Clayton Palumbo ’29
Executive News Editor
On May 5, 2026, Trinity College Chief Financial Officer Scott Jordan announced via school-wide e-mail that the college is officially increasing the annual cost-of-attendance 3.5%, from $93,240 in 2025 to $96,480 for 2026. For the current school year, tuition is now $72,820, with fees such as room & board, the meal plan, and student activities combining for an additional $23,660. This marks the fifth consecutive year that tuition has increased, with the last static two year-period coming during the 2020 and 2021 school years.
When asked about the college’s dedication to affordability, Ashley Dutton, Trinity Executive Director of Financial Equity, Aid, and Strategic Planning, said, “We recognize that increases in the cost of attendance can understandably create concern for students and families, particularly those who rely heavily on financial aid. Our team’s focus is to help families understand their financial aid, identify available resources, and work with students when their financial circumstances change. Students experiencing a significant change in their family’s financial situation are also encouraged to contact our office so we can determine whether an aid reconsideration may be appropriate.” Dutton also added that the college remains committed to meeting 100% of calculated financial need for admitted students.
The median household income in the United States is currently $83,730, meaning the average American family makes less money in a year than it costs to send one child to Trinity. Many members of Trinity’s community have become weary of the school’s steep price tag, believing it to be a barrier that many families simply cannot break through.
Steve Sobolewski ’10 is a chemistry and physical sciences teacher at Wilton High School in Wilton, Connecticut. When discussing the recent tuition increase, he shared with the Tripod “I just can’t even wrap my mind around a tuition costing that much.” When Sobolewski graduated, Trinity’s cost of Attendance was $51,400, only 53% of the current price. He noted that Trinity is not need blind and does a better job than most other schools covering expenses for students who cannot do so themselves, however he says that for many high schoolers, finances are the most important deciding factor when choosing a college, “a lot of times, I’ll hear a students say ‘I’ll go to this school if they can give me this scholarship or whatnot.’” It used to be common for young adults to work to put themselves through school, but now, Sobolewski says, this notion seems almost impossible, “these are students who make $15, $16 an hour, and the thought of $96,000 in a year, it’s just it’s not something they would ever think about being able to afford themselves.”
The costs of higher education across the United States has become a major talking point in recent years, with cost-of-attendances nearly doubling on average after accounting for inflation, according to NPR. These expenses have left many families to feel that they have become priced out of college entirely. Sobolewski believes that this is creating social isolation between the students who can afford college and those who can’t, with the “average” Connecticut family likely not seeing Trinity, or other comparable colleges, as realistic options in the current economy.
Trinity’s administration is aware of these issues, and has aimed to make Trinity more affordable to middle-class and lower-income students. Earlier this week, College President Dan Lugo announced a new program called “Hometown Hartford,” where Trinity will cover tuition, housing and meals for all Hartford residents admitted for the 2027-28 school year. The program will also include full tuition coverage for the children of Trinity faculty and staff, as well as half-tuition grants for new students who live in Hartford County or the five counties neighboring it — Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London and Tolland. “Hartford is our home,” Lugo told the Hartford Business Journal. “Our histories and futures are intertwined with one another. When one of us rises, so should the other.”
The college hopes these programs will help lead to success in the coming years, as the price of higher education climbs and climbs across the country.
