Months After ED Data Released, Trinity Delays Announcing the Enrollment of the Class of 2026

Sammi Bray ’25

Managing Editor 

Breaking away from tradition, Trinity College has delayed announcing the enrollment of the incoming freshman class until around late August or September, according to Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Mathew S. Hyde. In previous years, such data was released before or shortly after the conclusion of the spring semester, as was done for the Classes of 2025, 2024, and 2022. 

Many of Trinity’s peer institutions in the New England Small College Athletic Conference have already released data on their incoming students including Williams, Amherst, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Colby, Hamilton, Wesleyan, and Tufts. 

Explaining the delay, Hyde told the Tripod that the College would like to present the data to the community in a “thoughtful and intentional way.” Instead of “throwing out numbers,” Hyde stated that the College wants to contextualize the incoming class by first reaching out to the Class of 2026 and “pulling out student stories.” Hyde told the Tripod that he has a letter drafted for the students and that he has been reviewing their applications to Trinity. 

Hyde, who started his new position in July, stated that the numbers for the incoming class are “strong.” He indicated that the delay is strictly due to an effort to be “intentional with language and presentation.” Hyde noted that he has “never felt comfortable” with “throwing numbers out,” and that he hopes to present the Class of 2026 in a more personal way. 

The Tripod previously reported that the College received a total of 6,198 applications for this year’s admissions cycle which is a five-year high. Through two rounds of Early Decision, the College accepted 257 students out of 472 applications for a 54.4% acceptance rate. 16% of ED admits are first-generation college students, 14% are international students, 21% are American students of color, and 62% are student athletes. Director of Admissions Anthony Berry told the Tripod in April that 66% of students (167 total) admitted through ED were given some level of financial aid, and that 82% of students did not submit standardized test scores. 

Responding to questions regarding the increased number of applications, Berry told the Tripod in April that “It’s not possible to isolate the reasons why more students applied to Trinity this year since every student has their own reason for deciding to apply.” He indicated that the increase in applications for the Class of 2026 could be attributed to multiple factors including more in-person campus tours being offered, more access to information through virtual events, more in-person college fairs across high schools, and stronger student and parent satisfaction with their Trinity experience. 

Nat Smitobol, a former Assistant Director of Admissions at New York University and a current college admissions counselor at IvyWise, attributed the rise in applicants this year to the increased number of students from less privileged backgrounds returning to the applicant pool. When discussing last year’s admissions cycle, Smitobol told the Tripod in April that “[t]he students most profoundly affected by the pandemic did not apply. The easiest way to capture that data is to look at the Common Application data, and how many kids were requesting a fee waiver or how many kids were indicating that they are first generation.”