College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Augsburg University

MNMedium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #361 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Overall, Augsburg University sits in Azimuth’s 75th percentile.

Who it’s a good fit for

Augsburg University is a private nonprofit university in Minneapolis where Business and Health Professions lead the degree mix. Access is well above average, and the university serves a large Pell-eligible population that completes at a rate above the overall six-year graduation rate.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that gain to a remainder it does not explain than to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market.

What the typical aid recipient from the lowest income band pays after aid sits well below the published cost, though affordability overall is modestly below average. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study.

A student drawn to Nursing should know it is the largest program and among the best-paid. The earnings advantage is concentrated in the programs a student chooses, not spread evenly across the degree mix.

Augsburg University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
82.0%
Six-year completion[2]
51.7%
Four-year earnings[3]
$68,350

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$21,524
Median student debt[4]
$25,347
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$17,901

Augsburg University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Augsburg University is a private nonprofit university in Minneapolis, Minnesota, enrolling 2,494 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the upper quarter of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (75th percentile).

The university admits 82.0% of applicants, a rate above the 71.2% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 72.3% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.4%.

The six-year graduation rate is 51.7%, compared with a peer median of 68.8%. An estimated 26.3% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate describes only the first-time, full-time cohort.

The four sit far apart. Access and return are the strongest, while mobility and affordability sit much lower.

The shape is a school where the strongest pillars are close together, and the weakest two are close together, with a wide gap between the pairs.

Access is the clearest strength for Augsburg University, with Azimuth placing it in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Return follows in the 84th percentile.

Mobility sits in the 44th percentile, and affordability is the weakest pillar at the 36th percentile. Strong access and return measures point in the same direction, while affordability remains the profile’s constraint.

56.1% of undergraduates at Augsburg University receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access at this private nonprofit university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The university does not have a published middle range of submitted test scores, so the Pell share is the primary window into the admitted-student profile.

Azimuth ranks the university #214 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The figures that shape that pillar are the Pell share and the completion rate for those students.

Pell recipients complete at 57.1%, which is 5.4 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate for the entering cohort. The mobility pillar sits at #828. Graduates earn about $15,831 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Augsburg University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#361

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 44
Access & reach
National percentile: 85
Affordability
National percentile: 36
Return on investment
National percentile: 84

Top-ranked majors

  1. Social Work#35
  2. Communication and Media Studies#86
  3. Marketing#112

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Augsburg University briefing

Augsburg University cost & financial aid[6][7]

For aid recipients at Augsburg University, grants and scholarships bring the published cost down sharply, though the broader affordability picture is less clear. The published cost of attendance is $62,303, an average across living arrangements.

On-campus tuition and fees are $45,452 and room and board are $16,894. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $23,873.

Aid savings average $38,430 against the sticker price. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371, and Augsburg’s average is $3,498 below that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks Augsburg University #908 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer comparison and the affordability rank point in different directions.

At Augsburg University, the published cost of attendance is $62,303 (an average across living arrangements), so the price remaining after aid differs across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,318 for the lowest family-income band, $23,180 for the lower-middle band, $21,524 for the middle band, $23,223 for the upper-middle band, and $32,123 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,805. Azimuth ranks the university #908 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid offsets $38,430 and covers about 62% of the published cost. Across first-time full-time aid recipients, the is $23,873, alongside published tuition and fees of $45,452.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371; Augsburg’s average net price is $3,498 below it. Aid coverage and a below-peer average net price point in the same direction.

Federal student loan borrowers who complete have median debt of $25,347, and 87.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $1,148 above the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $17,901.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$21,524

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Augsburg University

Borrowers who complete a degree at Augsburg University leave with a median of $25,347 in federal student loans. That is $1,148 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Federal borrowing is widespread, with 87.1% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $17,901 in Parent PLUS loans.

At Augsburg University, earnings are strong relative to expectations, though federal debt sits above the peer median. Graduates earn a median of $68,350 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $15,831 more than the model expects for similar students.

Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios put earnings at $49,852 in a downside scenario, $68,350 in a typical scenario, and $90,658 in an upside scenario.

For borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $25,347, compared with $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $1,148 above the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and debt above peers point in different directions.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $17,901. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$25,347
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$17,901

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$288/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$227/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Augsburg University briefing

Augsburg University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,350. That is $100 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and sits at the 73rd percentile nationally.

Graduates earn about $15,831 more than the model expects for similar students. That puts the gap at the 92nd percentile, and Azimuth places the university at the 84th percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,541. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $12,290. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $986.

Augsburg University posts a median of $68,350 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places those earnings in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 862 completers.

Graduates earn about $15,831 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix show that outcomes can differ across fields rather than describing observed groups.

An estimated 30.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The solid school-wide earnings measure and the model’s higher-than-expected result point in the same direction, though individual fields can vary.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Augsburg University has median earnings of $68,350 four years after completion, in the 73rd percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250; the university’s figure is $100 above it.

Graduates earn about $15,831 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 92nd percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,541. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $12,290.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $986. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $49,852 on the downside to $90,658 on the upside.

Azimuth ranks the university #242 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Computer Science is the highest-earning listed program, with 15 degrees awarded and median earnings of $95,637 four years after completion.

Its median is 0.89x the national median for its field. Mathematics adds 12 degrees awarded and median earnings of $86,446. Across these programs, both annual degree counts and earnings levels vary.

The modeled earnings range at Augsburg University is wide enough that field choice deserves close attention. The downside scenario is $49,852, the typical scenario is $68,350, and the upside scenario is $90,658; these are earnings scenarios from the program mix, not observed groups.

Augsburg University presents a mixed cost-and-return picture: graduate earnings exceed the model’s expectations, though borrower debt sits above the peer benchmark. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $25,347.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199; Augsburg University’s figure is above it by $1,148. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $15,831 more than the model expects for similar students. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $23,873, below the $27,371 peer median by $3,498.

Aid covers about 62% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Lower net price and above-expected earnings point one way, while debt above peers points the other.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$3,541
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$12,290
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$15,831

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Augsburg University briefing

Augsburg University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Augsburg University admitted 82.0% of applicants in the reported entering class, so admission was available to a broad share of that year’s pool. That rate is above the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Admissions
Admission rate
82.0%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / Augsburg University briefing

What are the largest majors at Augsburg University?[12]

The highest-earning programs at Augsburg University are not the largest, and the spread between them is wide. Nursing is the largest program on campus at 65 degrees awarded a year, and graduates earn $93,046 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks it #113 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Finance awards 26 degrees a year and graduates earn $79,809.

Azimuth ranks it #129 nationally. At the more moderate end, Social Work graduates earn $60,546 from 20 degrees a year. Azimuth ranks it #35 nationally, the best rank among the programs shown here.

Business accounts for 22.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded at Augsburg University, with Health Professions next at 13.4% and Education at 9.5%. The university has 8 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 15 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Nursing, at 65 degrees awarded a year, followed by Marketing at 35 and Business Administration and Management at 34. Social Work is the highest-ranked program, at #1 in Minnesota within its field, with 20 degrees awarded a year and a benchmark ratio of 1.17x against the national median for its field.

Communication and Media Studies ranks #86 nationally and #1 in Minnesota within its field, with 23 degrees awarded and median earnings of $63,850. The highest-earning program is Computer Science, where graduates earn a median of $95,637 four years out, from 15 degrees awarded a year.

Nursing, the largest program, is the second-highest earner at $93,046. Strength is concentrated in a few fields: the top-ranked programs sit in social work, communication, and business, while the highest earnings come from computer science and nursing.

Across all fields, 16.0% of degrees awarded are in STEM. The highest-earning program, Computer Science, is not the largest.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 65 degrees awarded
$93,046
Marketing 35 degrees awarded
$68,757
Business Administration, Management and Operations 34 degrees awarded
$72,706
Biology, General 32 degrees awarded
Too few graduates to report
Psychology, General 27 degrees awarded
$55,673
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 26 degrees awarded
$49,698

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Augsburg University briefing

How does Augsburg University serve students from different backgrounds?

Augsburg University pairs above-expected graduate earnings with a more modest mobility standing. The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 51.7%; Pell recipients’ six-year completion rate is 57.1%, above the overall rate by 5.4 percentage points.

Azimuth places Augsburg’s mobility pillar in the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are in the 92nd percentile.

Graduates earn about $15,831 more than the model expects for similar students. The mobility ranking and modeled earnings point in different directions.

Augsburg University serves a substantial share of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants: 56.1%. The university enrolls 2,494 undergraduates, admits 82.0% of applicants, and has an estimated 26.3% share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Augsburg’s access pillar is in the 85th percentile. Pell participation, admission, and transfer entry describe several routes into the university.

06 / Augsburg University briefing

What colleges are similar to Augsburg University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Augsburg University.

Admissions peerMinnesota State University-Mankato88.4% admitted
Comparison with Augsburg University
MeasureAugsburg UniversityMinnesota State University-Mankato
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,350$64,235-$4,115 vs Augsburg University
Average annual net price$23,873$19,139-$4,734 vs Augsburg University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%88.4%
Explore Minnesota State University-Mankato →
Higher-admission alternativeSaint Mary's University of Minnesota92.8% admitted
Comparison with Augsburg University
MeasureAugsburg UniversitySaint Mary's University of Minnesota
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,350$72,502+$4,152 vs Augsburg University
Average annual net price$23,873$11,704-$12,169 vs Augsburg University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%92.8%
Nearby alternativeBethel UniversityNearby option · MN
Comparison with Augsburg University
MeasureAugsburg UniversityBethel University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,350$70,633+$2,283 vs Augsburg University
Average annual net price$23,873$28,556+$4,683 vs Augsburg University · higher cost
Admission rate82.0%87.8%
Explore Bethel University →
Higher-earnings alternativeSUNY Maritime College$104,752 earnings
Comparison with Augsburg University
MeasureAugsburg UniversitySUNY Maritime College
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,350$104,752+$36,402 vs Augsburg University
Average annual net price$23,873$22,367-$1,506 vs Augsburg University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%72.4%
Explore SUNY Maritime College →
Lower-cost alternativeSaint Mary's University of Minnesota$11,704 average net price
Comparison with Augsburg University
MeasureAugsburg UniversitySaint Mary's University of Minnesota
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,350$72,502+$4,152 vs Augsburg University
Average annual net price$23,873$11,704-$12,169 vs Augsburg University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%92.8%
Similar profileSt Catherine UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Augsburg University
MeasureAugsburg UniversitySt Catherine University
Peer earnings · 4 years$68,350$65,829-$2,521 vs Augsburg University
Average annual net price$23,873$19,764-$4,109 vs Augsburg University · lower cost
Admission rate82.0%91.9%

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings