Scholarships, Financial Aid, Grants
Scholarships Available to In coming Freshmen
Trinity offers 20 different scholarship opportunities to incoming freshmen who take the entrance exam at Trinity High School at the first testing date in January. Available scholarships and criteria are as follows:
Premiere Dominican Scholarship: Partial scholarships (non-renewable) of $2,500 each are awarded to the students who place first and second on the Trinity entrance exam.
Honors Scholarship: Partial scholarships (non-renewable) of $2,000 each are awarded to freshmen students with superior scores on the entrance exam as well a principal and junior high teacher recommendations regarding excellent academic achievement, qualities of leadership, character, and service; students must also complete an essay indicating educational goals, leadership skills, service experience and a desire to excel.
Board of Directors Leadership Award: Partial scholarships (renewable for one year) of $1,000 are awarded to academically strong candidates with a principal and junior high teacher recommendation who exhibit outstanding qualities of leadership, character and service. Students must also complete a personal statement on their leadership experiences and final candidates will interview with members of Trinity’s Board of Directors or Administration. Award recipients will serve in leadership positions while at Trinity High School.
Sister Natalie – Sister Viviana Scholarship: Partial scholarships (non-renewable) of $1,000 are awarded to one student from each of the following grade schools: St. Giles, St. Luke and St. Vincent Ferrer based upon class standing, teacher recommendations and qualities of leadership, character and service.
Catherine Kelly Brady Scholarship: Partial Scholarship (non-renewable) of $1500 is awarded to an incoming freshman who is a daughter or granddaughter of a Trinity alumna and who comes from a Catholic elemantary school. This scholarship is based on academic performance and financial need.
Mothers Club Scholarship: Partial scholarship of $1,000 is awarded to an incoming freshman based on academic performance and financial need; this scholarship is granted annually and is renewable.
Trinity will offer the entrance exam for the Class of 2013 on Saturday, January 10th at 8:00 a.m. Students must test at Trinity on that date to be eligible for scholarships. Each student should bring 2 number two pencils, the $25 testing fee (cash or check made payable to Trinity High School ), and a calculator. There will also be an information meeting in the cafeteria for parents while students test.
Financial Aid and Work Study Program:
Financial aid for tuition assistance is available to students whose families demonstrate financial need. The Financial Aid Application, available at the school business office in late January, must be completed and submitted by the end of March. The Financial Aid Program is funded by generous donations of alumnae and other Trinity supporters as well as through the efforts of Trinity’s Board of Directors and the Institutional Advancement team. The Financial Aid Program assures that talented students will not be denied a Trinity education due to financial circumstances. Applications received after the deadline are subject to available funds; families must reapply each year for financial assistance.
All financial aid recipients are required to participate in the Work Study Program. Through this program students learn to be responsible by performing specific tasks under the supervision of faculty and staff. Each semester their supervisors evaluate the students. All students are eligible to be a part of the grant program.
Freshmen students must take the entrance exam at Trinity High School in January to qualify for scholarships. Also, Financial Aid priority will be given to those students who test at Trinity. Students will be notified of their eligibility for any of the scholarships listed. Throughout the school year, scholarships not listed may become available for academic excellence and financial need. Qualifying students will be notified of availability. It is assumed that any student awarded a scholarship will continue to maintain a level of academic excellence.
Timeline for the Financial Aid/Work Study Application Process:
1. Applications for Financial Aid are available in January.
2. Applications are filed by parents and reviewed by the Trinity Financial Aid Committee.
3. Grants are awarded in early June.
4. Students begin work the first full week of school and continue through the last week of school in June; two hours per week are required. (Approximately 20 hours per quarter.)
If you are interested in being considered for this program, an application must be completed.
January - Financial aid packets will be available at registration.
March - Financial aid forms are due.
June - Students and parents will be notified of the amount of financial aid awarded.
Families who receive tuition assistance in the form of a scholarship or financial aid are required to participate in Trinity's two student fundraising drives, Walk-a-thon and Raffle, in order to help us continue to offer assistance.
Scholarships Available to Current Students
Fathers Club Scholarship
One-thousand dollars is awarded to a sophomore student and is renewable for the following two years. Annual renewal is based on academic performance and financial need.
Sister Joel History Scholarship
One-thousand dollars is awarded annually to a junior who meets the following criteria:
1. Recommendation by her United States History teacher
2. Has an "A" average in United States History
3. Has demonstrated interest in Social Studies
4. Completes the application form
5. Has a 3.25 cumulative grade point average.
Excellence Scholarship
Four top students in their respective classes will be awarded the Excellence Scholarship based on the June cumulative grade point average. Awards will be graduated.
• First Place $1,000
• Second Place $ 900
• Third Place $ 800
• Fourth Place $ 700
Founder's Day Scholarship
Six-hundred fifty dollars is awarded to a senior each year who best exemplifies the qualities of Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, the founder of the Sinsinawa Dominican congregation. A written essay is required.
Choose the Best, Choose Trinity
Adolescence is an important time of development in a woman’s life; Trinity continues to give our students every competitive advantage when entering college. According to the Harvard School of Education:
“ Graduates of all-female schools are one and a half times as likely to graduate from college with degrees in math and science, and twice as likely to earn doctorates. They are six times more likely to serve on the boards of Fortune 500 companies.”
Robin Robertson, a former girls’ school principal who later taught at the university level, says girls’ school alumnae stand out in a crowd:
“As a college professor I could identify students from girls’ schools with a 90 percent accuracy rate on the first day of class. They were the young women whose hands shot up in the air, who were not afraid to defend their positions, and who assumed that I would be interested in their perspective.”
A single gender environment encourages young women to develop a strong voice and sense of self. At Trinity, students are held to the highest expectations and understand the value of education. It is a sound investment for life.
Academics, Leadership and Spiritual Growth are the Focus
- Our graduates are accepted to top-tier colleges and universities every year; on average, half of Trinity graduates receive academic scholarships totaling 4 million dollars (an average of over $60,000 per student)!
- The average ACT score for Trinity IB Diploma candidates is 28.
- In the Class of 2007, 18% are Illinois State Scholars (10% over the national average)
Trinity features two programs of study, College Preparatory and International Baccalaureate. Our College Prep program, which enrolls approximately 44% of our students, fulfills all requirements for college acceptance. The International Baccalaureate Program, or IB, is a global honors program that opens the doors to the most prestigious institutions of higher education for our students. Many IB students are able to begin college as a sophomore and are more prepared to meet the demands of college life. About 56% of Trinity students are enrolled in IB courses. Students may enroll in all College Prep courses, all IB or only take certain subjects in either program; both prepare our students to be successful and interested in life-long learning.
Trinity is able to offer such demanding courses of study with a 100% success rate because of the innovative block schedule. Block scheduling means that Trinity students take four 83-minute courses each semester. This arrangement allows students to have the time to discuss readings, perform labs, work on projects in our 2,400-sq. ft. technology center and begin their homework with the assistance of instructors, all within the confines of a class period. Trinity students themselves credit the small class sizes (student teacher ration is 13 to 1) as well as the assistance and guidance provided by the block schedule with the academic success they enjoy.
Trinity offers a wide variety of co curricular activities including 7 honor societies, 10 interscholastic sports, and over 30 clubs and service organizations. Also, Trinity’s students volunteer over 16,000 hours of service to the community, an average of nearly 35 hours of service per year per student. |
