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The merit-aid verdict at Augustana (IL)
Augustana College (Rock Island IL, Lutheran) auto-awards a recalculated-GPA/rank merit grid (Founders $28,000 to Presidential $32,000) with tiered renewal-GPA floors and an explicit no-growth (erosion) rule — your award never exceeds the first-year amount. (DRAFT)
Rules that bite at Augustana (IL)
The trip wires we'd flag in a custom playbook. Each is derived from Augustana (IL)'s own published policy, not generic advice.
renewalAcademic Merit Grid — High School (Presidential / Dean's / Founders): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out
Renewal requires full-time enrollment and an Augustana cumulative GPA: Presidential 3.0, Dean's 2.75, Founders 2.5. Students who miss the renewal GPA may receive a LOWER scholarship; awards never exceed the first-year amount in later years (no growth). A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.
capHard $66,208 cost-of-attendance ceiling
Institutional aid at Augustana (IL) cannot push the package past $66,208. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.
Common merit-aid mistakes at Augustana (IL)
Regardless of Augustana cumulative GPA, scholarships will NOT exceed the first-year awarded amount in later years — the award is capped at its initial value (no growth/erosion against rising costs).
Renewal floors are tiered: Presidential 3.0, Dean's 2.75, Founders 2.5 (transfer: Bell Tower 3.0, Blue and Gold 2.75, Denkmann 2.5, Carlsson 2.0). Missing your tier's floor can drop you to a lower scholarship amount.
Augustana is test-optional; the SAT/ACT ranges are described as 'in past admissions cycles' / 'typically' — recalculated GPA and class rank drive the award, not a hard test cutoff.
The $2,000 Quad City Promise (Scott/Rock Island/Henry/Mercer counties) and the $1,000/yr Out-of-State Award are residency BONUSES that layer on top of the academic merit award.
The Mission and Meaning $1,000 application must be completed by Dec. 15, 2025 for fall 2026 entrants, and the FAFSA Filers Grant requires the FAFSA received by Nov. 15 — both are easy money with firm deadlines.
Academic or other Augustana scholarships could be adjusted through the awarding of an Augustana endowed scholarship — your published merit figure may be partly funded by an endowed award rather than added to.
Who this school is for
High school students with a 3.2+ recalculated GPA (top third) win an automatic $28,000+ award scaling up to $32,000 for top-10% 3.8+ students; transfer students with a 2.75+ college GPA get $22,000-$29,000. (DRAFT)
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $66,208 for 2025-2026. Source
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
$28,000-$32,000
Academic Merit Grid — High School (Presidential / Dean's / Founders)
Automatically considered on the admission application; one award per student; notified in acceptance letter
Renewal terms
Renewal requires full-time enrollment and an Augustana cumulative GPA: Presidential 3.0, Dean's 2.75, Founders 2.5. Students who miss the renewal GPA may receive a LOWER scholarship; awards never exceed the first-year amount in later years (no growth).
Notes
Test scores are historical/typical (Augustana is test-optional). Recalculated GPA and class rank drive the award.
Transfer Merit Grid (Bell Tower / Blue and Gold / Denkmann / Carlsson) + PTK
AutomaticRenewable
GPA
Bell Tower 3.6+; Blue and Gold 3.3+; Denkmann 3.0+; Carlsson 2.75+ (transferable college GPA); minimum 2.75 to qualify
Requirements & details+
Eligibility
Full-time enrollment; no separate application
Renewal terms
Renewal requires full-time enrollment and Augustana cumulative GPA: Bell Tower 3.0, Blue and Gold 2.75, Denkmann 2.5, Carlsson 2.0. PTK ($3,500) renewal requires 3.0.
Notes
Transfer scholarships range $22,000-$29,000 by college GPA. Phi Theta Kappa members get an additional $3,500 that CAN stack with the transfer merit award.
Augustana typically leaves other grants, scholarships, work-study, and federal loans untouched when a student receives an outside scholarship; aid is reduced only if total aid from all sources exceeds financial need and/or cost of attendance, and then in order starting with work-study, then loans, then institutional grants, with scholarships cut last.
Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Typically, your other grants, scholarships, federal work study, and federal loans will not be reduced if you receive an outside scholarship. However, awards will be reduced if the total aid from all sources, including loans, work, scholarships and grants exceeds federal need and/or COA. In such a case, aid will be reduced beginning with work, followed by loans, institutional grants and finally scholarships. Separately, the school's own award-stacking rules: PTK stacks with the transfer merit award; residency/visit/FAFSA bonuses (Quad City Promise, Out-of-State, Campus Visit, FAFSA Filers, Housing/Meal awards) layer on top of merit. (per https://www.augustana.edu/admissions/scholarships)
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Amount$1,000/year (up to $4,000)EligibilityAll fall applicants; complete the four-part scholarship application; fall 2026 entrants complete by Dec. 15, 2025
Renewable up to four years; recipients notified by Jan. 7, 2026.
AmountUp to $4,000 ($1,000/year)EligibilityVisit campus between Jan. 1 of junior year and May 1 of senior year (transfers by Aug. 1 fall / Jan. 15 spring)
Do I need to apply separately for merit scholarships?
No — students are automatically considered for academic merit scholarships based on the admission application. Some talent and named awards require auditions or a separate application with their own deadlines.
What are the renewal requirements?
Full-time enrollment plus a tier-specific Augustana cumulative GPA: Presidential 3.0, Dean's 2.75, Founders 2.5 (transfer: Bell Tower 3.0, Blue and Gold 2.75, Denkmann 2.5, Carlsson 2.0). Missing the floor can lower your award.
Will my scholarship increase over time?
No. Scholarships will not exceed the first-year awarded amount in subsequent years, regardless of your Augustana GPA.
What's the cost of attendance?
For 2025-26 the comprehensive fee is $66,208 (tuition $53,186 + standard housing and meals $12,862 + health/clinic fee $160). Note: the scholarship amounts above are for students first enrolling in 2026-27.
How Augustana (IL) compares across our verified dataset
242 of 750 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.
Augustana (IL) is in a recognizable cluster (242 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.
669 of 750 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.
Augustana (IL) is one of them. The cohort minority (81 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Augustana (IL)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
