I am going to walk you through what the official data actually say about Trinity: what kind of school it is, how people get in, what it costs, how it is paid for, and what happens to students who make it to the end. For every number, I will also tell you what it does not say, because that is just as important. The figure does not change. What can change, if I explain it well, is your ability to make a decision with it.
What Kind of School Is Trinity University?
The system that classifies this country’s universities—Carnegie—describes it as a baccalaureate college focused on arts and sciences: small, four-year, and “highly residential.” That last term has a precise meaning; it is not decoration. It means that at least half of degree-seeking students live in institution-provided housing and that eight out of ten study full time. This is a school designed to be experienced up close, not a place where students simply come and go between classes.
Carnegie also places it in its most selective admissions group. That does not tell you how many out of every hundred applicants get in—we will see that number later—but it does tell you that Trinity reviews applicants rather than admitting anyone who shows up.
Institutionally, it is private, nonprofit, and four-year, and its highest reported level is the master’s degree. That is a fact about the institution, not a promise that the major your child is interested in has a connected pathway from undergraduate to graduate study. That specific pathway must be verified program by program.
And here is a distinction worth making clear from the beginning: Trinity is not registered as a historically Black college or university, tribal college or university, or land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, 138 carry at least one of those three designations. Trinity’s absence from that list does not tell you which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Those questions should be asked directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are available, and—if possible—whether you can speak with someone who already studies there.
Trinity is in San Antonio, in Bexar County, within a city with a population of 250,000 or more. If your child were considering living at home rather than on campus, the only real way to know whether that is feasible is to drive the route on a weekday at the exact time of the classes. A map almost never tells the truth about traffic.
A Medium-Sized Community, and What That Does and Does Not Mean
Trinity had a total fall enrollment of 2,694 students in the official count: 2,531 undergraduates and 163 graduate students. Above all, it is an undergraduate institution. In size, it falls right in the middle among its peers—neither one of the largest nor one of the smallest—within the group of 941 selective, private, four-year schools compared in this census.
Here is one of the numbers I most want to share with you: the share of Trinity undergraduates who are Hispanic or Latino is 25 out of every 100. That is one in four, or more. Among its selective peers, this places Trinity in the top quartile—three out of four similar schools reported an equal or smaller proportion. Put simply, being Latino on this campus would not be the exception.
But I need to tell you what this number does not do. Counting how many Latino students there are is not the same as having support designed for them. The data do not say whether there is a Spanish-speaking counselor, whether specific tutoring is available, or whether those students graduate at the same rate as everyone else. And this is the percentage for the entire school, not for the major your child is interested in. You can get that detail only by asking directly.
As for the rest of the student body: there are almost no adult students—the share between the ages of 25 and 64 is barely 1 out of every 100; the balance between men and women is fairly even, with women accounting for 54 out of every 100; and 80 out of every 100 incoming students came from the same state. In that sense, it is a young school with a strong Texas presence.
How Academics Work
The academic year at Trinity is organized into two semesters of about 15 weeks each. The institution accepts credit for AP exams, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience, and it confirmed that it does not enroll high school students in college courses for credit. Accepting AP does not mean granting credit for every exam: request the equivalency evaluation in writing, with the exact scores and exact credits, before assuming there will be any savings in time or money.
As for its academic offerings: in the reported year, Trinity awarded 586 bachelor’s degrees across 20 fields of study. The largest field was business and management, with 21 out of every 100 degrees—a notable but not dominant share. Compared with its selective peers, Trinity is in the top quartile for the number of degrees awarded each year. Its offerings are broad, not concentrated in one area. Even so, 20 active fields do not mean 20 exact majors: each field groups several programs, so it is important to verify the specific program, not just the general area.
The student-to-faculty ratio is 9 to 1—one of the lowest among its peers, placing it in the bottom quartile of 941 comparable schools. It is a number that sounds good and probably is, but by itself it does not measure actual class size or guarantee individual attention. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
The institution also reports structured pathways: study abroad, undergraduate research alongside professors, and preparation and certification pathways for students who want to teach. These are reported opportunities, not guarantees of access or quality; the next step is always to ask how students gain access to each one.
Getting Into Trinity: What They Require and What Actually Happens
Trinity does not have open admissions. It reviews specific components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marks five as required: the high school transcript, grade point average, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam when applicable. Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: your child’s class rank, personal essay, work experience, and whether a relative attended the school. That last item—“legacy” status—is something your child cannot change. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it; spend that energy on what is within your child’s control.
The published undergraduate application fee is $0. That at least removes one barrier from the equation.
Now for the observed selectivity: in the 2023 cycle, Trinity received 11,425 first-year applications and offered admission to 3,217 applicants. That is 28 out of every 100. Compared with its 942 selective peers, it is among the schools that admit the smallest share—nine out of ten schools in that group admitted a higher percentage. On the other side of that calculation are 8,208 applicants who did not receive an offer. This number does not distinguish among rejection, waitlisting, or application withdrawal, and it applies to the whole school, not your child’s major. Having Trinity on the list is fine. Having it as the only school is not.
Here is a figure that surprises many families and is worth understanding clearly: out of every 100 admitted students in the 2023 count, only 20 enrolled. The other 80 had earned a place there and did not take it. Do not read that as a mark against the school—the federal record does not say why each person chose what they chose. But it does tell you something useful: receiving an acceptance letter is not the same as deciding to attend, and what other families decided does not tell you what Trinity will offer you. You will know that only when you have your own net price letter in hand.
As for standardized tests: the SAT and ACT are not required at Trinity. Among enrolled students who submitted SAT scores—32 out of every 100, a high proportion compared with similar schools—the middle half scored between 670 and 735 in reading and writing, and between 650 and 730 in math. Those ranges are for students who enrolled, not all applicants, and they do not prove that a score determined anyone’s admission decision. They are neither a floor nor a guarantee.
And regarding transfers: the share of the cohort entering in 2017 recorded as transferring to another school without completing at Trinity was only 13 out of every 100—a low proportion compared with its peers. The number of incoming transfer students was also small: just 24 in the fall of 2023. This number does not say which courses were accepted for students who transferred in; that information should be requested in writing, with a course list in hand, before anyone makes a move.
The Sticker Price, and Why It Is Not the Final Word
At Trinity University, among a group of 67 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $14,184. Among 41 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $15,774; among 104 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $35,186. For dependent students, the bracket combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income bracket, which included 67 students, and the average for the highest-income bracket, which included 104 students, is $21,002. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $32,264.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, Trinity falls in the least expensive quartile for lower-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a fact worth weighing when you decide which schools to apply to.
Because the price varies so much from one income bracket to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income brackets in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter sent to you is what matters.
How It Is Paid For: Grants, Loans, and What Each Number Covers
The share of Trinity’s degree-seeking students who received some form of grant or aid that does not have to be repaid was 97 out of every 100. Receiving something is common here. Among recipients, the average was $33,297 per year—an average, not what each person would receive.
But grants and scholarships must be separated from Pell Grants. Pell is federal aid specifically for students with demonstrated financial need, and it reached only 17 out of every 100. In other words, almost everyone receives something, but most of that aid is not Pell; it comes from somewhere else—the school, the state, or other sources—and the report does not distinguish exactly where. Ask directly: who provides that grant or scholarship, who qualifies, and what is required to renew it each year.
As for loans: the share of undergraduates who received a federal student loan in 2022-23 was 29 out of every 100—more than two out of ten, but less than half. Among borrowers, the average was $5,990 during that academic year. Compared with its selective peers, Trinity is on the low side: seven out of ten similar schools had a higher proportion of students with loans.
That average covers only one year and only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, or credit card debt, and it is not the total debt someone has at graduation—that would require adding all the years together, and that figure is not in this report.
What I can tell you very clearly is this: this percentage describes other families, not yours. The amount your child would need to borrow comes from your child’s own financial aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it. Trinity also reports offering an installment tuition payment plan, in case that helps organize cash flow during the year.
Campus Life: Housing, Athletics, the Library, and Support
Trinity has its own housing and meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. Not every full-time student is required to live there—but that does not tell you whether a specific program has such a requirement. The reported capacity of institution-provided housing is 2,087 students. The existence of a room does not guarantee a bed: request the annual rate, deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or you will be placed on a waiting list, all in writing.
ROTC is available in two branches: Army and Air Force. Navy is not marked as available. Its reported availability does not tell you whether the program is offered on this exact campus or what spaces or scholarships it provides—ask about it by name.
Trinity competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track. Membership belongs to the school; it does not guarantee your child a place. Your child should contact the coach of the relevant sport directly.
The library operates with paid staff, has physical and digital collections, and participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding the government’s required spending threshold does not mean it has specific databases for your child’s major—ask about them by program name.
One important fact if your child needs flexibility: Trinity offers distance education, but not at the undergraduate level. The very level at which your child would enter is excluded from that format. Do not count on online classes to make the schedule work.
Reported support includes combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, and a published webpage for disability services. Their reported availability does not tell you how effective they are or how they feel to a particular student; verify that by speaking with the appropriate office.
What Happens to Those Who Enroll: Retention and Graduation
This is where the numbers begin to tell a story about persistence, not just admission.
Of the 655 first-time, full-time students who entered in 2022, 605 were still enrolled or had graduated one year later: 92 out of every 100. Compared with its 930 selective peers, Trinity is among the schools retaining the largest share of their cohorts—nine out of ten similar schools retained an equal or smaller proportion. It is a high figure. But it does not distinguish between those still studying and those who have already graduated, and it does not say what happened to the rest.
As for graduation: of the 642 bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in 2017, 526 had earned the degree six years later. That is 82 out of every 100—one of the highest figures compared with its selective peers, placing it in the top quartile. At four years, the figure falls to 73 out of every 100; the difference between the two time frames is 9 points, which tells you something simple but real: not everyone finishes in four years, and that must also be included in the budget.
Of the rest of that cohort of 642, 86 transferred without completing at Trinity, 5 remained enrolled without finishing, and 25 fell into the “no longer enrolled” category—which does not explain why and may include people who completed after the official time limit.
A high graduation figure is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to the cohort from 2017. What is within your control, and your child’s, is making sure the credits are in order at entry and that, from the first semester, your child knows who the advisor is and when registration opens for courses in the major.
The broader eight-year measure follows a cohort of 633 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, including both full-time and part-time students. As of August 2023, the share who had earned a degree or certificate from Trinity was 80 out of every 100. Among Pell Grant recipients, the outcome was identical: also 80 out of every 100. The fact that the two figures match does not mean the path was the same for both groups. And compared with its selective peers, Trinity again falls in the top quartile.
A high number does not predict any individual’s outcome. It describes what happened to an earlier cohort. It is worth asking about current program support and the outcomes of more recent cohorts before assuming the result will be repeated.
What You Already Know, and What Is Still Missing
With all of this, you now know something real and specific about Trinity University: it is a small, selective college with a numerically significant Latino community, a high sticker price but a favorable net price for lower-income families, a strong graduation rate compared with its peers, and an admissions structure that requires specific components and sees most admitted students choose not to enroll.
That is one piece of the map. It is not the whole map. What your child wants to study, how far from home your child is willing to live, and how much your family can and wants to contribute after seeing the actual aid letter—none of that is here yet. No one can write it for you, and no national average will decide it either.
If Trinity is already on your child’s list, this gives you what you need to ask better questions: about the exact program of interest, about actual support for Latino students, about the equivalency of AP credits, and about what your family would have to pay based on its own income. If it is not on the list yet, you now know whether it is worth adding.
Combine this with what your child has built and with what the aid letter says when it arrives. A real plan comes from that combination, not from a single data point.
The information in this article comes from Trinity University’s reports to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS system, corresponding primarily to the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Trinity University or the United States government; this article organizes and explains public data for informational purposes.