Reference (Lists and Rankings): Peace Corps Announces 2016 Top Volunteer-Producing Schools
Note: An interactive version of the Top Volunteer-Producing Schools 2016 is available here.
A list of the Top Five All-Time Volunteer-Producing Schools is included below.
From the Peace Corp:
Washington state once again makes a strong showing on the Peace Corps’ list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities with three Evergreen State schools holding the top spot in their enrollment category.
The University of Washington ranks No. 1 among large volunteer-producing colleges and universities and also appears on the agency’s list of top volunteer-producing graduate schools. Gonzaga University and the University of Puget Sound share the title of No. 1 among small schools, rounding out three of the seven total Washington state schools on the 2016 list.
The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., claims the top spot among medium-sized colleges and universities, followed closely by local rival American University. Georgetown University and Howard University—which remains the first and only historically black university to appear on the list—join George Washington and American as D.C.-based schools to rank in the medium-sized enrollment category, taking the No. 7 and No. 14 spots, respectively.
Among graduate schools, Tulane University holds the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive year. The University of California, Berkeley remains the all-time highest producer of Peace Corps volunteers in the country, with more than 3,600 alumni to have served since the Peace Corps was founded in 1961.
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Simmons College—one of the few women’s colleges on the list—made the largest leap in rank this year, moving from unranked to No. 8 among small colleges and universities. Emory University moved from No. 24 to No. 8 on the list of medium-sized schools and Indiana University Bloomington jumped to No. 7 from No. 20 in the large enrollment category.
Below are the top five colleges and universities in each category and the number of alumni who are currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers.
View the complete 2016 rankings of the top schools in each category here.
Large Colleges & Universities – Total Volunteers:
More than 15,000 undergraduates
1. University of Washington (72)
2. University of Wisconsin–Madison (68)
3. University of Florida (59)
3. University of Minnesota (59)
5. University of Colorado Boulder (53)
Medium Colleges & Universities – Total Volunteers:
Between 5,000 and 15,000 undergraduates
1. The George Washington University (43)
2. American University (42)
3. Western Washington University (41)
4. Cornell University (38)
5. University of Virginia (36)
Small Colleges & Universities – Total Volunteers:
Less than 5,000 undergraduates
1. Gonzaga University (18)
1. University of Puget Sound (18)
3. Macalester College (17)
4. The Evergreen State College (13)
4. Carleton College (13)
Graduate Schools – Total Volunteers:
1. Tulane University (18)
2. University of Denver (17)
2. University of Michigan (17)
4. University of Washington (16)
5. American University (15)
Historical, Since 1961 – Total Volunteers:
1. University of California, Berkeley (3,615)
2. University of Wisconsin–Madison (3,184)
3. University of Washington (2,937)
4. University of Michigan (2,640)
5. University of Colorado Boulder (2,435)
*Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2015 data as of September 30, 2015, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.
In 2015, the agency saw a 40-year high in application numbers.
Direct to Complete Peace Corps Announcement
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About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.