Highly competitive candidates have a college degree in agriculture, forestry, or environment, paired with Spanish or French language skills. Ninety percent of Volunteer positions require a bachelor's degree. Competitive nondegree candidates can qualify for agriculture and forestry extension with more than one year of full-time work experience in agriculture or environment. The Peace Corps also considers work, hobbies, and volunteer experiences that align with the skills it is seeking.

The Peace Corps is partnering with minority education institutions to increase access to higher education. Learn more.

There is no second language requirement to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer; however, some regions, including Central and South America and parts of Africa, require Volunteers to know Spanish or French prior to arrival. To minimally qualify, candidates should have at least two semesters of Spanish or French at the university level or have completed four years of a romance language in high school within the last eight years. If you have learned a language informally, the Peace Corps may consider the CLEP and ACTFL exam results for placement. Applicants are encouraged to build upon their existing foreign language skills through coursework or self-study.

The Peace Corps seeks applicants with leadership skills and community service. Leadership in your community, school, faith-based group, or service organization – particularly in planning activities, organizing, and motivating groups of people, and project supervision – will strengthen your application. Qualifying volunteer experiences are supervised, structured assignments that meet specific community needs with expected outcomes.

Your recruiter can advise you on the best type of volunteer work to complete according to your skills and interests. Peace Corps is partnering with organizations who provide volunteering and service opportunities that can strengthen your Peace Corps application and prepare you to support community projects around the world. Learn more.

Demonstrating motivation and commitment, work skills and knowledge, social sensitivity, and emotional maturity will help any applicant. Establishing a good track record of employment and successfully achieving job competence may help demonstrate your productivity.

The more flexible you are in terms of your Peace Corps geographic location, your assignment area, and your desired departure date, the greater your chance of being nominated and possibly invited to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Your flexibility allows placement staff to find the most appropriate matches for your skills and education.