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 35% tuition discount for SIT’s Global Masters degrees listed below:
- Coverdell Fellows will be eligible for a 25% tuition discount for SIT’s Doctoral degrees listed below. There will be one competitive award available per degree each year. This discount is applied to the tuition cost after transfer credit consideration and is not combinable with any other SIT scholarships.
Eligibility
Satisfactory completion of Peace Corps service* and admittance to an SIT Global Masters degree or Doctoral degree program.
*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
A key component of the Coverdell Fellowship is the completion of a practicum of 150 to 300 hours in a high-needs U.S. community over a minimum of six weeks. The practicum must relate to the student’s coursework and career goals and may be paid professional positions or unpaid internships.
Internship
The Office of Global Internships & Career Readiness will assist fellows in securing internships and offer support with interviewing, exploring values and skills, negotiating salaries, and developing other essential professional skills.
Host organizations will be required to submit internship evaluations to ensure that the work supports an impoverished and/or socially disadvantaged U.S. community. While an internship does not necessarily have to be completed in the U.S., it does need to benefit a high-need American community.
*Global Master’s: The practicum required for Global Master’s programs may fulfill the internship requirement for the Coverdell Fellowship, provided the specified criteria are met.
*Doctoral program: Candidates employed by a non-profit or similar organization that serves disadvantaged U.S. communities may be able to satisfy the internship requirements through their work.
Contact
To learn more about SIT Graduate Institute’s scholarships for returning Peace Corps volunteers, 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.