Another record-breaking year: Enrollment, retention reach new highs

Augustana set a new enrollment record this fall, continuing an upward trend that began following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Undergraduate enrollment increased by 85 students while graduate enrollment increased by 19 students.

“That’s a nice trajectory and a nice increase,” said Adam Heinitz, assistant vice president of enrollment management. “Our goal is certainly to continue to increase over the next several years, with the ultimate goal in our strategic plan to be at over 3,000 total students by 2030.”

Heinitz said the fall 2026 freshman class is the third-largest in Augustana’s history following last year’s record-setting class.

Aside from large freshman classes, retention also played a role in Augustana’s growing numbers. 

A record 87.2% of first-year students from fall 2025 returned this year, marking the highest retention rate in university history. Heinitz credited the dedication and commitment of students, as well as the campus strong community and support system, including the mentoring provided by the Student Success Center. 

“The easiest students to recruit are the ones you already have, so having record retention was really a highlight in the overall enrollment picture,” Heinitz said. “I would give a lot of credit to our financial aid office and staff as well, because being able to afford Augustana is a big factor for students being able to stay and continue on.”

Heinitz expects graduate enrollment to climb next year as the university expands its doctor of physical therapy program to Colorado. The expansion follows the success of the university’s Minneapolis-based physical therapy program which graduated its first cohort last year. The master’s of social work program, which launched in 2024, has also grown.

Because these new graduate programs are based out of state or use a hybrid model, Heinitz said this graduate growth will not have a significant impact on the physical campus.

For students who do study in Sioux Falls, Heinitz said new and updated facilities have played a role in attracting new students.

“People think campus looks beautiful, they like what we’ve added in terms of academic programs,” he said. “Athletic programs and extracurricular programs that are of interest, clubs, sports, the School of Music and how it’s expanded, I think those are all factors that have impacted our enrollment.”

Freshman finance major Blake Maas said that his recruitment to the cross country team was the biggest factor in his choice to attend Augustana, along with study abroad opportunities and the university being in his hometown.

“It just felt very welcoming,” Maas said. “Being on cross country and track, getting to know the team and getting to meet a lot of people that way was really good too.”

Finn Hartman, a freshman biochemistry major, noted the campus’ welcoming community and has enjoyed watching volleyball games and engaging in intramurals. 

“I was considering a lot of colleges in the Midwest,” Hartman said. “What ultimately brought me here was when [my admissions counselor] reached out and was like, we’d love to give you a one-on-one tour. And when I came back for my third tour, I just really enjoyed it.”

The freshman class includes students from 20 different U.S. states and 22 different countries. The number of students from the Sioux Falls metro area and the nearby states of Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska has continued to steadily rise.

The overall growth is happening amidst a decrease in new international students this fall. The freshman class includes 59 international students from 22 countries outside the United States. 

Heinitz said the number could have been higher, but the inaccessibility and delay of visas “really brought the international number down.” 

“But we have many international students who are hoping to make it here for the spring semester who would still be part of that freshman class this year,” Heinitz said.