CU Boulder has been recognized as one of the all-time top Peace Corps volunteer-producing universities in the nation, coming in at No. 4. In all: 2,131 CU Boulder alumni have served abroad as Peace Corps volunteers since the agency’s founding in 1961.
CU Boulder has a long history of exceptional Peace Corps service, and for Pamela Civins, CU Boulder’s campus Peace Corps recruiter, the fit is a natural one.
By the numbers
2024 top large colleges and universities* historically producing the most Peace Corps volunteers:
- University of California, Berkeley: 2,862
- University of Wisconsin-Madison: 2,766
- University of Washington: 2,342
- University of Colorado Boulder: 2,131
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor: 2,065
*More than 15,000 undergraduates enrolled. Rankings are based on Peace Corps data as of Sept. 30, 2023.
“This 2024 ranking by the Peace Corps shows that CU Boulder students are invested in community service and helping make positive change in the world,” said Civins, a CU Boulder alumna and returned Peace Corps volunteer.
“College is a time for students to become lifelong learners, and the Peace Corps provides an opportunity for CU Boulder graduates to learn about a new culture, to learn a new language and to learn new skills,” Civins said. “It's an experiential learning opportunity that, in my opinion, is priceless.”
Peace Corp Prep
CU Boulder is one of nearly 150 schools across the country that offers Peace Corps Prep, a partnership program dedicated to preparing undergraduates for service abroad.
Housed within the CU Boulder Center for Leadership, the undergraduate certificate program offers future U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer applicants sector-specific job skills, foreign language proficiency, intercultural competence and professional leadership development skills. As an official Peace Corps Prep program, earning the certificate is excellent preparation, and a likely advantage, for future Peace Corps volunteer applicants.
Launched in fall 2018, the program is open to all CU Boulder undergraduates, regardless of their major, minor, department, academic year or participation in other programs.
CU Boulder also has a part-time Peace Corps strategic campus recruiter. Set up a meeting or learn more about hosting an information session by contacting Pamela Civins. She works part-time, and you can visit her in the UMC, Room 122, or email peacecorps@colorado.edu.
About the Peace Corps
President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, and more than 240,000 Americans have served in 144 countries worldwide. Peace Corps volunteers work alongside community members across the globe on projects in the areas of education, health, environment, agriculture, community economic development and youth development.
In 2024 the Peace Corps updated its tracking technology, resulting in changes to the numbers of volunteers recorded over time from U.S. colleges and universities.
