Public Service as a Path to Paying for College

Education in the United States used to be treated as a ladder to economic mobility, but somewhere along the way, that ladder has fallen. AmeriCorps, a national service program intelligently invests in young people and the communities they come from and serve. While not military service, AmeriCorps members commit to a term of service that can be physically and emotionally demanding. Volunteers often work 50 hours a week for less than the minimum wage, addressing pressing, but unprofitable problems: the academic achievement gap, America’s opioid crisis, natural disasters, and more. A bipartisan AmeriCorps GI Bill would allow young Americans help their communities and earn their education without joining the military or taking on an enormous amount of debt. It’s time to give AmeriCorps volunteers as much recognition and support as our military.

Back in 1975, the need-based Pell Grant covered 80% of the cost of a public university’s annual price tag with in-state tuition, but in 2021, it only covered 30%. Today, 43.8 million Americans have turned to federal student loans to pursue higher education as the cost of tuition and mandatory fees has more than tripled for the average American family since 1963. This is a crisis: obtaining an education is still the best path to economic mobility but has become impossible to afford for the middle class. One way to fix this is by investing in AmeriCorps, which urgently needs more volunteers tutoring in under-resourced schools, cleaning up communities after natural disasters, and working in talent-strapped non-profits across the country. 

AmeriCorps, a national service program in the United States established in 1993, currently provides over $800 million in funding and engages over 200,000 Americans each year in community service opportunities and has over 1.2 million alumni. AmeriCorps members commit to a term of service ranging from a few months to a year, during which they work with nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations to address a wide range of social and environmental issues. 

The AmeriCorps program has gained huge success after first being just a promise of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. When pitching it, Clinton framed it as a “domestic GI Bill” in which anyone could receive a college scholarship in exchange for service. Yet, 30 years later, AmeriCorps alumni still receive just a fraction of veteran pay and benefits. The amount for the full-time Segal AmeriCorps Education Award is determined by the maximum value of the Pell Grant for that fiscal year. For 2022-2023, that’s $6,895 (pre-tax) for AmeriCorps members who complete 1,700 hours of community service, about 10 months of working 50 hours per week. AmeriCorps members are eligible to receive up to two full Segal Awards and, at a pre-tax total of $13,790, that money will not pay for a college degree anymore.  

In comparison, the Post-9/11 GI Bill provides generous educational benefits as well as housing assistance, healthcare, and other benefits to veterans who have served on active duty for at least 90 days since September 11, 2001, with full benefits after 3 years of active duty. The educational benefits of the GI Bill include up to 100% tuition and mandatory fees for higher education, vocational training, and apprenticeships. For the 2022-2023 academic year, this was up to $26,381.37 (the national average cost) , which is already roughly double the total amount of two Segal Awards before considering the healthcare, monthly housing allowance, and other benefits that veterans receive.  

Establishing an AmeriCorps GI Bill that pays for 100% of volunteers’ tuition and fees could be an affordable and bipartisan long-term solution to the student debt crisis, letting young people earn their way to an affordable education by serving their country as military service members do. Similar state-led programs have been enacted in California and West Virginia with bipartisan support and have had encouraging success. 

Americans want to serve, and our communities desperately need service. A poll in April 2021 found that a strong majority (71%) of young adults aged 18-24 would consider signing up for AmeriCorps and overwhelmingly support additional federal funding for AmeriCorps. Many volunteers finish their service having found their passion for being in the classroom, preserving the environment, or advocating for their neighbors’ legal rights, but others have felt burnt out and don’t finish their term due to the low pay, benefits, and recognition for their hard work. More robust education benefits could help recruit more volunteers as AmeriCorps programs face staffing shortages from the COVID-19 pandemic and a $1 billion expansion from the Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Increasing AmeriCorps alumni’s educational benefits would help expand the pipeline of individuals committed to making a positive impact in their communities while helping them improve their own educational and career outcomes.  

Government investment invites private investment, and this is a smart investment for the country. One 2020 study found that every dollar spent on AmeriCorps by the federal government returns $3.50 in taxes and over $17 when including benefits to society. AmeriCorps also benefits many low-income young adults, who typically enter college with less social capital, fewer resources, and a smaller network than their higher-income peers. AmeriCorps members often come from minority and lower-income backgrounds without the same access to educational opportunities as others. In 2017, 46% of AmeriCorps members identified as a race other than white, with 22% of members identifying as Black or African American. AmeriCorps service can help these students build a professional network and hone their purpose and skills to complete a degree, while GI Bill-level funding can help them afford it. AmeriCorps’ diversity and idealism are part of what make it so special, but we have to stop treating it like only low-income, minority students without any other options will serve and make it worthwhile for the middle class. An AmeriCorps GI Bill would help close racial income and wealth gaps by helping make college affordable and accessible to all who serve. 

The military is important, but what is it protecting if we let our local communities crumble? Increasing the number of young people who work in underserved communities and organizations, become civically engaged, and earn a higher education will make us a stronger, more compassionate, and more resilient nation. Paul Begala, the former campaign strategist and advisor to Bill Clinton, asked “Why don’t we have a system where we say, ‘You want to get out of your college debt? Serve your country — Marine Corps, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps.’ Not everybody can carry a rifle, but you can mentor a kid.” With an AmeriCorps GI Bill, we finally could. An expansion of the GI Bill to include educational benefits to AmeriCorps members could radically transform our country’s approach to national public service and access to higher education.