UMD Earns Top 20 Ranking as Peace Corps Volunteer Producer

The University of Maryland has been named a top Peace Corps volunteer-producing university for the seventh consecutive year. With 49 alumni currently volunteering worldwide, UMD ranks No. 16 on the list among large universities. Additionally, the state of Maryland ranks No. 10 for top volunteer-producing states overall.

1,269 UMD graduates have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers to date. The nations’ first “Do Good campus” is also a destination of choice for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), whether to continue their education, or to pursue careers as members of UMD's faculty or professional staff.

“The diversity of the University of Maryland, College Park was one of the main reasons I chose this school as my alma mater,” said current volunteer and alumna Cherisse Lewis. “There were students from all over and I actively participated in events that involved international or first generation students from many countries, in which Peace Corps volunteered and served. I have always had the urge to serve others and being an immigrant from Jamaica, adjusting to new cultures has always been an interest of mine. For that reason, I wanted to help those in need and those who want to experience interacting with an American.”

This one of a kind service opportunity provides both tangible benefits and a life-defining leadership experience. Volunteers return from service as global citizens and receive support from the Peace Corps in the form of career services, graduate school opportunities, readjustment allowances, and loan deferment and cancellation opportunities. Since its inception in 1961, the agency has sent more than 230,000 Americans to serve in 141 countries worldwide.

The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. View the complete 2018 rankings of the top schools in each category here and find an interactive map that shows where alumni from each college are serving here.