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What costs does the Peace Corps cover?
"When I graduated from college I had a passion for travel, a hunger to learn new things ... and a lot of debt," said Ariel, a Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Lesotho.
She faced a common predicament: How to do something you love while gaining professional skills and experience when you don't think you can afford it?
It turns out that serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer costs nothing and provides a wealth of educational and career benefits, too.
Bri S., a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who is currently the CEO of a national nonprofit focused on health policy, explains: “The power skills I learned in Peace Corps—adaptability, influence without authority, intercultural communication—have been far more instrumental in advancing my career than any textbook or classroom.”
Financial benefits
How does it work? The Peace Corps is a U.S. federal agency and much of its budget, as designated by Congress, goes towards supporting Volunteers. In contrast to other international volunteering programs, Peace Corps provides a number of financial benefits that make the Volunteer experience a good financial decision:
- Airfare: Free flights to and from your country of service.
- Housing: Free housing, either living with a host family or on your own. Even better is Peace Corps arranges housing for you – so you do not need to spend time figuring out where you will live.
- Living allowance: A monthly allowance to cover basic expenses like food, household supplies, communication, clothing, and local transportation.
- Medical and dental care: Free and comprehensive coverage for necessary and appropriate health care during service. Before departing for service, you will be reimbursed for evaluations expenses required for your medical clearance process.
- Training: Free technical and language training to help you succeed as a Volunteer.
- Student loan benefits: If you have student loans, you may be able to defer them during service or get a partial cancellation on Perkins loans. Additionally, if you are required to make payments during service, you have the ability to make monthly loan payments through early withdrawals from your service award during service.
- Service award: Over $10,000 in transition funds to prepare for life after 27 months of service. If you serve for less time, the amount varies depending on the length of your service.
“The service award I received after returning to the U.S. was a great help to reestablish myself and adjust back to life in the U.S. I was able to put down a deposit on an apartment and it gave me a bit of time to find a job and re-settle back into life,” said Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Karen N.
Benefits after service
Along with the many financial benefits of service, Peace Corps opens doors long after you return home:
- Education benefits: Discounted tuition and stipends for further study. In Maryland and Colorado, RPCVs are eligible for in-state tuition.
- Federal hiring advantages: A year of non-competitive eligibility for federal jobs.
- Global network: Engage with thousands of other RPCVs.
“The Coverdell Fellowship provided a stipend and full-tuition scholarship so I could obtain master’s degrees in Latin American studies and public administration; it also gave me access to an amazing network of fellow RPCVs,” said Robert A.
A good investment
No matter where you are in your life—a recent college graduate just starting your career, a professional looking for a new challenge, or a retiree with time and skills to give—know that Peace Corps service is not only free, but it is a way to gain invaluable skills and experience that will enrich your life long after service ends.
