Application process

The 2024-25 Rotary Peace Fellowship application is now closed. The 2025-26 Rotary Peace Fellowship application will be available online in February 2024.

Follow these steps to prepare a competitive application.

  1. Review the eligibility restrictions and the relevant experience guide.
  2. Research the curriculum and programs at each of the Rotary Peace Centers. For the Master's program, you will be asked to rank the two centers you prefer if you meet the eligibility criteria for both programs.
  3. Engage with Rotary. Use the Club Finder to locate the Rotary club nearest you. Connecting with a Rotary club or district is a great way to learn about Rotary's work in your community and around the world. Many Rotary districts have a District Rotary Peace Fellowship Subcommittee Chair contact who can provide mentorship and advice for your application. A club or district recommendation is optional, but strongly encouraged as part of your application.
  4. Submit your application between February and 15 May. Applications require a resume, academic and/or professional recommendations, essays, transcripts from postsecondary colleges and universities attended (master's only), English language proficiency test scores (master's only), and social impact plan (certificate only). All materials must be in English.
  5. Prepare for an interview. In early June, if your application meets the qualification and eligibility criteria, it will be automatically assigned to a trained Rotary endorser who is either a member of a District Rotary Peace Fellowship Subcommittee, a member of a Rotary club, or a Rotary Peace Fellow program alumnus. Your assigned endorser will reach out to you to schedule an interview during the month of June. After your interview, the Rotary endorser will submit an endorsement decision for your application by 1 July.
  6. Await selection results. Email notifications will be sent in November. If you are chosen for a fellowship, you will be told which Rotary Peace Center will be the site for your studies.
  7. Apply for admission (master's only) to the university where your Peace Center is located. Being selected for the fellowship does not mean you have been admitted to the university.

Selection process

Between July and October, the Rotary Peace Centers Committee, composed of Rotary members and university representatives, screens applications and selects the finalists based on the following criteria:

  • Commitment to peace and development
  • Leadership potential
  • Compatibility with fellowship objectives and fit with Rotary
  • Academic record and compatibility with preferred university program
  • Feasibility and impact of Social Change Initiative (certificate only)

Eligibility restrictions

Rotary Peace Fellowships may not be used for doctoral study. The following people are not eligible for the fellowship:

  • Active Rotary members, or Rotaract members who are also Rotary members.*
  • Employees of a Rotary club or district, Rotary International, or other Rotary entity
  • Spouses, lineal descendants (children or grandchildren by blood or legal adoption), spouses of lineal descendants, or ancestors (parents or grandparents by blood) of any living person in these categories
  • Former Rotary members and their relatives as described above (within 36 months of their resignation)

* Rotaract club members who are not also Rotary club members are eligible to apply.

Candidates must have at least three years between the completion of their most recent academic degree program (undergraduate or graduate degree) and their intended start date for the fellowship. Candidates currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program are not eligible to apply.

Rotary Peace Fellows who have completed the certificate program, Master’s program, or a Global Grant Scholarship, must wait three years between the end date of that program and their intended start date for the fellowship.

Candidates for the certificate program at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, either must be from Africa, have worked in Africa, or work with African communities or initiatives outside the continent.

Resources & reference