For some UC Berkeley alums, volunteering in the Peace Corps is a chance to take what they learned in the classroom and apply it around the world, from disease prevention in Rwanda to English instruction in Ethiopia. For others, service abroad sets them on a new professional path entirely. And for more than six decades, that drive to support others has shaped individual lives and Berkeley’s identity as a powerhouse for public service.
Berkeley has generated more Peace Corps volunteers than any other college or university in the country — a distinction the campus maintained this year, according to Peace Corps data. In all, some 3,807 Berkeley alums have deployed to landscapes ranging from tropical jungles to parched deserts. The types of service trips have evolved, as has the federal program itself, yet Berkeley has retained its spot as the top producer of total volunteers since the program started in 1961.
Historical Peace Corps volunteers by the numbers
UC Berkeley: 3,807
UW-Madison: 3,466
