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Augustana University · South Dakota

Augustana University scholarships and merit aid

Every admitted Augustana student is considered for a renewable Academic Scholarship of $21,000-$28,000 per year simply by applying for admission, and talent awards (music, theatre, art, science) plus legacy and family grants stack on top.

Verified Jun 20263 months ago

The short answer

Is Augustana University worth a closer look?

Augustana University awards automatic merit on admission. Augustana University does not publish a GPA or test chart, so you cannot self-calculate the dollars.

Merit tiers162 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJun 2026By our research team

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Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

$21,000-$28,000 Per Year

Academic Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Based on GPA or SAT/ACT test score (specific tier cutoffs not published on the page)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

First-year and continuing students; considered automatically by applying for undergraduate admission

How to keep it

Renewable; students must be full time and in good academic standing to maintain these scholarships. A specific renewal GPA is not published on the page.

Notes

Augustana's primary automatic merit award. The page states scholarships are 'based on your GPA or SAT/ACT test score' and that 'being considered for these scholarships is as easy as applying for undergraduate admission,' but it does NOT publish the GPA/test-to-dollar grid. The exact tier you land in is not determinable from official pages.

Source

$21,000-$26,000 Per Year

Transfer Scholarship

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
Based on prior college coursework (specific cutoffs not published)
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Students who transfer to Augustana from another institution after one full semester of coursework

How to keep it

Renewable; students must be full time and in good academic standing to maintain these scholarships.

Notes

The transfer-student equivalent of the Academic Scholarship; considered automatically by applying for admission.

Source

$8,000 per year

Pro Musica Music Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Awarded by audition; music ability/talent

How to keep it

Renewable. An additional $1,000 per year is available to scholarship recipients who participate in marching band.

Notes

Augustana's top music talent award; stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship. Application/audition deadline Feb. 1.

Source

Up to $5,000 per year

Studio Music Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Awarded by audition; private-lesson / studio music students

How to keep it

Renewable. An additional $1,000 per year is available to recipients who participate in marching band.

Notes

Stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship.

Source

$3,000 per year

Music Honors Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Awarded by audition; music ability/talent

How to keep it

Renewable. An additional $1,000 per year is available to recipients who participate in marching band.

Notes

Stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship.

Source

$3,000 per year

Viking Marching Band Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Participation in the Viking Marching Band

How to keep it

Renewable.

Notes

Stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship. Distinct from the +$1,000 marching-band add-on attached to the other music awards.

Source

$1,000 per year

Music Ensemble Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Participation in a music ensemble

How to keep it

Renewable. An additional $1,000 per year is available to recipients who participate in marching band.

Notes

Entry-level music talent award; stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship.

Source

Up to $3,000 per year

Pro Dramatis Theatre Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Based on performance/potential; must be accepted by March

How to keep it

Renewable.

Notes

Theatre talent award; stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship. Deadline March 1.

Source

Up to $3,000 per year

Pro Artis Visual Art Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Based on talent/potential via portfolio review

How to keep it

Renewable.

Notes

Visual-art talent award; stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship. Deadline March 1.

Source

$2,000 per year

Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Incoming transfer students who are Phi Theta Kappa members

How to keep it

Renewable.

Notes

For incoming transfers; stacks on top of the Transfer Scholarship.

Source

$1,000 per year

YT Johnson Science Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
3.7 GPA (or 27 ACT)
ACT
27
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Science majors

How to keep it

Renewable.

Notes

Awarded to science majors with a 27 ACT or 3.7 GPA; stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship.

Source

$1,000 per year

Fryxell Humanities Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Freshmen in humanities; preference for English/journalism

How to keep it

Renewable.

Notes

Stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship.

Source

$1,000 per year

Alumni Legacy Award

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Students whose parent, grandparent, sibling, or spouse earned a degree from Augustana

How to keep it

Renewable.

Notes

Stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship.

Source

$1,000 per year

Family Tuition Grant

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Full-time students with an immediate family member enrolled full time

How to keep it

Renewable while an immediate family member is enrolled full time.

Notes

Contingent on a family member's concurrent full-time enrollment; stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship.

Source

$500 per year of service

Camp Counselor Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Continuing students serving as camp counselors at Lutheran camps for 6+ weeks

How to keep it

Awarded per qualifying year of service.

Notes

Stacks on top of the Academic Scholarship.

Source

Up to $500

PACT Grant (Parish and College Together)

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

Full-time students receiving a church scholarship; submit the PACT Form

How to keep it

Matching grant; renewal terms not stated on the page.

Notes

Matches a qualifying church/parish scholarship up to $500; there is no deadline for PACT Form submission.

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Augustana University's published information.

  • Renewal ruleAcademic Scholarship: renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Renewable; students must be full time and in good academic standing to maintain these scholarships. A specific renewal GPA is not published on the page. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Aid capHard $53,522 cost-of-attendance ceiling

    Institutional aid at Augustana University cannot push the package past $53,522. Big outside wins can mathematically reduce institutional grant once the ceiling is reached.

What families often miss

  1. Augustana publishes only the range ($21,000-$28,000/yr) and says the award is 'based on your GPA or SAT/ACT test score,' but it does NOT publish the tier cutoffs. You won't know your exact tier until you receive your award letter — ask admissions for an estimate or use the Net Price Calculator.

  2. Talent awards have separate, earlier deadlines: Pro Musica music is Feb. 1, and Pro Dramatis (theatre) and Pro Artis (visual art) are both March 1. These require an audition or portfolio review, not just admission.

  3. Music awards (Ensemble, Honors, Pro Musica, Studio) each add only +$1,000/yr IF the recipient participates in marching band. The standalone Viking Marching Band Scholarship ($3,000/yr) is a separate award.

  4. $53,522 is tuition + fees + housing (double) + meal plan for 2026-27. Indirect costs — books (~$1,000), transportation (~$2,374), personal expenses (~$4,316), and loan fees (~$72) — add roughly $7,762 more that isn't billed to your account.

  5. It won't. Augustana explicitly stacks outside scholarships on top of its own scholarships. The only reduction risk is to federal self-help (subsidized loans, work-study) and AU need-based grants if your total aid would exceed the cost of attendance.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Students who want a large, automatic, GPA/test-based merit floor at a Lutheran (ELCA) liberal-arts university in Sioux Falls, plus talented musicians, theatre/art students, and science majors who can layer renewable talent awards on top of their academic scholarship.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $53,522 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Augustana University, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Augustana University, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$18,746
$30,001–$48,000$18,895
$48,001–$75,000$17,937
$75,001–$110,000$24,787
$110,001+$27,327
All income levels (average)$23,894

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$40,160
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$23,894

That works out to roughly a 57% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $55,159 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
73%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
86%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$25,000 (~$265/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$59,217
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
22%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
55%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Augustana explicitly STACKS outside (private) scholarships on top of Augustana scholarships — it will not reduce its own scholarships because a student won outside awards. The only caveat is for students who file the FAFSA and accept federal aid: total aid must stay within the cost of attendance, so outside awards can reduce federal subsidized loans, work-study, and AU need-based grants. Internal named talent/legacy awards also stack on the Academic Scholarship.

Pure merit + outside awards stack against Augustana scholarships with no displacement. For students with federal aid, the COA cap is the only constraint, and AU notes outside scholarships could reduce subsidized loans, work-study, and AU grants (self-help / need-based aid is reduced first, institutional merit scholarships are not).

Source

Other Augustana University scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountAmount VariesEligibilityHigh school graduates, based on financial need; must file the FAFSA.

NEED-BASED institutional grant (not merit). Renewable.

Source

AmountAmount VariesEligibilityInternational students, based on academic credentials and country of citizenship.

Renewable. For international applicants.

Source

Augustana University merit aid FAQ

  • Is the Academic Scholarship automatic?

    Effectively yes. The page says 'being considered for these scholarships is as easy as applying for undergraduate admission,' and the award is based on your GPA or SAT/ACT score. The exact dollar tier within the $21,000-$28,000/yr range is set by your stats but the cutoff grid is not published, so confirm your amount in your award letter.

  • Do outside (private) scholarships reduce my Augustana scholarship?

    No. 'Outside scholarships are stackable with Augustana Scholarships' — AU will not reduce its own scholarships because you won outside awards. If you accept federal aid, total aid must stay within the cost of attendance, so outside awards could reduce federal subsidized loans, work-study, or AU need-based grants.

  • What are the talent-award deadlines?

    Pro Musica music auditions are due Feb. 1. Theatre (Pro Dramatis) and visual art (Pro Artis) are both due March 1 and require an audition or portfolio review.

  • Are the scholarships renewable?

    Yes. Augustana scholarships are renewable provided students 'maintain full-time status and good academic standing.' A specific renewal GPA is not published — ask the Office of Financial Aid (605.274.5216) for the exact threshold.

See sources and other schools

How Augustana University compares

  • 235 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use cost-of-attendance cap displacement.

    Augustana University is in a recognizable cluster (235 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Augustana University is one of them. The cohort minority (84 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 University’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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