🎯 Parent/student verdict

Strong target

Selective but achievable for strong students.

✅ Best for

  • Strong academic profile (SAT 1320–1465 · ACT 30–33 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Biological & Biomedical Sciences (the two biggest majors)
  • Families wanting a small undergraduate experience

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1320, or ACT below 30, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
  • With selective universities, build a balanced college list of Reaches, Targets, and Safeties

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
Total enrollment
2,505
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$53,676
sticker, before aid
Tuition
$53,676
flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)
Admit rate
28.2%
Selective
SAT middle 50%
1320–1465
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
30–33
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$71,668
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$55,224
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,668
4-year completion
84%
Median debt (completers)
$22,954
Cost of attendance
$68,224
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
19%

💰 True ROI

7.6× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$93,856
$23,464/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$179,040
vs sticker $272,896
10-yr earnings total
$716,680
$71,668/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.3 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Trinity University, the average net price is $23,464/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$10,356/yr
Family income $30-48k
$13,260/yr
Family income $48-75k
$14,305/yr
Family income $75-110k
$22,134/yr
Family income $110k+
$34,549/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Trinity University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Trinity University →

Opens on Trinity University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Trinity University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Trinity University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
122 degrees · 31.1%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Biological & Biomedical Sciences
102 degrees · 26.0%
Typical career outcomes
Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k
Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.
3. Social Sciences
99 degrees · 25.3%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
4. Engineering
35 degrees · 8.9%
Typical career outcomes
Mechanical Engineer $100k Electrical Engineer $107k Civil Engineer $93k Chemical Engineer $112k
Engineering majors land high-paying technical roles. Top-earning sub-disciplines: petroleum, chemical, computer engineering.
5. Computer & Information Sciences
34 degrees · 8.7%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Trinity University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree 33 $77,311 $98,708
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 39 $96,844
Engineering Science. Bachelor's Degree 28 $74,063 $86,823
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 30 $55,928 $84,347
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 44 $81,363
Political Science and Government. Bachelor's Degree 39 $27,601 $68,934
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods. Bachelor's Degree 55 $55,887 $68,095
Communication and Media Studies. Bachelor's Degree 37 $34,589 $59,494

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Trinity University

CS degrees (annual)
34
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Trinity University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Trinity University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options
These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Trinity University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
AL · Public
39 auto-merit scholarships on file
The University of Alabama
AL · Public
23 auto-merit scholarships on file
Mississippi State University
MS · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of Alabama at Birmingham
AL · Public
19 auto-merit scholarships on file
University of South Carolina-Columbia
SC · Public
11 auto-merit scholarships on file
💰 Better out-of-state value
For families paying $110k+ income tuition, these schools cost meaningfully less than Trinity University.
United States Merchant Marine Academy
NY · Public
$9,168/yr for $110k+ families ($25,381 less)
CUNY Brooklyn College
NY · Public
$12,254/yr for $110k+ families ($22,295 less)
CUNY Hunter College
NY · Public
$12,259/yr for $110k+ families ($22,290 less)
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
NY · Public
$12,314/yr for $110k+ families ($22,235 less)
CUNY Queens College
NY · Public
$12,700/yr for $110k+ families ($21,849 less)
🛡️ Safer in-state options
Same state, similar SAT band, but with a more forgiving admit rate — useful safety / match anchors.
University of Houston
TX · Public
70% admit rate (vs 28% here)
The University of Texas at Dallas
TX · Public
66% admit rate (vs 28% here)
Texas A & M University-College Station
TX · Public
63% admit rate (vs 28% here)

Building a college list?

Use these to fit Trinity University into your overall strategy:

See your admit odds → Improve your score → Find merit aid →