Augustana College

The academic experience at Augustana is defined by a foundational liberal arts and sciences curriculum, bookended by First-Year Inquiry and Senior Inquiry courses. A distinctive feature is the prevalence of double majors; half of all Augustana students have more than one major, building what the college promotes as greater skills and versatility. Popular majors include Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, as well as Biological and Biomedical Sciences. The music department is frequently noted as a particularly strong and prominent program. Academically, Augustana College was tied at No. 96 in U.S. News and World Report's 2026 ranking of best national liberal arts colleges.

Life on the Mississippi River campus is heavily residential and activity-focused. Approximately 66% of students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing, with 34% living off campus. The Office of Student Life and Leadership (OSL) serves as a central hub, connecting students to a wide variety of cultures and experiences through arts, entertainment, and educational programming. The campus and the surrounding Quad Cities area provide outlets for creativity, curiosity, adventure, and spirituality. The student population is noted for its diversity, with one source indicating only 58% of students are white.

Augustana prides itself on strong post-graduation outcomes, with a particular focus on supporting lower-income students. For the Class of 2025, 95% of surveyed graduates reported being employed, in graduate school, or continuing experiential learning. A separate outcomes dashboard breaks this down further: 51.4% were employed full time, 24.5% were continuing their education, and 10.7% were seeking employment. The median salary for 2025 graduates was $55,000. The college's graduation rate for Pell Grant recipients is 71%, significantly higher than the national average of 54.6% for such students, with 24% of Augustana's student body receiving Pell Grants. Overall graduation rates from various sources range from 71% to 79%.

Augustana aggressively uses financial aid to make attendance feasible, with 100% of students receiving some form of financial assistance. This includes merit scholarships up to $128,000 over four years ($32,000 per year). The average need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students is $41,237, and 61% of first-year students receive need-based aid. The cornerstone of its affordability push is the Augustana Possible program, a bold financial aid initiative that meets 100% of demonstrated financial need (as determined by the FAFSA) for qualifying newly enrolled students, up to direct costs. The college emphasizes that the sticker price is not the final price, and it provides a Net Price Calculator for families to estimate their actual cost.

Augustana College stands out for its potent combination of academic flexibility, a commitment to student success, and a serious financial aid promise. The culture of double majors (half the student body) creates unusually versatile graduates, while the strong music program adds a distinctive artistic thread. Its location in the Quad Cities on the Mississippi River offers a unique setting that blends a traditional campus with access to a broader metropolitan area. Most compellingly, Augustana has staked its reputation on outcomes, not just inputs. The Augustana Possible program is a direct, transparent guarantee to meet full financial need for qualifying students, and its success in graduating Pell Grant recipients at rates far above the national average demonstrates that this commitment translates into real results. This is a liberal arts college that is pragmatic about costs, focused on career readiness, and dedicated to making its education accessible.