Why Trinity?

The "Trinity experience" is distinctive; it is exciting; and it is memorable. Here are the qualities that set it apart:

Small Community, Big University

Students enjoy all the advantages of a small college community at Trinity College. First-year undergraduate enrolment is limited to approximately 400 students, and total enrolment to about 1,700, making Trinity one of the smallest of the seven colleges on the University of Toronto's St. George campus. A high proportion of our students - including 50 per cent of those entering their first year - live in residence. Students build a strong community life and form close friendships that last a lifetime.

Students know the people who work at Trinity, and we - from the Provost, to the deans, to the librarians - are here when they need help and advice. Within U of T's wide campus, Trinity provides a place where students feel they belong.

At the same time, Trinity students have full access to all the benefits associated with U of T - its libraries, laboratories, extensive research activities, enormous course selection, diverse cultural facilities and social events.

Extracurricular Opportunities

The Trinity College Dramatic Society

Trinity offers many opportunities for intellectual exchange. Students can choose from a wide variety of extracurricular programs, clubs and teams. Depending on their interests, they might:

attend our special lectures and meet our distinguished visitors;
join the Trinity College Dramatic Society or the Literary Institute, which is the oldest student debating club in Canada;
play a wide variety of sports, from Frisbee to rugby, many at both the intra-mural and Varsity level;
find a cause through Trinity's network of student volunteer organizations;
work on the Trinity student newspaper and journals;
participate in Trinity's own student government, which has many elected positions.

A Diverse Student Body

Our students come from many different communities within Canada and abroad. We actively celebrate a culture of openness and respect for differences. Our current student body includes 389 students representing 60 countries outside Canada, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Guyana, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mongolia, Poland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Ukraine and Zaire. Thirty-six per cent of our 1,700 students report a first language other than English.

Committed to Undergraduate Education

We offer a variety of outstanding first-year courses, with very small classes taught by leading scholars. Our new Trinity One program brings students together in small seminar courses to share learning in two concentrated streams: international relations and ethics. In their second year, Trinity College students may choose to enrol, if they wish, in one of our three College programs: International Relations; Ethics, Society and Law; or Immunology; or in any other program in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto.

Committed to Excellence

We attract gifted and motivated students who contribute to our community and benefit from its challenging ambience. Our entrance requirements are among the highest in Canada.

Trinity has a very high proportion (more than half) of students graduating with "high distinction" or "distinction" and more than half of our graduates go on to pursue graduate studies. We are also extremely proud of our unusually strong record of producing Rhodes scholars. Since the scholarships were established in 1903, a Trinity student has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship on average every three years.

Like our students, our fellows and associates are exceptional and include some of U of T's finest faculty.

A Supportive Environment

At Trinity, we make sure our students have all the skills and tools for success from the first day they set foot on campus. These include:

a comprehensive Bursary and Scholarship program;
Academic Dons in residence who specialize in key disciplines;
a Dean of Students, also living in residence, who is responsible for the College's residences and for fostering active and positive student life;
staff in the Registrar's, Dean's and Bursar's offices who are readily accessible for advice and counselling, whether personal, academic, or financial;
a full-time chaplain, also available to students for personal counselling, moral support and spiritual guidance, regardless of their religious affiliation;
the John W. Graham Library and its special collections;
a Writing Centre, which offers consultations to students on an individual or group basis to diagnose problems in their essay-writing and to help them develop writing skills. The centre is staffed by a writing instructor and an assistant;
a Math Aid Centre staffed by tutors from U of T's Department of Mathematics.

Cutting-Edge, Yet Traditional

Trinity is a special place, memorable for its lovely buildings and grounds. It is on the cutting edge intellectually, but it has its own traditions and customs. For example, students and fellows still wear their gowns for dinner in the dining hall. The College dances are still important social events. We still commemorate Guy Fawkes Night. The Lit continues to host debates as it has done for more than a century. Our Anglican heritage is still evident, from our marvellous chapel to the ethos that encourages students, the majority of whom are not Anglican, to help others through volunteering.

Trinity is a good place to live and a good place to learn.

Application Information

Application information for undergraduate students

Application information for Divinity students