Let me tell you something up front: this is not the typical review that ends by telling you whether Augustana is “worth it.” That is not for me to decide, and these numbers cannot decide it either. What I can do is show you clearly what kind of school it is, how much it costs, who gets in, who stays, and who finishes. With that information, you decide whether it deserves a place on your child’s list.
What Kind of School It Is and Where It Stands
Augustana College is a private, nonprofit, four-year college devoted primarily to the arts and sciences at the bachelor’s level. The Carnegie classification—the system that organizes US colleges according to what they do—places it among small, highly residential institutions: at least half of its undergraduate students lived in housing owned, controlled, or affiliated with the institution, and at least 80 out of every 100 attended full time. It also places Augustana in the selective-admissions group.
“Highly residential” is not a decorative adjective. It means that this is, to a large extent, a school where students live, not merely a place they attend classes. That brings an immediate practical consequence: the cost of living on campus is almost never included with tuition in the glossy brochure. If your child will live there, ask for that number separately, including the meal plan, before comparing Augustana with any other school.
Geographically, it is in Rock Island, Illinois, within the county of the same name, and its main campus is located in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is in the heart of a large city. If your child plans to live at home and commute, do not rely on the map: drive the route on a weekday at the actual time of the classes. The travel time Google gives you is almost never the travel time you experience.
Institutionally, Augustana awards bachelor’s degrees and also reports offering master’s degrees, although that information is aggregated: it does not tell you whether your child’s specific major has a pathway from undergraduate to graduate study. That must be asked program by program.
And there is something worth clarifying up front because many families look for this indicator: Augustana College is not registered as a historically Black college or university, tribal college or university, or land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 institutions in this federal directory, 138 have at least one of those three designations; Augustana is not among them. That says nothing about whether it serves the Latino community well or poorly, how many Hispanic students are on campus, or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers exist today and which student organizations are active—and, better yet, speak with someone who already studies there.
A Medium-Sized Community, With a Small Minority Within It
Augustana had an official fall enrollment of 2,484: undergraduate enrollment was 2,446 and graduate enrollment was 38. Above all, it is a medium-sized undergraduate institution—among the 941 comparable selective private schools in this census, its enrollment falls right in the middle, neither among the largest nor among the smallest.
Now for the figure that probably matters most to you as a Latino parent: among undergraduate students reported in the fall of 2023, 13 out of every 100 are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority. Compared with the other 941 selective private schools that report this information, Augustana ranks above the midpoint of the group but does not reach the top quartile. It is not among the lowest-performing schools on that measure, but neither is it a campus where your child will encounter a large Latino community while walking through the halls.
That comparison has an important limitation: peers are grouped by school type, not by state, and that matters greatly in a country where the Latino population is not evenly distributed. Illinois is not California or Texas. So if a Latino community is one of your criteria, the right question is not only “How many are there?” but also “What is there for them today?”
Two other pieces of context: there are almost no adult students on this campus—2 out of every 100 students are between 25 and 64 years old—and the gender distribution is nearly even, with women accounting for 53 out of every 100 students.
How the Academic Year Is Organized and How Broad the Academic Offering Is
The school uses a semester calendar: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. Augustana accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience, nor does it enroll high school students in college courses for credit. It does report accepting credit for military training.
Accepting AP does not mean the school automatically awards credit for any exam your child brings in. We do not know what score it requires, how much credit it awards, or whether that credit counts toward the specific major your child will pursue. Ask for a written transfer-credit evaluation before your child enrolls. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what students study there: in the most recently reported year, Augustana awarded 528 bachelor’s degrees across 20 different fields of study. The largest field was business and management, accounting for 23 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year—a notable share, but no single field dominates: none accounted for 30 out of every 100 degrees. The offerings are broad and distributed across fields. Still, “20 fields with a row in the report” does not mean there are 20 active majors today: a CIP field groups multiple programs, and a row may report zero. Verify the exact program that interests your child, not the general category.
The ratio of students to instructional staff is 11 to 1, measured in full-time equivalents. Compared with similar schools, it falls below the midpoint—a relatively low ratio. But keep this in mind: it is an institution-wide average, not the actual size of a first-year class. IPEDS does not publish that.
Regarding specific academic opportunities, Augustana reports study-abroad programs, teacher-certification preparation below the postsecondary level, the ability to complete preparation in certain teacher-specialization areas at the institution itself, and state approval of its initial teacher-certification program. If your child’s calling involves teaching, this warrants a direct call to the department.
Getting Into Augustana: What It Requires and What Actually Happens
This is where many families feel the most anxious, so let’s take it slowly and look at the exact numbers.
Augustana does not have open admission. It reviews several components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, excluding standardized tests and legacy status, it identifies four as required: the high school record, high school GPA, personal essay, and English-proficiency exam when applicable. That means something very concrete: your child has to write. The essay is not optional here.
Although they are not required, the school also considers the following if you submit them: class rank, completion of its required college-preparatory curriculum, letters of recommendation, work experience, and whether a family member attended the school. Regarding that last item: if it does not apply to you, do not spend energy worrying about it. Spend that energy on what is within your child’s control.
The published application fee is $0. That removes a common barrier.
Now for the numbers showing how selective Augustana is in practice. During the 2023 cycle, Augustana received 7,424 first-time applications. It admitted 5,022, or 68 out of every 100. Compared with 942 similar selective private schools, that rate sits near the middle, slightly below the group’s midpoint. Admission is not guaranteed, but it is not a lottery either. The application is reviewed.
But here is a figure that surprises many families and deserves a direct look: out of every 100 admitted students, only 14 ultimately enrolled. Put another way, among every 7 young people who receive a “yes” from Augustana, about one ends up attending. Compared with similar schools, that enrollment rate is on the low side—at seven out of every ten comparable schools or more, a larger share of admitted students enrolls.
Do not read this as a mark against the institution. The fact that most admitted students did not enroll does not mean the school is bad; the federal record does not explain why each person made that choice. What it usefully tells you is this: what other people decided does not predict what your family will be offered. Wait for your own letter with the net price—what it will actually cost your family—before deciding whether Augustana stays on the list.
Regarding standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, they will be considered; if not, the application remains just as active. Among enrolled students who submitted SAT scores (41 out of every 100, a high share compared with similar schools), the middle half scored between 500 and 620 in reading and writing and between 510 and 630 in mathematics. Those numbers describe students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants. That 500 is not a minimum, and that 620 does not guarantee anything.
Finally, regarding transfers: in the fall of 2023, Augustana enrolled 68 students who had previously studied at another institution. That is a headcount, not a rate, and compared with similar schools it places Augustana in the lower half of the group, which is consistent with the school’s size. How many credits Augustana accepted for those 68 students is something to ask the institution directly.
The Sticker Price and Why Almost Nobody Pays It in Full
At Augustana College, among 57 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $15,549. Among 50 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $17,567; among 167 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $6,658. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The highest-income band, calculated from 167 students, ended with an average of $6,658, below the $15,549 calculated from 57 students in the lowest-income band. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $24,695.
$15,549 was the average net price for families in the lowest-income band during the 2022-23 academic year. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you decide whether it is worth requesting the financial-aid letter.
It is unusual for the highest-income band to fall below the lowest-income band, and that does not mean your family will receive the same result. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. Use the net price calculator on the school’s website with your actual numbers.
Almost Everyone Receives Something, but That “Something” Varies Widely
At Augustana, 99 out of every 100 degree-seeking students received some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is the norm there, not the exception. Among recipients, the annual average was $34,931. That is real money, but it is an average: it includes people who received much more and people who received much less. It is not your offer.
The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—went to 22 out of every 100 degree-seeking students.
Regarding loans, 58 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan during the 2022-23 academic year. Among borrowers, the average amount per person that year was $6,841. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years, the total would be around $27,364, not including interest. That calculation should be made before the first signature, not at the end of the journey.
An important limitation on this figure: it covers only federal loans taken out in the student’s name during one year. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, debt from banks, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt with which someone graduates—that would require adding all four years, and that information is not in this report.
Augustana also reports offering a tuition payment plan that allows payments in installments, in case that helps your family manage cash flow.
What this entire section tells you is simple: financing an education here with aid and some debt is common, not exceptional. The family’s responsibility is not to avoid the word “loan” at all costs, but to do the full calculation before signing anything.
Housing, Athletics, the Library, and Support Services: The Rest of Campus
Augustana has institution-owned housing, and it does not require all first-time students to live there—although that does not mean no individual program has such a requirement; ask about your child’s program. The reported maximum capacity of institutional housing is 1,730 students. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals in the largest plan. The existence of housing does not guarantee an available bed: request the annual rate, deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or there is a waiting list in writing.
It reported no ROTC opportunities—neither the general option nor any individual branch—unlike 926 of the 1,786 four-year institutions in this guide that indicated one. That does not prove there is no nearby pathway; it only means none was indicated in that field. If this matters to your family, ask admissions directly.
Augustana does compete in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported participation in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This does not indicate the division in which each sport competes or whether athletic scholarships are awarded: ask the coach directly and, preferably, get the answer in writing.
Regarding distance education, Augustana offers some undergraduate courses in that format, but in the fall count, zero out of every 100 students took their entire course load fully online. Everyone took at least one in-person class. The institution also did not report having a complete program that can be finished entirely online. If this is relevant to your family, confirm it directly with the school.
The library operates with paid staff, its annual expenditures exceeded the $100,000 threshold tracked by the government, it has physical and digital collections, and it participates in interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that it has the specific databases needed for your child’s major: ask using the program’s name.
Regarding general support, Augustana reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military families, a student veterans’ organization, and a published web address for disability services. The fact that these services are reported says nothing about their quality or actual scope: that can be learned by visiting, calling, and asking questions.
Who Stays and Who Finishes
Here we reach the numbers that, for many families, carry the most weight in the end: Do students stay? Do they graduate?
Of the cohort that entered in the fall of 2022—593 first-time, full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking students—491 met the official retention criterion the following year: they were still enrolled there or had already completed their degree. That is 83 out of every 100. Compared with 930 similar selective private schools, Augustana ranks toward the top: it retained a larger share of its cohort than most comparable schools.
It is worth clarifying two things this figure does not say. First, only people who began as bachelor’s-degree-seeking students are included in this calculation; no one else is included. Second, not returning is not the same as abandoning one’s education: someone who transferred to another university and continues studying there is counted the same as someone who stopped studying altogether. The data do not separate those two stories.
Regarding graduation: of the cohort that entered in 2017 (735 first-time, full-time students), 582 had a degree in hand six years later. That is 79 out of every 100. By four years, the figure was already 73 out of every 100—just 6 points below the six-year figure, a small gap. Compared with 920 similar schools, Augustana ranks in the top quartile: three out of every four comparable schools or more reported an equal or lower share of graduates.
A high figure is not a promise for your child. It is what happened to the cohort that entered in 2017. What is within your family’s control is making sure your child enters with credits in order and knows, from the first semester, who the academic advisor is and when registration opens for courses in the major.
The third measurement is at eight years: IPEDS followed a cohort of 749 students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, combining first-time students with those who already had prior college experience. By the August 2023 measurement point, 79 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Augustana. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 76 out of every 100—just 3 points below the figure for nonrecipients. Compared with 935 similar schools, it also falls in the top quartile.
A high percentage does not predict anyone’s individual outcome. It describes a cohort that entered almost ten years ago. The useful way to apply this number is not to treat it as a guarantee, but to use it as a starting point for asking about current program support and the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What This Article Cannot Tell You
This article contains no information about what happens after a student graduates from Augustana: no salaries, employment data, or total debt upon leaving. That information exists in other sources and is worth researching separately if the economic return on the investment matters to you.
Bringing All of This Together With Your Own Decision
You now know, in considerable detail, what kind of school Augustana College is: small, residential, selective but with a low enrollment yield, expensive at its sticker price but offering grants or scholarships that do not have to be repaid to 99 out of every 100 credential-seeking students, with a small Latino community, strong retention and graduation figures compared with similar schools, and information gaps—such as outgoing transfers or 100% online programs—that only the institution itself can fill.
This is one piece of the map, not the whole map. A plan comes from that combination, not from this article alone.
If you live far from Illinois, transportation and distance matter differently than if you live nearby. If your child has the grades and the desire to write a good essay, that part of the application is no longer an obstacle but an opportunity. And if money is your main concern—as it is for most of us—the next concrete step is easy to name, even if it is not easy to take: complete the FAFSA, use Augustana’s net price calculator with your family’s actual numbers, and wait for the letter before crossing this school off or underlining it on the list.
The information in this article comes from data reported by Augustana College to the US Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), primarily for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Augustana College or any government agency; this article organizes and explains publicly available information to help you understand it.