(Black PR Wire) WASHINGTON – The Peace Corps recently announced that Howard University ranked No. 14 among medium size schools on the agency’s 2017 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 18 Howard alumni currently volunteering worldwide.

“Peace Corps service is an unparalleled leadership opportunity that enables college and university alumni to use the creative-thinking skills they developed in school to make an impact in communities around the world,” Acting Peace Corps Director Sheila Crowley said. “Many college graduates view Peace Corps as a launching pad for their careers because volunteers return home with the cultural competency and entrepreneurial spirit sought after in most fields.”

Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, 242 alumni from Howard have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers. Service in the Peace Corps is a life-defining, hands-on leadership experience that offers volunteers the opportunity to travel to a community overseas and make a lasting difference in the lives of others.

In all, four schools in the District of Columbia earned spots on the national rankings for medium schools: American University ranked No. 1; The George Washington University ranked No. 3;  and Georgetown University ranked No. 6. In 2016, the Greater Washington area ranked No. 1 among metropolitan areas with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers.

This year’s rankings follow the launch of a refreshed brand platform that underscores the agency’s commitment to putting the user experience first and makes the Peace Corps more accessible to audiences through the platforms they already use. A simple and personal Peace Corps application process can be completed online in about one hour. Applicants can learn more about service opportunities by assignment area, country and departure date by visiting the Peace Corps website and connecting with a recruiter.

The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. Below find the top five schools in each category and the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers. View the complete 2017 rankings of the top 25 schools in each category here and find an interactive map that shows where alumni from each college and university are serving here.

Large Colleges & Universities – Total Volunteers:

More than 15,000 undergraduates

1. University of Wisconsin–Madison    87
2. University of Washington                  73
3. University of Minnesota                    70
4, University of Michigan                      60
5. University of Florida                          58

Medium Colleges & Universities – Total Volunteers:

Between 5,000 and 15,000 undergraduates

1. American University                          54
2. Western Washington University        48
3. The George Washington University  45
4. The College of William & Mary         36
5. Humboldt State University                33

Small Colleges & Universities – Total Volunteers:

Less than 5,000 undergraduates

1. Denison University                            16
2. University of Mary Washington        13
2.   University of Puget Sound                 13
4.   St. Mary's College of Maryland         12
4.   Whitworth University                          12
4.   Hobart and William Smith Colleges   12

Graduate Schools – Total Volunteers:

1. American University                         20
1.   Tulane University                               20
3.   University of South Florida               18
4.   University of Michigan                      15
4.   Boston University                              15

Historical, Since 1961 – Total Volunteers:

1. University of California, Berkeley     3,640
2. University of Wisconsin–Madison    3,239
3. University of Washington                  2,981
4. University of Michigan                      2,684
5. University of Colorado Boulder        2,468

*Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2016 data as of September 30, 2016, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.