The University of Florida ranked No. 5 among large schools on the Peace Corps’ 2017 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 58 Gators currently volunteering worldwide. In 2016, UF held the No. 3 position.
This is the third consecutive year that the UF has ranked among the top five large schools, ranking No. 3 in 2015 and 2016.
“Peace Corps service is an unparalleled leadership opportunity that enables college and university alumni to use the creative-thinking skills they developed in school to make an impact in communities around the world,” Acting Peace Corps Director Sheila Crowley said. “Many college graduates view Peace Corps as a launching pad for their careers because volunteers return home with the cultural competency and entrepreneurial spirit sought after in most fields.”
Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, 1,365 alumni from the UF have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers.
Service in the Peace Corps is a life-defining, hands-on experience that offers volunteers the opportunity to travel to a community overseas and make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
“The diversity on campus at the University of Florida afforded me the opportunity to learn from others' perspectives and experiences and opened my eyes to working internationally,” said Frances Snelling, a 2009 Liberal Arts and Sciences graduate who is currently serving as a volunteer in the Dominican Republic. “I have been able to see sustainability in many of my projects because of their nature to focus on skills and capacity building.”
This year, three schools in Florida are included in the 2017 national rankings. The University of South Florida ranked No. 18 nationally among large schools with 40 alumni currently volunteering worldwide and No. 3 among graduate schools with 18 alumni currently volunteering worldwide. Eckerd College also ranked No. 13 among small schools with 10 alumni currently serving worldwide.
This year’s rankings follow the launch of a refreshed brand platform that underscores the agency’s commitment to putting the user experience first and makes the Peace Corps more accessible to audiences through the platforms they already use. A simple and personal Peace Corps application process can be completed online in about one hour. Applicants can learn more about service opportunities by assignment area, country and departure date by visiting the Peace Corps website and connecting with a recruiter.
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. Below find the top five schools in each category and the number of alumni currently serve as Peace Corps volunteers. View the complete 2017 rankings of the top 25 schools in each category here and find an interactive map that shows where alumni from each college and university are serving here.
