Admission Criteria

Augustana College wants to get to know you and hear your story throughout the admissions process. When considering your application, we will look at the key areas listed below. We will also factor in your demonstrated interest in Augustana, so think about starting the admissions process with a personal visit or admissions interview.

High school record

Breadth and rigor of your high school curriculum is an important consideration in your application. Our recommendations:

• Four years of English
• Three or four years of mathematics
• Three years of social science
• Two years of a laboratory science
• Two years of a foreign language

Additionally, honors, advanced placement and international baccalaureate courses are recognized if they are available at your school. As part of the application review process, we will recalculate your grade point average to include academic courses only. The majority of admitted students will have an adjusted GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Standardized tests

Augustana currently accepts scores from either the ACT or SAT I. If you have taken a test multiple times, we will consider your highest composite score. The middle 50% of Augustana students score between a 23 and 28 on the ACT.

Standardized test scores are only a piece of the admissions process, but some students are still nervous about sending their scores to colleges.  If you feel like your grades and overall performance in the classroom are better indicators of your academic ability than your ACT or SAT score, we encourage you to look into our Test-Optional admissions process.

Letters of recommendation

Recommendations from your guidance counselor and one teacher are required to complete an application. We recommend providing your references with a brief resume so they can learn more about you and emphasize things that are important to you.  We are looking for information on not only your academic fit, but also your co-curricular and social fit.  The more information your references can give, the more helpful it is to us. 

Hint: if Augustana is your first choice, let your reference know! Teachers and counselors are more likely to write strongly favorable letters if they know that you are serious in your intent to enroll.

Writing sample

We also ask applicants to submit a high-quality writing sample so we 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

Co-curricular activities

A list of your high school co-curricular activities gives us 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.

Demonstrated interest

Campus visits and conversations with your admissions officer, faculty, coaches and others on campus are not formal parts of the admissions process, but they are imperative to making sure that you and the college make a good fit. These important campus interactions will give you a glimpse of the Augustana experience while giving us a chance to learn more about you, all with the goal of ensuring you attend the institution that best meets your needs as a whole person - intellect, character and spirit. Find out more about personal visits and admissions interviews.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions Office. We will be happy to help!