FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Peace Corps Announces 2016 Top Volunteer-Producing Hispanic-Serving Institutions

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 13, 2016 — The Peace Corps today announced its 2016 rankings of the top volunteer-producing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) nationwide, with two California schools tied for the top spot. The University of California, Santa Cruz and San Diego State University secured the top spot with 32 undergraduate alumni from each school currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers. The University of New Mexico held on to the No.3 spot for the third year in a row with 27 alumni currently in service.

Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet announced the rankings today during an event at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where she was joined by UTEP President Diana Natalicio for a discussion on the importance of international service and the unique skills graduates of HSIs bring to the Peace Corps. UTEP appeared on the ranking for the first time this year, debuting in the No. 12 spot.

“Graduates of Hispanic-Serving Institutions come to Peace Corps with a strong educational background and the flexibility and curiosity needed to make an impact in communities around the world,” Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said. “Volunteers with different talents, viewpoints, experiences and backgrounds demonstrate to people across all corners of the world what it means to be an American.”

This is the second consecutive year that the University of California, Santa Cruz has claimed the top spot. Since 1961, 813 University of California, Santa Cruz alumni have served as Peace Corps volunteers. San Diego State University made the jump to the top spot this year from a fifth place ranking in 2015. Top-ranking HSIs in California produced 154 Peace Corps volunteers this year, with ranked University of California schools producing 52 volunteers and ranked California State University schools producing 59 volunteers.

Peace Corps' 2016 top volunteer-producing Hispanic-Serving Institutions are:
1. University of California, Santa Cruz (32 currently serving volunteers)
1. San Diego State University (32 currently serving volunteers)
3. University of New Mexico (27 currently serving volunteers)
4. Humboldt State University (25 currently serving volunteers)
5. University of California, Riverside (20 currently serving volunteers)
6. Florida International University (16 currently serving volunteers)
7. California State University, Sacramento (14 currently serving volunteers)
8. California State University, Long Beach (12 currently serving volunteers)
9. California State University, Fullerton (10 currently serving volunteers)
10. California State University, Northridge (9 currently serving volunteers)
10. Texas State University (9 currently serving volunteers)
12. University of Texas at El Paso (8 currently serving volunteers)
13. California State University, Fresno (7 currently serving volunteers)
13. California State University, San Bernardino (7 currently serving volunteers)
13. New Mexico State University (7 currently serving volunteers)

The Peace Corps has regional recruitment offices across the country that work closely with prospective volunteers. In addition to hiring dedicated diversity recruiters and hosting diversity focused recruitment events, the Peace Corps is partnering with diverse institutions so Americans of all backgrounds know about service opportunities with the Peace Corps. Find a recruiter near you by visiting the Peace Corps website here.

*Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2015 data as of September 30, 2015, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.

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