America's Best Colleges for B Students. Tamra B. Orr
coaching, supplemental instruction and the math, public speaking and writing labs. Augsburg’s TRiO/Student Support Services program helps students who are 1) low-income, 2) first-generation enrollees or 3) disabled (learning or physical) to achieve their bachelor’s degrees.
StepUp provides ongoing support to students in chemical recovery who are willing and able to progress toward an academic degree while remaining clean and sober. Students live together in separate, chemical-free housing.
The Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services (CLASS) assists academically qualified students with learning, attention, psychiatric or other cognitive disabilities reach their individual potential through services and accommodations, while the Access Center supports students with documented physical disabilities.
Augsburg College provides a variety of support programs including dedicated guidance for: academic • career • personal • psychological • minority students • religious. The average freshman year GPA is 2.9, and 80 percent of freshmen students return for their sophomore year. Among students who enter the work force, approximately 85 percent enter a field related to their major within six months of graduation. Companies that most frequently hire graduates from Augsburg College include: Target Corporation • Cargill • KPMG International • Best Buy • Anoka Hennepin School District • Hennepin County Social Services • Wells Fargo Bank.
Highlights
Augsburg College
Minneapolis (Pop. 380,000)
Location: Major city
Four-year private
Founded: 1869
Website: http://www.augsburg.edu
Students
Total enrollment: 4,015
Undergrads: 3,123
Freshmen: 449
Part-time students: 18%
From out-of-state: 14%
From public schools: 85%
Male/Female: 46%/54%
Live on-campus: 40%
Off-campus employment rating: Fair
Caucasian: 71%
African American: 8%
Hispanic: 3%
Asian or Pacific Islander: 6%
Native American: 2%
International: 1%
Academics
Calendar: Semester
Student/faculty ratio: 14:1
Class size 9 or fewer: 30%
Class size 10-29: 66%
Class size 30-49: 3%
Class size 50-99: -
Class size 100 or more: -
Returning freshmen: 80%
Six-year graduation rate: 62%
Most Popular Majors
Business administration
Elementary education
Communications
Support for Students with Learning Disabilities
Students with learning disabilities may take advantage of specific support programs offered by Augsburg College. If necessary, the college will grant additional time to students with learning disabilities to complete their degree. According to the school, The Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services (CLASS) at Augsburg College provides accommodations and academic support to students with any of a broad range of specific cognitive and psychological disabilities, including dyslexia, ADHD and Asperger syndrome. CLASS also serves students with psychiatric disabilities such as anxiety disorder, depression and PTSD, and those with acquired or developmental neurological conditions in which the primary impact is on cognitive function. Students with learning disabilities will find the following programs at Augsburg College extremely useful: tutors • learning center • testing accommodations • extended time for tests • take-home exam • oral tests • readers • note-taking services • reading machines • tape recorders • waiver of math degree requirement. Individual or small group tutorials are also available in: time management • organizational skills • learning strategies • writing labs • math labs • study skills. An advisor/advocate from the Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services is available to students.
How to Get Admitted
For admissions decisions, non-academic factors considered: interview • extracurricular activities • special talents, interests, abilities • character/personal qualities • volunteer work • work experience • state of residency • minority affiliation • alumni relationship. A high school diploma is required, although a GED is also accepted for admissions consideration. SAT or ACT test scores are required of all applicants. SAT Subject Test scores are considered, if submitted, but are not required. According to the admissions office: Minimum composite ACT score of 22, rank in top half of secondary school class and minimum 2.5 GPA recommended.
Insight
“At Augsburg, we realize that grades are only one measure of success,” says Bethany Bierman, assistant director of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. She notes that one of the college’s graduates received a D in high school chemistry and went on to receive a Nobel Prize in chemistry! The college is an intentionally diverse community, and with that comes students from a range of academic backgrounds. The admissions officers do a thorough review of an application, but grades are not the only basis on which students are accepted. Applicants can demonstrate that they are qualified for Augsburg by the extracurricular activities in which they are involved, including work positions or volunteer work. The difficulty of courses a student has selected in high school is also considered. Additionally, letters of recommendation that focus on the character of the student tell the admissions officers a great deal. “Ultimately, Augsburg seeks to accept students who want to use their gifts to make a difference in the world,” she says. Bierman states that the school’s overall philosophy is that it is “more concerned with the quality and character of the alumni we produce than the incoming GPA of our students. As long as we know that students are working to their full potential, taking their academic work seriously and are seeking to make a difference in their community, we are proud of them, regardless of grades that are B’s or C’s.”
How to Pay for College
To apply for financial aid, students should submit the following: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Augsburg College participates in the Federal Work Study program. Need-based aid programs include: scholarships and grants • general need-based awards • Federal Pell grants • state scholarships and grants • college-based scholarships and grants • private scholarships and grants • Federal Nursing scholarships. Non-need-based aid programs include: scholarships and grants • state scholarships and grants • creative arts and performance awards • special achievements and activities awards • special characteristics awards.
Highlights
Admissions
Applicants: 2,346
Accepted: