Student Profile

Augustana's Students

The heart of any college is its students, in all their infinite variety. The problem is that the typical demographic snapshot does a poor job of capturing their character. To provide you with a more complete picture, we’ve provided three different takes on our students: a quick demographic profile, highlights of what they’re actually engaged with and then quick reflections on our students from several perspectives.

A quick demographic snapshot: Augustana serves an increasingly diverse, traditional-age student population. About 2,500 undergraduates attend Augustana. Students of color constitute 15% of that population. Our 2010-11 entering class is one of the largest ever. While most of our students are from the states of the Upper Midwest, our current student body does represent most states and 20 other nations. They work, on average, 10 hours per week. About 13% qualify for Pell grants.

Our students come with excellent academic credentials. Their mean ACT score is 25 (the national average is 21). Most finished in the top 20% of their class; over a third in the top 10%.

Their academic engagement: We offer a rich living-learning community in which academic study is complemented by award-winning co-curricular, extra-curricular and residential programming. In order to give students both the freedom and opportunity to explore, our liberal arts requirements comprise a third of a student’s course of study, while academic majors occupy less than a quarter of it. That commitment is reflected in our students’ activities:

• 33% have completed an internship
• 40% have participated in intercollegiate athletics
• 30% have participated in music ensembles
• 40% have studied overseas in college-sponsored programs on every continent (yes, that does include Antarctica). We’ve created an Office of International Programs and expect to substantially increase international study.
• 85% have done volunteer work in the community
• 97% will engage in a Senior Inquiry project.

Half of our students will pursue graduate or professional degrees upon graduation. That means an Augustana graduate is 50% more likely to complete a graduate degree (M.A. or Ph.D.) and 120% more likely to complete a professional degree than are other liberal arts college graduates.

Voices from the community: we asked the folks who know our students best – faculty, but also admissions counselors and Student Affairs professionals -- to share their impression of what an outsider most needs to know about our students. Here’s a selection of their responses:

Dr. Jon Clauss, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Chair, 2007-08 Faculty Senate
[Our students] expect more of your time and attention [than most]; after all they have chosen to attend a "highly selective liberal arts college" for a reason! In the classroom they are, for the most part, respectful, fairly engaged, intellectually curious and committed to succeeding. If anything gets in the way of their schoolwork, it is often extra-curricular activities. A high percentage of our students are involved in music, sports and social and activist clubs.

I find that Augie students tend to lean toward the conservative in their political beliefs and are often religious and active in their spiritual lives. They arrive with experiences that tend to be limited to the typical suburban or small town Midwestern life. But I find them to be very open-minded and respectful of others’ beliefs. And usually their beliefs translate into action; groups like Habitat for Humanity, Right to Life and our environmental club Global Affect are very active and have a high profile on campus. They tend as a group to be adventurous and willing to take some risks. A high percentage of our students, for example, take advantage of our numerous overseas opportunities.

Dr. Evelyn S. Campbell, Dean and Vice President of Student Services
If you show interest and loyalty to our students, they will respond in triplicate. Although they are quite capable on their own, they seek adult connections, affirmation, and mentoring.

Very few of our students choose Augustana based on academic reputation alone. They come because Augustana has a good academic reputation AND has a football team, Equestrian Club, symphony, appears friendly, and the list goes on and on. Faculty members that advise student organizations, attend athletic events, hang out in their offices so students can stop by and chat, and generally make themselves available during the regular work week are truly loved and respected by our students.

Dr. Stephen Klien, Associate Professor of Communication Studies
Most of our students have the intellectual aptitude and skill sets to do some impressive academic work. However, they...often feel apprehensive about committing to serious academic work, but an engaged, interested teacher can help them really surprise themselves.

Leaders
Confident, but not cocky (understated confidence)
Pleasers
Social/outgoing
Predisposed to conformity
Told to be well rounded – liberal arts fosters that.
Service-driven
Spiritually driven (it’s the right thing to do to serve, to learn, to help)
Hard-working, possess a good work ethic
More mature than typical student
Statistics-driven
Tech-savvy
Family-oriented

Rebellious
Wall flowers
Willing to settle
Seeking anonymity in any way