The Peace Corps ranked the UA 20th in its annual list of Peace Corps Top Colleges and Universities.

For the first time since 2007, the UA has earned a spot on the list, which includes Cornell University, Syracuse University and the University of Washington, among many other universities and colleges.

The report ranks colleges and universities based on the size of the student body and the number of alumni serving overseas. The UA was also selected because of its prestigious Peace Corps Fellows program, which is ranked second in the nation, said Kate Kuykendall, Peace Corps public affairs specialist.

“”The UA came back so strong in part because of the thriving Peace Corps community on campus,”” Kuykendall said. “”The Fellows program holds on-campus events, Fellows alumni share experiences with other UA students, who in turn go on to become volunteers.””

The UA currently has 52 alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers in 32 of the 76 countries that the Peace Corps serves.

The majority of UA alumni do Peace Corps work in Mozambique, Peru and Zambia, Kuykendall said. Most of the volunteers are working in education, health and business development.

“”The Peace Corps phrase ‘It’s the toughest job you’ll ever love’ is absolutely true,”” said Nikolaus Eichman, a business administration master’s student and former Peace Corps volunteer in Peru. “”It was a life-changing experience.””

Eichman participated in the Peace Corps from 2005 to 2007 and chose to attend the UA for graduate school based on the Eller College of Management and Peace Corps Fellows programs.

“”The UA has strong business school, and I liked proximity to Mexico because of my work in Latin America,”” Eichman said. “”The location makes it easy for work I continue to do on my own.””