The Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship is a graduate school financial assistance program that supports over 5,000 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
Volunteers who have ‘completion of service’ (COS) status, were medically separated, or who were given 'interrupted service' are eligible for the program.
With graduate school being a popular choice post-Peace Corps and student debt climbing each day, the Peace Corps Coverdell Fellowship is one of the top resources provided to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
As of this writing, there are 218 participating graduate school programs. With subject areas ranging from Agricultural and Cultural Studies to Business Management and Information Technology, and a large focus on Public Administration, Health, the Social Sciences, Environment, Economic Development, and International Affairs, the Coverdell Fellowship Program has something for everyone. As of the 2020 academic year, Peace Corps is heavily targeting the fields of Law and Medicine.
In this article, we’ll explore the details of the Fellowship program and walk you through actionable steps.
First, a little history.
Paul Douglas Coverdell was a U.S. Senator from Georgia and the Peace Corps Director from 1989 to 1991. He oversaw the creation of the World Wise School program, which connects Peace Corps volunteers with grade school students in the U.S. He was also a central figure in sending the first Peace Corps Volunteers to Eastern Europe following the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Mr. Coverdell passed away in 2000.
In his memory, the Peace Corps retitled an existing fellowship program to bear his name.
Since 2000, the Coverdell Fellowship has expanded greatly and currently has at least one participating college/university in each state.
The process of applying for the Coverdell is refreshingly straightforward.
Eligible volunteers simply review the Fellowship Partner list and filter out the programs they are interested in pursuing. The filtering options are very helpful in finding exactly the program that meets your interests and needs.
Contact information is made available under each program description - this is your first step in pursuing a fellowship. From here, you will be sent the application instructions and deadlines.
At this point, the Peace Corps is no longer involved. The Partner Universities handle the application requests and ultimately decide if you qualify.
The effort needed to obtain a fellowship varies by program, as do the benefits.
For example, Southern New Hampshire University provides online graduate courses and does not require a GRE or GMAT.
The school offers a 15% tuition discount as its fellowship and has no stated limit on the number of fellowships it will grant.
Conversely, Georgetown University programs require a GRE/GMAT score, a statement of purpose, a resume, three personal references, and the completion of their online application.
The program offers 3 fellowships per year - a scholarship equivalent to 33% total tuition, along with assistantship opportunities
It’s important to do some research on the available programs. In addition to tuition assistance, some participating programs offer work-study opportunities, annual stipends and professional development opportunities in underserved communities. Regardless of your area of interest, there’s probably a program out there for you!
As you can see in the image above, the results of the Coverdell Fellowship Programs speak for themselves. If you are a current Volunteer that is interested in continuing your education after service, we highly recommend researching the opportunities that are available to you as part of the Coverdell Fellowship and reaching out to participating colleges and universities.