The Paul D. Coverdell Program is one of the best RPCV benefits for financing a graduate degree
by Scott King
Before Taylor Majher decided to serve alongside Ministry of Agriculture representatives as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, she was introduced to the wide-ranging benefits of service through a college campus recruiter. At the time, Taylor had always envisioned that graduate school may be part of her future plans, but she didn’t know what degree she might pursue. That’s when a campus recruiter explained that Peace Corps service could support her higher education pursuits through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, a partnership between Peace Corps and universities that offers financial assistance to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
“The recruiter was an RPCV and a former Coverdell Fellow, and she shared that I can use my Peace Corps experience to get reduced price, or full coverage, on graduate school tuition,” said Majher, RPCV Guatemala 2018–2020. “So, I knew Coverdell was a benefit of Peace Corps service, but it wasn’t until I came home from service that I started to explore the idea more. I realized it was a great way to leverage my Peace Corps experience in an academic setting, so I enrolled in a Coverdell Fellows Program at the University of Miami.”
Formerly known as Fellows USA, the Coverdell Fellows Program began in 1985, when the Peace Corps partnered with the Teachers College at Columbia University. The Fellows USA Program quickly expanded to other universities over the next 15 years, before it was renamed, in 2000, after United States Senator Paul D. Coverdell. Before representing the state of Georgia in the United States Senate from 1993 until his death in 2000, Coverdell had served as director of the Peace Corps from 1989–1991.
Today, the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program offers graduate and post-graduate degree opportunities for RPCVs through more than 200 programs at 120 higher education partners across the United States.
“RPCVs can enroll immediately after service, or pursue a degree through the Coverdell Fellows Program several years down the road,” said Jennifer Rigg, Director of University Engagement at Peace Corps. “The program’s lifetime eligibility demonstrates that Peace Corps service is not a step away from building your career. It’s a key building block that helps you identify and explore new career opportunities, while also developing leadership, project management, international relations and language skills.”
“Universities offer a minimum of 25 percent of the program costs, up to a full scholarship, while providing internships for Fellows to meet the needs of local underserved communities,” Rigg said. “Benefits can also include stipends, health insurance, assistantships and other initiatives that support RPCVs with their studies.”
A Program for Every RPCV
According to the Coverdell Fellows Program website, RPCVs can earn a graduate-level degree in a variety of fields. The most common program types carry a public service element, such as community and economic development, social sciences, public administration and policy or international affairs, among others. But Coverdell Fellows can also attain degrees in more specialized fields like law, fine arts and design, math, science and engineering, as well as information technology.
With such a broad range of offerings, RPCVs have the opportunity to explore and enroll in a program according to their interests. For Majher, her Peace Corps service in Guatemala inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in international administration.
“What interested me about an international administration degree was the opportunity to focus on international relations and management for organizations that have connections around the world,” Majher said. “I also pursued a concentration in health and human rights, which I became interested in through my Peace Corps service. So I saw Coverdell as a great way to connect what I learned during undergrad with my Peace Corps service, and then tie it all together into my degree at the University of Miami.”
The flexible nature of the Coverdell Fellows Program also creates opportunities for partner universities to offer multiple programs within the same institution.
“There are no limits on the number of degrees or certifications that a university can offer through the Coverdell Fellows program,” Rigg said. “So in a few cases, a university might also include professional certification programs, doctorate degrees, or a law degree, all within the same school.”
According to Rigg, a driving force behind the program’s expansion of not only university partners, but also the multiple programs that some offer, is that administrators recognize the value RPCVs bring to their campus and the classroom.
“Professors, deans, provosts and university presidents believe RPCVs are invaluable in the classroom because they provide an entry point to real-world experiences,” Rigg said. “The Coverdell Fellows Program provides access to a pool of high-caliber, culturally competent, globally aware students who are experienced in developing and managing projects in low-resource environments, so RPCVs often become notable alumni and members of those academic communities.”
Financial Assistance for Higher Education
Universities incentivize RPCVs to enroll as Coverdell Fellows at their institution by providing Volunteers with financial support for their program of study. While Peace Corps does not directly provide financing, students can supplement their university’s financial support with federal work-study programs, grants, or other scholarship opportunities.
According to a survey issued by the Peace Corps’ University Partners team, the seven-year period between 2017–2024 saw an average of over $15 million issued by the university partners who responded to the survey. This means the average Coverdell Fellow received an average financial award package of nearly $22,000 during the same time period.
“Universities offer a minimum of 25 percent of the program cost, up to a full scholarship, while providing internships for Fellows to meet the needs of local underserved communities,” Rigg said. “Benefits also include stipends, health insurance, assistantships and other initiatives that support RPCVs with their studies.”
An internship requirement with an underserved community is the other key feature of the Coverdell Fellows Program and is often directly tied to receiving financial assistance. According to the same survey, individual Coverdell Fellows averaged 218 internship hours per year over the seven-year study, all together contributing over one million hours supporting some of the most disadvantaged populations in the United States.
In conjunction with her studies in International Administration, Majher completed an internship at a Miami-based nonprofit that supported refugees settling into the United States.
“Through my internship at Refugee Assistance Alliance, I helped refugees from all over the world, including Guatemala, Afghanistan, Honduras and Haiti,” Majher said. “Specifically, I partnered with a refugee family from Venezuela and it was an interesting experience. Instead of me integrating into a completely different country and culture, it was the inverse: it was a refugee family coming into my culture, and so I was able to pay it forward by sharing the culture and societal norms of the United States with them.”
Bringing Peace Corps Third Goal Home
While the specific nature of Majher’s internship opportunity was unique to her graduate program at the University of Miami, Rigg said the internship requirement is intentionally designed to support the Peace Corps Third Goal: to increase Americans’ understanding of other peoples and cultures.
“The internship contributes to the overall Peace Corps mission because RPCVs share their experiences in classrooms and in their communities, helping to fulfill that critical Peace Corps Third Goal. The internship is directly related to the program of study and the Fellow’s service to an underserved community. That enables RPCVs to apply classroom lessons to a professional setting in a hands-on way, while providing much needed assistance to some of the United States’ most underserved communities.”
For Majher, her internship experience aligned with the objectives of the Peace Corps Third Goal, as she shared her Guatemalan experience not only with the refugee families she served, but with other students, friends, family and colleagues, as well.
“When I spoke Spanish with my Venezuelan family, they were surprised by how well I knew the language,” Majher said. “So I explained that I lived in Guatemala for two years through the Peace Corps, and they were able to learn about Guatemalan culture. I’ve also been able to share my Peace Corps experience through community groups, class discussions and school projects. There are a lot of parallels from my Peace Corps experience that I could tie into the projects I did as a Coverdell Fellow, so it’s been a great opportunity to use the Peace Corps experience in an academic sense.”
Fostering Career Development
In addition to the financial assistance and real-world benefits of an internship experience, the Coverdell Fellows program fosters career development by extending an RPCV’s noncompetitive eligibility (NCE) status for federal jobs, as well. A typical RPCV receives NCE status for one year after their service.
“Depending on the hiring agency, an RPCV’s noncompetitive eligibility status for federal job applications may be extended while they’re in school for up to three years from their close of service date,” Rigg said. “So the Coverdell Fellows Program is a great way to become an employee with Peace Corps and for other federal jobs, and grow your career from there.”
Majher’s extended NCE status helped facilitate her transition into her current role today as a Peace Corps recruiter in the Miami area. However, she hopes to leverage her degree and apply its lessons through career opportunities at other federal agencies, as well.
“My experience through the Coverdell Fellows Program elevated the cultural and international awareness I started during my Peace Corps service,” Majher said. “My degree explored cultural awareness theories and how to use them in your career and everyday life. So I hope to continue working in government agencies, whether that’s with Housing and Urban Development or the United Nations. I want to apply what I learned from my Peace Corps experience, along with the international relations theories from my graduate education, into whatever work I do after my Peace Corps recruiting tenure is over.”
For Majher, the Coverdell Fellows Program not only provided career development opportunities, but also demonstrated the Peace Corps cares about their Volunteers even after they close their service.
“The Coverdell Fellows Program proves that the Peace Corps is invested in its Volunteers, even after they’ve completed their service,” Majher said. “It shows the Peace Corps understands that RPCVs acquire several professional skills and transformative experiences through their service, and they can continue their commitment to global service through academics by opening more professional doors along the way.”
