Augustana College in Rock Island will welcome new students to campus on move-in day Friday, Sept. 1. The Class of 2027 is among the largest and most diverse in the college’s 163-year history, with 800 first-year, transfer and exchange students from 30 states and 35 countries, according to a Tuesday college release.
Augie received an unprecedented 8,200 applications from first-year and transfer students across the globe for the 2023-2024 school year. The enrolled first-year class includes 584 domestic (U.S.) and 192 international students. The first day of classes for all students is Sept. 5.
Many of the college’s international students, student-athletes and students taking part in Augustana’s PACE Multicultural Mentorship Program moved into campus earlier in the month to begin activities.
More than 240 faculty, staff and returning students will roll up their sleeves to assist with move-in day, including Augustana president Andrea Talentino.
“Welcoming students to the new school year and watching their Augustana story begin is an incredible opportunity,” she said in the release. “Move-in day gets the campus buzzing with activity, and it really is the start of Augustana students, faculty and staff coming together to create a great experience.”
Immediately after move-in, first-year and transfer students will begin Welcome Week — a schedule packed with activities for students to get to know each other and Augustana’s campus.
The first-year class includes 316 student-athletes and 116 students who received art or music scholarships. Top intended majors for the Class of 2027 include computer science, business administration and psychology.
All Augustana students receive financial aid, and the Class of 2027 is the first to benefit from Augustana Possible, an innovative financial aid program for high-achieving students from families with lower incomes. Fueled by the Gerber Grand Challenge in Philanthropy matching opportunity, 183 first-year students received Augustana Possible grants.
This also marks the first year of Augustana’s Brenda Barnes Leadership Academy, with 29 first-year students selected for the program designed to uplift future female leaders. Their first event will be Sept. 17.
Barnes (a 1975 Augustana alum who died in 2017 at age 63) was former president and CEO of Pepsi-Cola North America, the first woman to hold the position, and later became CEO of Sara Lee.
She generously shared her time, talents and gifts with Augustana to ensure that students have the same transforming experience she had. She served 16 years as a college trustee, including five years as the board chair. Read more about Barnes and the new Leadership Academy HERE.
The Augie Vikings football team will begin their 2023 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 2 with a non-conference road clash against the Simpson Storm in Indianola, Iowa. An experienced Vikings squad that brings back 10 fifth-year seniors will look to notch their fifth straight season-opening win on Saturday, when they take on the Storm for the first time in program history. Augie is coming off of a 5-5 overall record in 2022.
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