SUNY Geneseo Ranks 18th in Nation for Peace Corps Volunteerism

GENESEO – SUNY Geneseo ranks highly in the nation for numbers of student volunteers with the Peace Corps.

According to a press release from the Peace Corps, SUNY Geneseo ranked No. 18 among medium-sized schools on the agency’s 2016 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list.

“The Peace Corps is a unique opportunity for college graduates to put their education into practice and become agents of change in communities around the world,” said Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. “Today’s graduates understand the importance of intercultural understanding and are raising their hands in record numbers to take on the challenge of international service.”

This is the second straight year that Geneseo has ranked among the top 20 schools in its category, with 15 Geneseo Knights currently volunteering worldwide.

Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961, including 261 SUNY Geneseo alumni.

This year’s rankings follow a 40-year high in applications for the Peace Corps in 2015 nationwide. This record-breaking number of applicants comes after the first full year that the agency’s application and recruitment reforms have been in place. Applicants will now find a simplified, more personal application process, and can learn more by reaching out to the New York regional recruitment office at nyinfo@peacecorps.gov.

Nationwide, the highest ranking medium-sized colleges for number of volunteers were the George Washington University, with 43; American University, with 42; Western Washington University, with 41; Cornell University, with 38; and the University of Virginia, with 36.

You can view the complete 2016 rankings of the top 25 schools in each undergraduate category here.