 84 degrees awarded, and its completers earn a median of $94,097 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.49x.

The earnings pattern is concentrated: the two largest programs are also the two highest-earning, and both sit well above the national median for their fields. 22.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Economics 119 degrees awarded
$122,068
Political Science and Government 84 degrees awarded
$94,097
Psychology, General 47 degrees awarded
$69,730
Public Policy Analysis 40 degrees awarded
$82,638
Engineering, General 29 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
English Language and Literature, General 26 degrees awarded
$68,063

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Trinity College briefing

What colleges are similar to Trinity College?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Trinity College.

Admissions peerConnecticut College37.0% admitted
Comparison with Trinity College
MeasureTrinity CollegeConnecticut College
Peer earnings · 4 years$83,645$67,540-$16,105 vs Trinity College
Average annual net price$34,832$36,175+$1,343 vs Trinity College · higher cost
Admission rate29.2%37.0%
Higher-admission alternativeUnion College43.9% admitted
Comparison with Trinity College
MeasureTrinity CollegeUnion College
Peer earnings · 4 years$83,645$81,583-$2,062 vs Trinity College
Average annual net price$34,832$34,561-$271 vs Trinity College · lower cost
Admission rate29.2%43.9%
Nearby alternativeWesleyan UniversityNearby option · CT
Comparison with Trinity College
MeasureTrinity CollegeWesleyan University
Peer earnings · 4 years$83,645$72,119-$11,526 vs Trinity College
Average annual net price$34,832$30,177-$4,655 vs Trinity College · lower cost
Admission rate29.2%16.5%
Higher-earnings alternativeLehigh University$101,748 earnings
Comparison with Trinity College
MeasureTrinity CollegeLehigh University
Peer earnings · 4 years$83,645$101,748+$18,103 vs Trinity College
Average annual net price$34,832$36,931+$2,099 vs Trinity College · higher cost
Admission rate29.2%25.9%
Explore Lehigh University →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Hunter College$2,984 average net price
Comparison with Trinity College
MeasureTrinity CollegeCUNY Hunter College
Peer earnings · 4 years$83,645$73,236-$10,409 vs Trinity College
Average annual net price$34,832$2,984-$31,848 vs Trinity College · lower cost
Admission rate29.2%53.8%
Explore CUNY Hunter College →
Similar profileUnion CollegeMatched across several measures
Comparison with Trinity College
MeasureTrinity CollegeUnion College
Peer earnings · 4 years$83,645$81,583-$2,062 vs Trinity College
Average annual net price$34,832$34,561-$271 vs Trinity College · lower cost
Admission rate29.2%43.9%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings