Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program
SIT has supported the Peace Corps community from its inception in the early 1960s, when we were among the first institutions in the country to train the very first Peace Corps volunteers as they prepared to go abroad. We continue to partner with the Peace Corps community today.
The Peace Corps Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program provides financial assistance to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) who wish to pursue graduate education at partner institutions, which include SIT Graduate Institute.
Benefit
- Application fee waiver
- Coverdell Fellows will receive a scholarship for 35 percent of the tuition for any of SIT’s Part-Time Hybrid degrees listed below:
Eligibility
Satisfactory completion of Peace Corps service* and admitted to one of SIT’s Part-Time Hybrid master’s degree programs.
*To have satisfactorily completed Peace Corps service, a volunteer must have completed the full two-year tour of service or the full tour minus up to 90 days, if returned home on an emergency leave; have been granted an “Early Close of Service” or an “Interrupted Service” due to circumstances beyond the volunteer’s control; or have been medically separated as a volunteer.
Requirements
Fellows must complete a practicum of 150 to 300 hours in a high-needs U.S. community (as defined by SIT). The practicum must relate to the student’s coursework and career goals and be for a minimum of six weeks. Practicums may be paid professional positions or unpaid internships.
Contact
To learn more about SIT Graduate Institute’s scholarships for returning Peace Corps volunteers or SIT master’s and doctorate programs, please reach out to SIT Graduate Admissions Officer, Ashley Mehaffie, at [email protected].
To Identify Your Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Affiliation
Please check the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows box on SIT’s online application. Note that you will need to submit a copy of your Description of Service (DOS)*. Otherwise, contact SIT’s Admissions Office at 800 336-1616 (toll free in the US) or 802 258-3510, or email [email protected] to get the application fee waived and be considered for the scholarship described above. Please state that you are a Paul D. Coverdell Fellow and reference the partnership.
*The Description of Service is a certifying document produced by the Peace Corps that contains a written description of the Volunteer’s service and may be used, in this case, to confirm eligibility of Coverdell Fellowship. The form is signed by the country director, and a copy is given to the returned Volunteer upon completion of service. You can request your Description of Service through the RPCV Portal.