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The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award is a post-service benefit received by AmeriCorps members, including those supported through VISTA and the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).
Upon successful completion of a term of service in an AmeriCorps position, members are eligible to receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, depending upon the program in which members serve, the length of their service, and when they serve. The education awards may be used to pay college costs, higher education training, or to repay qualified student loans. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009 made changes to the amount of the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. Beginning in fiscal year 2010, the maximum amount is now tied to the maximum amount of the U.S. Department of Education's Pell Grant.
Currently, members may earn up to the value of two full-time education awards; they have seven years from the date they earned each award to use this benefit. Since the inception of AmeriCorps in 1994, more than a half million alumni have earned more than $1.7 billion in education awards.
The award, which was designed to encourage AmeriCorps alumni to seek postsecondary education opportunities, serves as a powerful recruitment tool for individuals to join AmeriCorps. Studies show that AmeriCorps alumni, with their commitment to service, also make excellent students. A growing number of higher education institutions, in order to encourage AmeriCorps alumni to enroll in their institutions, are “matching” the education award with scholarships and / or academic credits.
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