American University has been named the second-highest producer of Peace Corps volunteers among medium-sized colleges, according to the 2026 rankings released today. 

With 35 Eagles answering the call to serve in 23 countries in 2025—from Kenya to Kyrgyzstan—the university has now placed among the top three national producers for 14 consecutive years. President Jon Alger noted that the achievement is a “reflection of our longstanding identity as a university with a global reach and a community committed to service.”

AU also ranked No. 2 among volunteer-producing graduate schools nationwide.

Dahlia Linowes, SIS/BA ’23, is among the Eagle alumni currently in the field. Serving as a community environmental promoter in Pirayú, Paraguay, since September 2025, Linowes documents her Peace Corps experience on Substack. Her writing explores how the lessons learned on campus translate into real-world impact. 

“American University strengthened my passion for intercultural communication, life-long learning, and international relations while preparing me for meaningful engagement in and out of the classroom,” Linowes said. Although she’s still early in her service, the DC area native has found the process of “building relationships, exchanging personal experiences, and collaborating with community members” to be “incredibly rewarding.” 

The university has enjoyed a close connection with the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961. Over the last six decades, AU has sent 1,224 alumni abroad to promote world peace and cross-cultural understanding through community-based development.

The School of International Service served as an early predeparture training site for Peace Corps volunteers bound for places like Pakistan and the Philippines, and President John F. Kennedy delivered “A Strategy of Peace” at AU’s 1963 commencement—just two years after he founded the agency. 

In 2024, AU checked in at No. 7 on the list of all-time volunteer-producing institutions among medium-sized colleges—the only university in the DC area to make the list. And a year later, in July 2025, AU was the host site for the Peace Corps Connect Conference, an annual reunion for returned volunteers.