Trinity Washington University

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Trinity Washington University

Former names	Trinity College (1897–2004)
Type	Private university
Established	1897
Accreditation	MSCHE
Affiliation	Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
Religious affiliation	Catholic Church
Academic affiliations	ACCU NAICU CUWMA
President	Patricia McGuire
Students	1,800
Location	Washington, D.C. , United States
Colors	Purple & Gold
Nickname	Tigers
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III
Mascot	Tiger
Website	www.trinitydc.edu

Trinity Washington University is a private Catholic university in Washington, D.C.^[1] The university was founded as Trinity College by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1897 as the nation's first Catholic liberal arts college for women. Trinity was chartered by an Act of Congress on August 20, 1897. It became Trinity Washington University in 2004.

Trinity is a comprehensive university with five schools; the undergraduate College of Arts & Sciences maintains its original mission as a liberal arts women's college, while men attend Trinity's other schools at both the graduate and undergraduate level.^[2] It enrolls more than 1,800 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Nursing and Health Professions, School of Education, School of Business and Graduate Studies, and School of Professional Studies. Trinity enrolls more District of Columbia residents than any other private university in the city and in the nation. More than half of Trinity’s students are residents of D.C.

An elite collegian institution in its early life, the college faced declining enrollment by the 1980s. It chose to begin recruiting local underprivileged students, and became predominantly black and Hispanic.^[3] Trinity’s student body in 2020 includes about 95% ethnic minorities, including about 65% Black/African American and 30% Latina/Hispanic. Trinity is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Minority Serving Institution and is the only university in the D.C. region, as well as one of only a few in the nation, designated as both a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) and Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).

Trinity has a 97% acceptance rate with 35% of students graduating, and 63% of graduates earning more than a high school graduate.^[4]