Founded in 1860, Augustana College is a selective, residential, comprehensive college of the Lutheran Church committed to enriching lives and fostering development by combining a foundation in the liberal arts with professional skill and advanced study. With nearly 1,850 students from 26 states and 30 countries, Augustana is ranked the No. 6 baccalaureate college in the nation for its efforts to advance social mobility, research and service by Washington Monthly. We’re proud to be featured among 650 of “America’s Top Colleges” by Forbes and to be named a “Best Midwestern College” by the Princeton Review and a “Best Buy” by U.S. News & World Report. Augustana is also identified as one of "440 Great Colleges for Top Students" by Peterson’s Guide and among “America’s top 100 outstanding but under-appreciated colleges” by Harvard Schmarvard. In 2010, we were named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Role for supporting volunteerism, service-learning and civic engagement and the Templeton Guide includes the College among those that inspire students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives. We’re proud to say that the average ACT of our entering class is 25, one of the highest averages of any college or university in the region. Nearly 90 percent of our students come from South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. Eleven percent are alumni legacies.

Location

Augustana is located in Sioux Falls, S.D., the largest city in South Dakota with a population of more than 160,000. The city’s dynamic, robust business environment offers our students internship opportunities in the areas of agribusiness, biotechnology, financial services, health care, manufacturing, and tourism. Sioux Falls is also home to the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Sciences, the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, more than 500 restaurants, 70 parks and recreation areas, including a 20-mile paved bike trail, and four minor league sports teams.

A Global Perspective

At Augustana, we believe that in order to learn about the world, you have to see it. Taste it. Live it. It’s why we’re committed to providing students with a global perspective. Nearly half of our students travel abroad during their college careers and, our campus is home to students from 30 countries.

The Academic Program

At the heart of the Augustana experience is a team of renowned, devoted professors who are passionately committed to engage the intellect and inspire the imagination. More than 80 percent of our full-time tenured and tenure-track professors hold the highest degrees in their fields. Augustana offers more than 50 majors and pre-professional specializations within a 4-1-4 academic year. Choice local internships, study abroad programs and local and national undergraduate research opportunities supplement the curriculum. Civitas, the College’s honors program, provides an exceptionally rigorous academic experience and bridges disciplines with an exploration of the values associated with leading a responsible life.

Performing, Visual and Literary Arts

At Augustana, we believe that art stirs the soul, enriches the mind and empowers the heart – it’s why the performing, literary and visual arts are cornerstone to our culture. We’re proud to say that the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra got its start on our campus in 1922. With the addition of the 24,000-square foot Center for Visual Arts, Augustana continues to be a center for the visual arts in southeastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. Approximately 24 percent of Augustana students are involved in music ensembles, theatre productions and art exhibitions on campus and around the globe. In January 2011, 80 student members of the Augustana Band toured Egypt and in October 2012, the Augustana Orchestra will perform with the legendary rock band Kansas. Well-attended exhibitions featuring professional and student artists are held each year in the new Eide/Dalrymple Gallery. The Theatre Department produces main stage shows each year, including a musical and Vikings Varieties, Augustana’s live homecoming entertainment. In addition, Augustana is proud to partner with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra to bring national and international string players to Sioux Falls through the Augustana Faculty String Quartet.

Undergraduate Research

Augustana provides unmatched opportunities for our undergraduate students to participate in cutting edge scientific and medical research projects on campus and in laboratories and study tanks throughout the U.S. and overseas.

The Outlook for Graduates

Some 25 percent of Augustana’s graduating class attends graduate and professional school; their medical school acceptance rate is well above the national average.. In 2010, 94 percent of graduating seniors seeking employment found positions related to their field of study within eight months of graduation.

Prominent Guests

Through the Boe Forum on Public Affairs sponsored by the Center for Western Studies, Augustana has hosted a number of world leaders since 1995, including:

• Gen. Colin Powell
• President George H. Bush
• First Lady Barbara Bush
• John Major, former British prime minister
• Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet president
• Desmond Tutu, archbishop
• Queen Noor of Jordan
• Rudy Guiliani, former mayor of New York City
• Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House
• Susan Dentzer, National Public Radio
• Paul Bremer, presidential envoy to Iraq
• Vice President Al Gore
• Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico
• Sandra Day O’Connor, Supreme Court Justice
• Pervez Musharraf, former president of Pakistan
• Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state
• Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland

For More Information

Contact the Office of Admission at 800.727.2844 or 605.274.5516 or visit www.augie.edu.