Cornell College vs Augustana University

Cornell College and Augustana University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Cornell, a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa, boasts a 98% acceptance rate and a student body of around 1,200 undergraduates. Augustana, a private liberal arts university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 99% and a larger student body of over 2,000 undergraduates. While both institutions excel in the humanities and social sciences, Cornell is known for its strong programs in natural sciences and mathematics, while Augustana emphasizes pre-professional programs such as business, nursing, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions' differences in graduation rates, popular majors, student demographics, and more, and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Augustana University	Cornell College
Overview
Location	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	Mount Vernon, Iowa
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	78.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	71.8%	81.1%
Application fees	$60	$30
SAT range	1020 - 1300	1155 - 1405
ACT range	22 - 28	24 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	73.0%	58.0%
Total number of applicants	2,257	2,836
Total number of admissions given out	1,621	2,300
Admitted students who chose to enroll	467	366
Yield rate	28.8%	15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,114	$62,735
Average net price	$26,795	$22,667
Tuition	$34,934	$47,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,930 Meal plan: $4,928	Room/dormitory: $4,868 Meal plan: $5,688
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $24,606	100.0% Average amount $37,745
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $6,261	57.0% Average amount $5,607
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,036	16.0% Average amount $9,357

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,715 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	1,046 Men 52.5% Women 47.5%
Graduate students	307 Men 26.1% Women 73.9%	9 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	44.6%	N/A
International students	6.5%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,380	1,060
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Dakota Minnesota Iowa Nebraska Colorado	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Business	Business Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.6%	63.8%
Dropout rate	9.3%	10.9%
Transferred out	19.9%	25.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,050 Year 2: $57,724 Year 3: $60,403 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,860 Year 2: $44,666 Year 3: $51,957 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,320 Year 2: $48,883 Year 3: $49,768 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,995 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $47,863 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,410 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $43,036 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $42,736 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,851 Year 3: $42,185 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,193 Year 2: $37,928 Year 3: $40,435 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: N/A	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,721 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $40,862 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,040 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $38,658 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,951 Year 2: $23,340 Year 3: N/A Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,103 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,478 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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