Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Fellows Program
Coming home after Peace Corps is an exciting time. Why let the adventure end there? The Coverdell Peace Corps Fellows Program at BGSU provides Returned Peace Corps Volunteers with opportunities to enhance skills and knowledge acquired during service while continuing to help underprivileged communities in the United States. BGSU welcomes Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to our campus to bring their service home while studying in one of our main campus degree programs. Through internships and collaboration within our growing RPCV community, Fellows contribute to the Third Goal of Peace Corps by bringing their unique experiences to parts of the United States where they are needed most.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Since 2008, BGSU has partnered with the Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Fellows Program to offer financial assistance and community connections to RPCVs pursuing graduate degrees. Our graduate degree programs are designed to translate the skills and knowledge that volunteers acquired during their Peace Corps experience into a career. Since the beginning of our partnership, over 90 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have participated as Coverdell Fellows in a variety of programs, including: Cross-Cultural and International Education, Spanish, MPA, History, MBA, and many more. Today, we invite returned volunteers into all of our main campus BGSU graduate degree programs. Find a program that is right for you here: BGSU Graduate Programs
BENEFITS & MORE INFO
- Application Fee Waiver
- Minimum 50% tuition scholarship (additional funds may be available. Amount varies by program. Please contact your Graduate Coordinator for more information)
- Priority consideration for Graduate Assistantships with stipend (May be 10 or 20 hours per week, availability depends on your program)
- Access to resources for finding internships and job placements
Check out our 2021 Webinar of all things Peace Corps Fellows at BGSU
ELIGIBILITY
All Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who have satisfactorily completed their service have a lifetime eligibility for Coverdell Fellows Programs. This means that whether you are just returned home or returned home several years ago, you can take advantage of the Coverdell Fellows benefits.
- The Volunteer was granted "Close of Service" status
- The Volunteer was granted "Early Close of Service" or "Interrupted Service" status due to circumstances beyond his or her control
- The Volunteer was medically separated
- The Volunteer successfully completed at least 12 months of service with Peace Corps Response or the Global Health Service Partnership
- Be enrolled in at least one of BGSU's on-campus (face-to-face) Graduate Degree Programs
- Submit a signed copy of their Description of Service (DOS) in their Graduate Degree Program Application
- Fulfill a 150-hour internship which services an underserved U.S. community anywhere in the United States or its territories (e.g. Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands)
Hear directly from our Fellows by watching the video below:
"The benefits of the Peace Corps will not be limited to the countries in which it serves. Our own young men and women will be enriched by the experiences of living and working in foreign lands. They will have acquired new skills and experience which will aid them in their future careers and add to our own country's supply of trained personnel and teachers. They will return better able to assume the responsibilities of American citizenship and with greater understanding of our global responsibilities."
- John F. Kennedy, Message to Congress, March 1, 1961
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Updated: 01/10/2024 12:47PM