More selective than 89% of South Dakota colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $55,159. College Scorecard.
Higher than 100% of South Dakota colleges we cover and 83% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 92% of South Dakota colleges we cover and 68% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Augustana University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,330 applicants, Augustana University admitted 1,973 and 456 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1150–1370 on the SAT or 21–27 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Augustana University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Augustana University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Augustana University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in South Dakota. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $18,746 | $79,483 | 3.4 years |
| $30–48k | $18,895 | $80,115 | 3.4 years |
| $48–75k | $17,937 | $76,053 | 3.2 years |
| $75–110k | $24,787 | $105,097 | 4.5 years |
| $110k+ | $27,327 | $115,866 | 4.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (60% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($59,217) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in SD (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $23,420 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Augustana University majors, earnings & careers
Augustana University offers 49 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Science & Math · 7
- Business & Finance · 6
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Education · 4
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Engineering · 2
Highest-earning majors at Augustana University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $77,844 | $27,000 |
| Accounting | $68,523 | — |
| Business Administration | $68,463 | $25,112 |
| Biology | $67,630 | $26,000 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $58,906 | $24,625 |
| Psychology | $58,256 | $27,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $46,600 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 49 majors
- Accounting$68,523
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- American Sign Language—
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$67,630
- Business / Corporate Communications—
- Business Administration$68,463
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Communications—
- Computational Science—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$46,600
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Education, Other—
- Engineering—
- Engineering Physics—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Finance—
- German—
- History—
- International / Global Studies—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$58,906
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Music—
- Natural Sciences—
- Nursing$77,844
- Philosophy—
- Philosophy and Religious Studies—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$58,256
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Sioux Falls
Overall prices in the Sioux Falls, SD-MN area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,228. Housing costs 22% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 30 inches of rain a year, 49 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Minnehaha County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Minnehaha County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Augustana University with similar schools
Similar private colleges in South Dakota by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustana University | 68% | $23,894 | 73% | $59,217 | This school |
| University of Sioux Falls | 83% | $21,383 | 63% | $54,521 | |
| Dakota Wesleyan University | 73% | $19,735 | 48% | $53,728 | |
| Mount Marty University | 43% | $22,227 | 52% | $48,179 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Augustana University would cost you $2,511 more per year than University of Sioux Falls, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Augustana University, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$18,410).
- Augustana University gives aided families $18,374 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, South Dakota resident | Augustana University | University of Sioux Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $40,160 | $21,750 | +$18,410 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $9,470 | $8,960 | +$510 |
| Personal & travel | $6,480 | $4,345 | +$2,135 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,951 | −$1,781 | −$170 |
| Sticker price | $55,159 | $34,274 | +$20,885 |
| Average grants | −$31,265 | −$12,891 | −$18,374 |
| You pay | $23,894 | $21,383 | +$2,511 |
“+” means Augustana University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Augustana University
What is the Augustana University acceptance rate?
Augustana University accepts 68% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,973 of 3,330 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1150–1370 on the SAT or 21–27 on the ACT.
How much does Augustana University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $55,159 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $23,894 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $18,746 and families earning $110k+ pay $27,327.
How much do Augustana University graduates earn?
Former Augustana University students earn a median $59,217 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Augustana University graduation rate?
73% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 86% return for their second year.
How long does a Augustana University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Augustana University costs about $76,053 after grants ($17,937 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $59,217 ten years after starting, $23,420 more than high school graduates in South Dakota ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 3.2 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Augustana University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/augustana-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).