The Peace Corps handed GW its third accolade Tuesday for sending more alumni to the volunteer program than any other middle-sized college.

GW clinched the top spot by having 72 alumni serve as volunteers this year, an increase from the 53 alumni who joined in 2009.

The group is one of the larger ones from GW, which had 66 alumni participate in 2007 and 57 members in 2008.

In the mid-sized category of 5,001 to 15,000 undergraduates, GW had one more volunteer than the University of Virginia. Western Washington University, American University and Cornell University rounded out the top five schools in the category.

In the graduate school category, GW is tied for fourth place among schools, with 15 graduate alumni serving.

President John F. Kennedy started the program in March 1961, and today more than 8,600 volunteers are serving overseas.