Boston University had the 16th highest representation in the Peace Corps among large colleges, according to a press release.
The Peace Corps has 70 volunteers who earned undergraduate degrees from BU and went on to join the Peace Corps, according to a report released early on Wednesday.
The Peace Corps Top Colleges Rankings listed colleges based on the number of volunteers who graduated from undergraduate programs nationwide.
“For many years, BU has been represented in the Peace Corps,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley.
Since the Peace Corps’s inception in 1961, 1,326 BU alumni have served in more than 40 nations, including Rwanda, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Liberia, Philippines and South Africa, according to the press release.
“BU has a long history of BU alumni being interested in applying to and being sent to the four corners of the earth to serve in the Peace Corps,” Riley said.
BU volunteers have worked in areas such as agriculture, education, environment, health and business and youth development throughout the world, the press release stated.
The report divided rankings among large-, medium- and small-scale schools.
Among the largest colleges, the University of Colorado at Boulder ranked highest with 112 alumni in the Peace Corps. Other schools, including the University of Washington, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Florida and University of Michigan, had more alumni serving.
A number of Boston-area colleges made the 2012 rankings in the medium category. Among them, Boston College ranked seventh and Tufts 15th. Wellesley College had the 10th highest representation among small schools.
While the numbers represent undergraduate alumni, BU also has a Master’s International Program, which combines a Master’s degree in Public Health with 27 months of service with the Peace Corps.
School of Medicine student Nicole Starr said she enrolled in the MI program to get a chance to work in the Peace Corps.
“I was able to do all my course work in the States for one year and then went on to finish some of my degree as well as do my Peace Corps service,” Starr said.
Starr said the program is fantastic, especially for self-driven students.
“I think it’s very important for you to be a self-starter for it to be a really successful experience,” she said.
Traveling the world with the Peace Corps is a great way BU students, among others, can spend a part of their lives.
“The best young people can do,” Riley said, “[is] to serve needy populations and bring their talents across the earth.”
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