What Is the AmeriCorps Segal Education Award?

The short version

The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, often just called the AmeriCorps Education Award or the Segal Award, is money you earn by completing a term of service. It is held in your My AmeriCorps account and paid directly to a school or lender, not to you.

Both names refer to the same award. You will see them used interchangeably on official pages, in school financial aid offices, and on this site.

How much it is worth

A full-time term earns up to $7,395. Part-time and summer terms earn less. Your exact amount, how much you have used, and what is left are all listed under My Education Award at my.americorps.gov.

When it expires

The award expires seven years after you complete your term of service, and unused funds are forfeited. Your expiration date is listed in My AmeriCorps right next to your balance, so check it before you plan anything else.

What you can use it for

Most people know the award can pay for college tuition or qualified student loans. Fewer know it can also fund programs at accredited Title IV schools that are not degree programs at all.

• Tuition and fees at an accredited Title IV school
• Qualified student loans
• International volunteer and internship programs run through a partner school
• Study abroad, language immersion, TEFL or TESOL training, and other eligible programs

Using it abroad

Your award is never sent to an organization overseas. It goes to an accredited U.S. school that partners with the program provider. You enroll for at least one academic credit, usually as a non-degree-seeking student, and the placement abroad is attached to that credit.

You do not need to be pursuing a degree, and you do not need to already be a student. A full-time award can fund up to about 6 months abroad, and around $2,000 can often fund a two-week placement with housing and most meals.

Your next step

Log in to My AmeriCorps and write down two numbers: your balance and your expiration date. Then browse placements on the Explore page, or bring your questions to a free Tuesday info session.