Trinity College is a private

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, United States. Founded as Washington College in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Coeducational since 1969, the college enrolls 2,235 students. Trinity offers 41 majors and 28 interdisciplinary minors. The college is a member of the

New England Small College Athletic Conference The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division III, Division III comprising sports teams from eleven highly s ...

(NESCAC).

History

19th century

Bishop Thomas Brownell opened "Washington College" in 1824 to nine male studentsAlbert E. Van Dusen, ''Connecticut'' (1961) pp 362-63 and the vigorous protest of

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

alumni. A 14-acre site was chosen, at the time about a half-mile from the city of Hartford. The college was renamed "Trinity College" in 1845; the original campus consisted of two Greek Revival buildings. One of the Greek Revival buildings housed a chapel, library, and lecture rooms. The other was a dormitory for the male students. Burgesplan

In 1872, Trinity College was persuaded by the state to move from its downtown "College Hill" location (now Capitol Hill, site of the state capitol building) to its current campus a mile southwest. Although the college sold its land overlooking the Park River and

Bushnell Park Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut is the second oldest publicly funded park in the United States, after Boston Common, which was established in 1634, and converted to a park in the 1830’s. Bushnell Park was conceived by the Reverend Hora ...

in 1872, it did not complete its move to its Gallows Hill campus until 1878. The original plans for the Gallows Hill site were drawn by the noted Victorian architect William Burges but were too ambitious and too expensive to be fully realized. Only one section of the proposed campus plan, the Long Walk, was completed. By 1889, the library contained 30,000 volumes, and the school graduated over 900 students. Enrollment reached 122 in 1892.

20th century

President Remsen Ogilby (1920–1943) enlarged the campus, and more than doubled the endowment. The faculty grew from 25 to 62, and the student body from 167 to 530 men. Under President Keith Funston (1943–1951), returning veterans expanded the enrollment to 900. In 1962,

Connecticut Public Television Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) is the PBS member network for the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is owned by Connecticut Public Broadcasting, a community-based non-profit organization that holds the licenses for all PBS member stations lic ...

(CPTV) began its first broadcasts in the Trinity College Public Library, and later in Boardman Hall, a science building on campus. In 1968, the trustees voted to withdraw from the Association of Episcopal Colleges. Also in 1968, the trustees of Trinity College voted to make a commitment to enroll more minority students, providing financial aid as needed. This decision was preceded by a siege of the administrative offices in the Downes and Williams Memorial buildings during which Trinity students would not allow the president or trustees to leave until they agreed to the resolution. In 1969, Trinity College became coeducational and admitted its first female students, as transfers from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

and

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

Academics

Trinity offers undergraduate degrees in 41 majors with options of 28 minors and a self-designed major, and Masters of Arts in a few subjects. Trinity is part of a small group of liberal arts schools that offer degrees in engineering. Trinity has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Its most popular undergraduate majors, by number out of 517 graduates in 2022, were: *Political Science and Government (80) *Economics (64) *Psychology (41) *Econometrics and Quantitative Economics (38) *Engineering (28) *Neuroscience (24) *Biology/Biological Sciences (23)

Trinity College, Rome Campus

Trinity College, Rome Campus (TCRC), is a study abroad campus of Trinity College. It was established in 1970 and is in a residential area of Rome on the

Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. I ...

close to the Basilica of Santa Sabina within the precincts of a convent run by an order of nuns.

Admissions

The 2020 annual ranking by '' U.S. News & World Report'' categorizes Trinity as "more selective". For the Class of 2028 (enrolling fall 2024), Trinity received 7,592 applications, accepted 29%, and ultimately enrolled 547 students. As of fall 2015, Trinity College does not require the SAT or ACT for students applying for admission. Of the 31% of enrolled freshmen submitting SAT scores, the middle 50% range was 630–710 for evidence-based reading and writing, and 670–750 for math, while of the 23% of enrolled freshmen submitting ACT results, the middle 50% range for the composite score was 29–32.

Rankings and reputation

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine ranked Trinity College 17th amongst all liberal arts universities and 71st amongst all colleges and universities on its 2024-25 list. In 2024, ''

Washington Monthly ''Washington Monthly'' is a bimonthly, nonprofit magazine primarily covering United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C. The magazine also publishes an annual ranking of American colleges and universities, which ser ...

'' ranked Trinity College 26th among 194 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service. '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Trinity tied for 36th in its 2025 ranking of best national liberal arts colleges in the United States. It was also ranked 27th for best value school. However, these US News rankings likely reflect that Trinity joined the " Annapolis Group" in August 2007, an organization of more than 100 of the nation's liberal arts schools, in refusing to participate in the magazine's rankings. Trinity College is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and othe ...

. In 2016, authors Howard and Matthew Greene continued to include Trinity in the third edition of '' Hidden Ivies: 63 Top Colleges that Rival the Ivy League''. The Princeton Review has given Trinity a 93 (out of 99) for selectivity and in 2017 named Trinity as a best value college. ''Money.com'' magazine ranked Trinity College 55th among all colleges and universities in the nation.

Student life

Mascot

120px, Illustration of a bantam, Trinity's mascot Trinity's mascot, the bantam, was conceived by Joseph Buffington, class of 1875, who was a federal judge and trustee of the college.

Student publication

'' The Trinity Tripod'', founded in 1904, is Trinity College's student newspaper.

Fraternities and sororities

According to the college, 18% of the student body are affiliated with a Greek organization. In 2012, then-president James F. Jones proposed a social policy for Trinity College which made a commitment, among other things, to require all sororities and fraternities to achieve gender parity within two years or face closure. Trinity College's co-ed mandate for fraternities and sororities was withdrawn in September 2015 and replaced with the "Campaign for Community" effort to establish more inclusive social traditions on campus. Trinity currently has several sororities and fraternities:

Hartford campus

Long Walk buildings

The first buildings completed on the current campus were Seabury and Jarvis halls in 1878. Together with Northam Towers, these make up what is known as the " Long Walk". These buildings are an early example of Collegiate Gothic architecture in the United States, built to plans drawn up by William Burges, with F.H. Kimball as supervising architect. The Long Walk has been expanded and is connected with several other buildings. On the northernmost end there is the chapel, whose western side is connected to the Downes and Williams Memorial building. Heading south, the next building is Jarvis Hall, named after Abraham Jarvis. Jarvis becomes Northam Towers heading south, then Seabury Hall. Seabury Hall, named for

Samuel Seabury Samuel Seabury (November 30, 1729February 25, 1796) was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He was a leading Loyalis ...

, is connected to Hamlin Hall. To Hamlin's east is Cook, then Goodwin and then Woodward. The dormitories on the Long Walk end there, and the terminal building on the south end of the long walk is Clement/ Cinestudio. Clement is the chemistry building; Cinestudio a student run movie theater. If one travels to the south of Hamlin there will be Mather Hall and the Dean of Students Office.

Main quadrangle

Trinity's campus features a central green known as the Main Quad, designed by famed architect

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

. The large expanse of grass is bound on the west by the Long Walk, on the east by the Lower Long Walk, on the north by the chapel, and on the south by the Cook and Goodwin-Woodward dormitories. Trinity's green is notable for its unusually large, rectangular size, running the entire length of the Long Walk and with no walkways traversing it. Trees on the Quad have been planted in a 'T' configuration (for Trinity) with the letter's base at the statue of Bishop Brownell (built 1867). and its top running the length of the Long Walk.

Film

Cinestudio is an art cinema with 1930s-style design. An article in the '' Hartford Advocate'' described this non-profit organization, which depends solely on grants and the efforts of volunteer workers who are paid in free movies.

Music

Trinity College hosts the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival, one of the top competitions for young organists in North America. The festival features performances on the chapel organ, which was designed by Charles Nazarian, a college alumnus and pipe organ designer, in consultation with Clarence Watters, who was the chapel organist and head of the college's music department from 1932 to 1967. The organ incorporates pipes from the chapel’s original 1932

Aeolian-Skinner Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. of Boston, Massachusetts was an American builder of a large number of pipe organs from its inception as the Skinner Organ Company in 1901 until its closure in 1972. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner (1866–1 ...

organ and was built in 1971 by

Austin Organs Austin Organs, Inc., is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Hartford, Connecticut. The company is one of the oldest continuously-operating organ manufacturers in the United States. The first instruments were built in 1893 with the Austin Patent ...

of Hartford. The Chapel Singers perform concerts on campus as well as on domestic and international tours. Trinity also hosts the annual Trinity International Hip Hop Festival. The festival was founded in 2006 with the goal of unifying Trinity with the city of Hartford. Since 2006, Trinity's WRTC FM radio station has broadcast th
Trinity Samba Fest
from the Hartford waterfront featuring regional and international talent.

Academic regalia

Trinity followed the European pattern of using academic regalia from its foundation, and was one of only four US institutions (all associated with the Episcopal Church) to assign gowns and hoods for its degrees in 1883. There were six degrees awarded at the time, all taking a black gown of silk or stuff and a hood of black silk lined according to the degree: B.A. white silk, M.A. dove-colored silk, B.D. crimson silk, D.D. scarlet silk, L.L.D. pink silk, Mus.D. purple silk. In 1894, a year before the introduction of the intercollegiate code on academic costume, the college brought in a new scheme of academic regalia. The hoods and gowns followed the shape of those used at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

except that the hood for Doctors of Divinity was of the shape used at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. A variety of different colours and fabrics were used for the hoods: B.A. black stuff edged palatinate purple, B.S. black stuff edged light blue silk, B.Litt. black stuff edged russet brown silk, B.D. black silk edged scarlet silk (not in use by 1957), L.L.B. black silk edged dark blue silk (not in use by 1957), Mus.B. black silk edged pink silk (not in use by 1957), M.A. black silk lined palatinate purple silk, M.S. black stuff lined light blue silk, D.D. scarlet cloth lined black silk, D.Litt. scarlet silk-lined russet brown silk, L.L.D. scarlet silk lined dark blue silk, D.C.L. crimson silk lined black silk, Mus.D. white silk-lined pink silk, D.Sc. black silk lined light blue silk, Ph.D. black silk lined people silk (not in use by 1957), M.D. scarlet silk lined maroon silk (not in use by 1957). D.P.H. black cloth lined salmon pink silk (1945), D.H.Litt. scarlet silk-lined people silk (1947), D.Hum. white silk-lined crimson (1957), and D.S.T. scarlet silk-lined blue with a gold chevron (1957) were later added. As of 2018, the hoods for doctorates (except the Ph.D. and M.D.) and for the M.Mus. remain in use for honorary degrees, with the further addition since 1957 of the D.F.A. wrote lined white with a red Chevron.

Athletics

Trinity's athletic teams teams are named the ''Bantams''. They compete in the

of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) Division III. The College offers 27 varsity teams, plus club sports, intramural sports.

Notable alumni

File:Tucker Carlson (51771495255) (cropped).jpg, Tucker Carlson, right wing political commentator formerly employed by Fox News File:Christine Quinn VF 2012 Shankbone.JPG,

Christine Quinn Christine Callaghan Quinn (born July 25, 1966) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly served as the Speaker of the New York City Council. The third person to hold this office, she was the first female and fi ...

, former Speaker of the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City in the United States. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The council serves as a check against the mayor in a mayor-council government mod ...

File:David Chang David Shankbone 2010.jpg, David Chang, restaurateur and television personality File:Jesse Watters (51774147854) (cropped).jpg, Jesse Watters, conservative commentator and Fox News host File:EdwardAlbee.jpg,

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), ''The Sandbox (play), The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), ''A Delicat ...

, playwright File:Ari Graynor 2017.jpg, Ari Graynor, actress File:Kellybensimon.jpg, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, cast member on '' The Real Housewives of New York City'' File:Danny Meyer FT Charity Wine Dinner 2010.jpg, Danny Meyer, founder of Shake Shack File:George Will (52540061656) (cropped).jpg, George Will, libertarian-conservative political commentator and author File:Mary McCormack.jpg,

Mary McCormack Mary Catherine McCormack (born February 8, 1969) is an American actress. She has had leading roles as Justine Appleton on the series '' Murder One'' (1995–1997), as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper on ''The West Wing'' (2004–20 ...

, actress File:Jane Swift 2001.jpeg, Jane Swift, former Acting

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

File:Stephen gyllenhaal2010.jpg,

Stephen Gyllenhaal Stephen Roark Gyllenhaal ( , ; born October 4, 1949) is an American film director and poet. He is the father of actors Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Early life Stephen Roark Gyllenhaal was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Virginia Lowrie (née Childs ...

, film director File:Isaac Toucey - Brady-Handy.jpg, Isaac Toucey, former

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...

File:Rachel Platten 11 16 2017 -11 (27521703399).jpg, Rachel Platten, singer-songwriter Trinity College's distinguished alumni include many influential and historical people, including governors, US Cabinet members, federal judges, political commentators and journalists, and senior executives in business and industry. Notable alumni of Trinity College include: * Kristine Belson, Class of 1986, president of

Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. (also referred to as Sony Animation Studios and abbreviated to SPA) is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and found ...

and Oscar-nominated film producer ('' The Croods'') * S. Prestley Blake, co-founder of Friendly's * Joseph Buffington, judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit * Tucker Carlson, Class of 1991, political commentator, co-founder of '' The Daily Caller'', former host of

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

's '' Tucker Carlson Tonight'', former host of Fox Nation's '' Tucker Carlson Today'' * Tom Chappell, founder of Tom's of Maine * Martin W. Clement, president of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

Company, 1935 to 1948. * Percival W. Clement, 57th

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

* Thomas R. DiBenedetto, president of Boston International Group, owner and former chairman of

AS Roma Associazione Sportiva Roma (''Rome Sport Association''; Italian pronunciation: Help:IPA/Italian, ) is a professional Association football, football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier ...

Edward Miner Gallaudet Edward Miner Gallaudet ( ; February 5, 1837 – September 26, 1917), was the first president of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. (then known as the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind from 1864 unti ...

, first president of

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered university in Washington, D.C., for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first school ...

* David Gottesman, billionaire, founder of First Manhattan Co., and member of

Berkshire Hathaway Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer, the company transitioned into a conglomerate starting in 1965 under the management of c ...

's board of directors * Henry McBride, fourth Governor of Washington State *

, actress ('' In Plain Sight'', ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

''). Her two siblings are also Trinity graduates. Bridget McCormack is Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, and Will McCormack is an actor. * Mitchell M. Merin, former president and chief operating officer of

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients in ...

Investment Management * James Murren, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of

MGM Resorts International MGM Resorts International is an American Multinational corporation, multinational hospitality, sports and entertainment company. It operates resorts in Las Vegas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, Macau, Shanghai, ...

* Neil Patel, American lawyer, conservative political advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, publisher and co-founder of The Daily Caller * Gregory Anthony Perdicaris, first U.S. Consul to Greece * Charles R. Perrin, chairman of Warnaco, former chairman and CEO of Avon Products and of Duracell * Rachel Platten, singer-songwriter * William C. Richardson, board director of

Exelon Exelon Corporation is an American public utility headquartered in Chicago, and incorporated in Pennsylvania. Exelon is the largest electric parent company in the United States by revenue and is the largest regulated electric utility in the Uni ...

; former president of

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

* Jane Swift, Class of 1987, former Acting

* J. H. Hobart Ward, US Army general * Jesse Watters, Class of 2001, conservative commentator, host of '' Jesse Watters Primetime'', and co-host of '' The Five'' on Fox News *

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

, eleventh presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States * Leo Wise (1849–1933), newspaper editor and publisher * Charles C. Van Zandt, 34th Governor of Rhode Island

Notes

References

External links

*
Athletics website
*

* {{Portal bar, Connecticut Education in Hartford, Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1823 Liberal arts colleges in Connecticut Universities and colleges in Hartford County, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Hartford, Connecticut Private universities and colleges in Connecticut Universities and colleges established in the 1820s