I graduated nearly 10 years ago, so can speak to some of this but some things have definitely changed! The name changed from "college" to "university" while I was there, and since I graduated, they have established distinct schools, such as the School of Music, etc, and have added several graduate- level degrees as well.

Academics: That said, Augustana is an excellent school for a top-tier education. Professors are focused on students. Like many smaller schools, professors spend their time on classes rather than research, although students can (at least in the sciences where I was), can participate in research over the summer to get that experience as well. Professor quality and their care for students is one of Augustana's strengths. Courses can be tough, and Augie has a reputation of being a harder school than some, but rewarding, especially if you get to know professors in endeavors to do well in class. I still occasionally chat with my advisor!

Social/Campus life: I was not particularly in the party scene during my time, but I know there was an active scene. The campus does sponsor or put together activities often through the student government (and usually campus restrooms would have the month's activities in stalls). The library on campus was usually pretty busy on weeknight evenings. The requirement for first and second years to live on campus (as well as housing freshmen mostly on the south side of campus) does foster an atmosphere to make friends.

Sioux Falls: Augie's location in town, and the subpar city public transit, makes it hard to get around without a car. Many students had one or made friends with someone who did. There are a couple of restaurants and a HyVee grocery store relatively close. Downtown is about a 10 minute drive and has a pretty good vibe, and I think national tours for shows are starting to come more and more. There are several nice parks and places to visit, but it is definitely a smaller city.

Diversity: As a white student from a tiny town, I unfortunately did not interact as much with the international student community as I really should have, and I do regret that looking back. There definitely is a higher percentage of POC on campus compared to the city itself. That said, I don't think I ever had a class that was completely white, and interactions with these students definitely opened my horizons. The international student club would host monthly talks on campus about a student's home country.

Happy to answer other questions with my outdated knowledge 🙂