Augustana College

Augustana College presents a moderately accessible admissions landscape within national liberal arts education, holding rank 91 in the 2027 U.S. News Best National Liberal Arts Colleges ranking. The college admits the majority of its applicant pool, posting an acceptance rate of 62.7% in 2025. When measured against its peer group of similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges, this admission rate is higher than 34% of peer schools, indicating selectivity that is somewhat tighter than the group median. However, admitted applicants do not commit in overwhelming proportions. The college recorded an enrollment yield rate of 13.5% in 2025, showing that only a modest share of accepted candidates ultimately matriculate. For prospective students evaluating their application lists, these trends indicate that well-prepared candidates stand a realistic chance of receiving an offer of admission. At the same time, the relatively low yield illustrates that Augustana regularly competes against many alternative options on students' college lists, making it a viable target for applicants seeking a recognized Midwestern liberal arts college.

Augustana College maintains an optional (considered if submitted) admissions test policy. In 2025, published score ranges placed the middle SAT Reading scores between 520 and 630, with SAT Math scores falling between 510 and 640. Among similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges, Augustana's median SAT score is higher than 4% of peer schools. ACT scores in 2025 followed a comparable midrange pattern in the twenties. Standardized testing represents a portion of the applicant pool, as a minority of enrolled students submitted SAT scores and a smaller share submitted ACT scores in 2025. For secondary school grades, reporting from the 2020–2021 academic year indicates that student grade point averages centered predominantly in the B-plus to A-minus range. For prospective applicants, this profile means admission decisions focus heavily on steady academic achievement in high school coursework, with test scores serving as a supplementary credential.

Undergraduate studies at Augustana College are distributed across a variety of disciplines rather than heavily concentrated in a few programs. In 2025, the top three bachelor's majors accounted for 28.8% of all graduating seniors. The largest major was Biology/Biological Sciences, General, which graduated 84 students, followed by Psychology, General and Computer Science. The largest undergraduate programs do not hold top national rankings; for example, undergraduate psychology was ranked 395 by U.S. News in 2027. International students are well represented in technical fields, making up a significant portion of computer science graduates. In terms of career outcomes, data from 2023 on median earnings one year after graduation show strong results in quantitative disciplines. Grads in Accounting and Related Services led bachelor's degree fields at $66,085, closely followed by Computer Science at $63,026. For prospective students, Augustana offers balanced academic options where pre-health sciences attract the largest cohort, while finance and computing paths lead in initial compensation.

Augustana College enrolled a total campus community of 2,570 students in 2025, operating predominantly as an undergraduate institution. First-year undergraduates include meaningful international representation alongside a modest Asian student presence. Specifically, incoming international students numbered 165, representing 24.8% of the first-year class, while first-year Asian students accounted for 2.3% of the cohort. Continuing undergraduate cohorts mirror these demographic patterns, with international scholars forming a substantial segment and Asian undergraduates representing a small share of upper-level courses. Graduate students make up only a tiny portion of overall enrollment. For prospective applicants, these figures describe a campus that pairs a traditional domestic undergraduate majority with a distinct international contingent.

The student population at Augustana College is concentrated heavily within traditional college age brackets. In 2025, undergraduates aged 18 to 19 comprised 45.9% of all undergraduates, while students entering in their early twenties make up nearly all the remaining undergraduate population. Older adult learners represent only a minor fraction of the student body. The small graduate division is similarly youthful, with degree candidates consisting almost entirely of recent bachelor's recipients. This pronounced age clustering means academic schedules, campus housing, and student activities cater directly to young adults pursuing immediate full-time study rather than working professionals balancing careers.

International student enrollment at Augustana College has expanded substantially at the undergraduate level, even as graduate programs remain domestic. In 2025, international undergraduates represented 20.1% of the undergraduate student body. When compared against its peer group of similarly ranked private liberal arts colleges, Augustana's undergraduate international proportion is higher than 93% of peer schools, standing well above typical peer figures. In contrast, the college's small master's program enrolled 0% international students. Among degree recipients, international graduates concentrate heavily in quantitative and pre-professional bachelor's disciplines rather than the humanities or general sciences. In 2025, international students earned 57.6% of the degrees conferred in Computer Science and formed substantial shares in finance and marketing, whereas they accounted for minimal shares of biology and psychology graduates. For prospective international applicants, Augustana offers an established global undergraduate community, with particularly strong student representation across technology and business fields.

Applicants exploring Augustana College can evaluate several alternative higher education institutions located within driving distance in Illinois and Iowa. Located about 40 kilometers to the south, Knox College is a private liberal arts college ranked 85 in the 2027 U.S. News national liberal arts rankings. Roughly 52 kilometers to the west in Iowa City, the University of Iowa is a large public research institution tied at rank 100 among national universities. To the southeast, Bradley University sits approximately 74 kilometers away in Peoria, holding a rank of 169 among national universities. Families seeking another undergraduate-focused liberal arts environment can also look north to Beloit College, located about 104 kilometers away and ranked 100 among liberal arts colleges.

Campus safety records at Augustana College indicate that reported incidents consist predominantly of substance-related disciplinary violations rather than violent crime. The college recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 33.2 in 2025, which reflects Forward Pathway's weighted calculation giving lower weight to disciplinary referrals. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, the vast majority of logged infractions involved university policy enforcement. Specifically, the campus recorded 483 disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations and 223 disciplinary referrals for drug law violations over those years. Criminal offenses occurred with much lower frequency over the same period, including a small number of motor vehicle thefts, stalking incidents, and reported sexual offenses. For families and prospective students evaluating campus life, the data show an environment where disciplinary action around substance use forms the primary safety concern, while major campus crimes remain comparatively infrequent.