Location: Rock Island, Illinois
Type: Private liberal arts college
About:
Augustana College is a private, selective liberal arts and sciences college founded in 1860 by Swedish settlers. It is situated on a 115-acre wooded campus in Rock Island, Illinois, on the Mississippi River. It’s part of the Quad-Cities (population 400,000 that includes Moline, Illinois; and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa) and about 165 miles, or 3 hours, west of Chicago. The college unrolls approximately 2,500 students.
Augustana ranks among the top 40 U.S. liberal arts colleges in the sciences, based on the number of graduates earning Ph.D.s. Students accepted to Augustana typically rank in the top 30% of their high school classes. The middle 50 percent of enrolled students for the class of 2012 scored 24-29 on the ACT, well above the national averages. Augustana College is considered highly selective.
Fast Facts:
- 12:1 student ratio
- 97% of 2014 graduates employed or in graduate school within a year
- 88% acceptance rate to first or second choice graduate school
- 60% of students study abroad
- 3 hours from Chicago
- Augie Choice – $2000 to help with extracurricular activities
- Top 10 Midwestern Liberal Arts Colleges (Money magazine 2016)
- Top 50 Best Liberal Arts Colleges (Money magazine 2016)
- 2016 Best in the Midwest (Princeton Review)
- No. 8 among all colleges and universities in Illinois (Forbes magazine 2015)
- Top 50 Safest Colleges (Shenyang Daily News 2015)
- Top 100 Colleges for Return on Investment (Forbes magazine 2016)
- Top 25 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America (Thrillist.com 2014)
- Kiplinger’s Best values in liberal arts colleges for 2015 (#75)
Athletics:
Augustana College’s athletics team are known as the “Vikings”. They compete in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and are members of the NCAA Division III.
Men’s teams: Baseball, basketball, cross country/track and field, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming/diving, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling.
Women’s teams: Basketball, bowling, cross country/track and field, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming/diving, tennis, and volleyball.
School Information:
Programs:
The services offered through CORE (Careers, Opportunities, Research and Exploration) afford students an advantage in graduate school placement and the job market.
Three distinguishing opportunities are: Augie Choice: $2000 offered to every student to support hands-on learning through research, an internship or international study; the Viking Scorecard: a career and graduate school preparation guide; and a wide variety of faculty-led international programs ranging from 2 weeks to 3 months and covering all 7 continents.
Augustana currently has nearly 90 academic programs and fields of study including nine pre-professional programs (Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Veterinary Medicine) and eight interdisciplinary programs (Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Environmental Management & Forestry, Environmental Studies, Latin American Studies, Medieval & Renaissance Studies, Neuroscience, Public Health, Women’s & Gender Studies)
Augustana College program information: http://www.augustana.edu/academics-home
Housing:
Augustana is a residential campus. Most students, including transfer students, live on campus for their first three years. As seniors, they’re prepared to move into off-campus housing. Augustana offers a variety of residences, from historic House on the Hill to the modern layout of Swanson Commons.
Residential life here focuses on what students experience in daily life, depending on their year:
• First-year: Your living experience will help you connect with friends and mentors, and feel at home at Augustana.
• Sophomores: Residence hall programming will relate to life goals, as you look inward to discover what you should do with your life, and who you want to be.
• Juniors: Your third year will focus on transitions and more independence.
First-year and sophomore students live in residence halls; juniors may choose transitional living areas (apartment-style housing on campus); seniors live on campus or in the neighborhood.
Augustana College housing information: http://www.augustana.edu/student-life/housing
Entry Requirements:
Admission of non-U.S. citizens to Augustana College is based upon overall academic strength as well as the financial ability to meet the cost of an Augustana education. International students are advised to enroll fall term, which is the beginning of the school year and gives international students greater opportunities for orientation and participation. Students who would like to be considered for admission should submit the following:
- Application for admission:
Official transcripts from secondary school and any university attended (transcripts must be in English and forwarded directly to Augustana from the institution)
Official TOEFL, IELTS, ACT or SAT scores sent directly from the testing agency (TOEFL minimum: 550 on written test; 80 on internet test. IELTS minimum 6.5). SAT (critical reading and math only) College Board code 1025
A letter of recommendation from a teacher, academic advisor or school official (recommended but not required)
Augustana international admissions suggest providing your references with a brief résumé so they can learn more about you and emphasize things that are important to you. They are looking for information not only regarding your academic fit, but also your co-curricular and social fit.
Augustana also ask applicants to submit a high-quality writing sample so they can learn more about your personality and individuality. This gives you an opportunity to organize your thoughts and express yourself.
- Acceptable writing samples:
A graded paper from any high school class, preferably showing the grade earned
A personal statement of values, beliefs, idiosyncrasies and talents
The application for admission also suggests topics for an original essay
A list of your co-curricular activities gives them an idea of what you are passionate about, and what you might be interested in pursuing as a member of the college community. We want to hear about your leadership roles, activities that you excelled in, community service participation, as well as part-time jobs that you enjoyed.
Sometimes, during the process of reviewing applications, admissions staff members will call or email applicants to learn more about the student and his or her interest in Augustana.
- Questions may include:
What attracted you to apply to Augustana?
What are some of the important factors that will go into making your final college decision?
When do you plan to visit Augustana?
Because these questions are important to the college, a final admissions decision may be delayed while the admissions staff attempts to reach a student. Students can show interest by: Responding to communication promptly and telling Augustana they are a top choice. Everyone likes to hear they are a top choice. Colleges are no different.
Augustana College international admissions information: http://www.augustana.edu/admissions/apply/international-students
Tuition and Fees:
Indicative for 2016-2017 academic year:
Tuition and Fees – $39,621
Standard Meal Plan – $4,958
Housing (Standard Double) – $5,079
Total Cost – $49,658 + Miscellaneous (Books, Travel, Personal Expenses)
Augustana College tuition information: http://www.augustana.edu/admissions/cost
Financial Aid / Scholarships:
Academic scholarships are offered to qualified international applicants with outstanding academic achievement. These are: Presidential – $24,000, Deans – $22,000, and Founders – $20,000.
International students may also apply for financial aid – students planning on applying for financial aid should submit the financial aid application at the time of applying for admission. Financial aid is determined at the time of admission. To qualify for aid, students must submit aid forms with their application.
Augustana College scholarship information: http://www.augustana.edu/admissions/apply/international-students/scholarships-and-grants
