USD’s College Corps Selected to Receive $5.5 Million To Continue Program for Three More Years

Hundreds of USD students will have the opportunity to continue serving their community through the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program, thanks to USD being selected to receive additional funding from the California State Legislature and Governor’s Office.

College Corps launched in California in 2022 and provides students with $10,000 a year in exchange for 450 hours of community service in the areas of K-12 education, food insecurity, environmental stewardship, and community health. USD has been participating in College Corps since its inception and was recently awarded $5.5 million in funding to continue the university's program for three more years, starting in the fall of this year.

At USD, College Corps has enrolled 466 fellows, generating more than 184,000 hours of direct service across San Diego County. This represents more than $5 million in direct student aid and partnerships with more than 70 community organizations.

This incoming award would allow USD to enroll an additional 127 fellows per year for the next three years (381 new fellows total), projected to generate approximately 56,000 hours of community service annually and $1.23 million per year in direct student aid and support.

“This continued funding ensures a stable pathway for students to apply classroom learning to real-world challenges by working closely with USD's community partners. We could not do this work without the important collaborations that have taken place across campus to ensure the success of the program,” said Chris Nayve, associate vice president & endowed chair, community engagement at the Karen and Tom Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action.

Over the course of the last few years, College Corps students have worked alongside students at Montgomery Middle School to help with their garden therapy program and digitized the Port of San Diego’s 4,000+ tree inventory at their parks and tidelands. In addition, College Corps Fellows partnered with PATH to serve unhoused community members, assembled and distributed over 600 care packages, and launched new composting and community garden initiatives to support dignity, sustainability, and long term community wellbeing.

“This investment affirms what we have always believed to be true: when students are trusted with real responsibilities in real communities, they rise to the occasion. College Corps is not just about service hours. It’s about building long term relationships and partnerships, learning alongside community, strengthening San Diego’s neighborhoods, and ensuring students can pursue their education without choosing between financial stability and civic engagement. This is how we prepare the next generation of leaders committed to public good,” said Alvin “Vinny” Seepaul, program director of USD’s College Corps.