Augustana College

Key Highlights

• Founded in 1860 and located in Rock Island since 1875
• Private nonprofit institution certified by Illinois to grant degrees
• Higher Learning Commission accreditation reaffirmed through 2035
• Official website describes a 115-acre wooded campus and about 2,500 students

Student Life & Environment

Augustana offers a residential college environment with academic, cultural, athletic, religious, service, professional, and recreational activities. The college reports roughly 170 student organizations and related groups, including club sports, performing ensembles, honor societies, publications, identity-based organizations, fraternities, and sororities. Because participation levels and recognized groups can change, applicants should consult the current organization directory rather than assume every listed group will remain active. The Office of Student Life and Leadership coordinates campus programming such as concerts, educational events, leadership development, homecoming activities, and the annual SloughFest. Dedicated offices support international students and cultural connection, while peer-mentoring programs help first-year and transfer students navigate campus. Greek organizations at Augustana are locally founded and autonomous rather than chapters of national organizations. Athletics are a visible part of campus life. The college reports 28 NCAA-sanctioned varsity teams plus an all-gender esports team, alongside intramural and club opportunities. Students considering varsity participation should confirm current rosters, recruitment expectations, conference rules, and eligibility directly with the relevant coach. Campus support resources listed by the college include academic advising, counseling, disability and access services, health care, public safety, and student well-being services. Prospective students should assess how the residential setting, local Greek system, and activity-heavy campus culture align with their preferred level of involvement.

Location & Surroundings

Augustana’s campus is at 639 38th Street in Rock Island, Illinois, one of the communities that form the Quad Cities along the Mississippi River. The college describes its grounds as a 115-acre wooded campus. Rock Island’s location gives students access to a multi-city metropolitan area rather than an isolated college town, with nearby communities on both the Illinois and Iowa sides of the river. The Quad Cities can support internships, clinical placements, student teaching, research, arts participation, and community service without requiring students to travel to Chicago. The college places the campus about 165 miles west of Chicago, so Chicago is better understood as a periodic regional destination than an everyday extension of campus. Applicants without a car should investigate current bus routes, airport connections, campus transportation, and the location of likely placements before enrolling, since transport needs will vary by program. The wooded residential setting and broader metropolitan surroundings offer two distinct environments: a compact college campus for daily life and a regional urban area for work and recreation. Students should also plan for the seasonal weather typical of northwestern Illinois, including cold winters and warm, humid summers.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2026–2027, Augustana publishes full-time undergraduate tuition of $55,048, standard housing and meals of $13,224, and a $170 health care or clinic fee, producing direct comprehensive charges of $68,442. The college separately estimates $1,200 for books and supplies, $2,910 for personal expenses, and $2,096 for travel. Housing prices vary by room type, so students should use the official charge schedule and their assigned meal plan when building a budget. These figures apply specifically to 2026–2027 and should not be carried forward to later years. Domestic students seeking need-based aid are directed to complete the FAFSA; Augustana’s federal school code is 001633. Admission applications are also reviewed for academic scholarship eligibility, while some specialized awards require separate applications or auditions. International students use an institutional financial-aid application rather than assuming eligibility for U.S. federal aid. Families should compare the final aid offer, loan terms, work-study expectations, travel, insurance, and personal expenses rather than relying on the published sticker price alone. Career preparation is coordinated through CORE, which brings together career coaching, internships, research, exploration, and graduate-school planning. Augustana publishes an outcomes dashboard based on its First Destination Survey, supplemented by online research and outreach, showing employment, further education, experiential-learning participation, employers, industries, locations, and graduate study. Because results depend partly on response and information-gathering methods, applicants should inspect the cohort and major selected in the dashboard instead of treating a college-wide outcome as a guaranteed individual result.