How to apply

Interested applicants must apply for Rotary World Peace Fellowships through their local Rotary club. Because application deadlines vary, only your local club can provide specific dates.

Scholarship availability varies by district. If your local district is not offering scholarships, you may wish to inquire next year. See the Rotary World Peace Fellowships Brochure (PDF) for a sample timeline.

Use the Club Locator to find Rotary club contact information. If your hometown doesn’t have a Rotary club, try entering the names of nearby cities. You also can try searching for Rotary clubs Web sites.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must

• Hold an earned undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university or its international equivalent (based on a four-year curriculum) 
• Be proficient in a second language (including the language of the proposed host university)
• Possess excellent leadership skills
• Demonstrate a commitment to peace and international understanding through service, academic, or professional achievements 
• Have a minimum of three years combined paid or unpaid full-time work experience in relevant field
• Be a citizen of a country where there is a Rotary club

Applicants must apply through a Rotary club in the area of their legal or permanent residence or place of full-time study or employment. People with disabilities and members of Rotaract clubs are eligible and encouraged to apply.

The following people are ineligible for Rotary World Peace Fellowships:

• Active and honorary Rotarians
• Employees of a club, 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 the categories above
• Former Rotarians and their relatives as described above (within 36 months of resignation)

Application process

The fellowship application and selection process consists of three levels: club, district, and world.

Club level

Interested applicants can download Rotary World Peace Fellowship applications or obtain them from Rotary clubs. Applicants should submit completed applications to their local Rotary club, not to the Rotary Centers university partners or The Rotary Foundation.

Individual Rotary clubs initially screen and select fellowship applications to forward to the district level for competition. Club deadlines may be as early as March or as late as June for Rotary World Peace Fellowships and are set in accordance with district deadlines.

District level

Districts must allow sufficient time for interview and selection in order to meet the 1 July deadline for candidate submission to The Rotary Foundation.

There is no limit to the number of applications an individual Rotary club may forward to the district level. Single country Rotary district can submit only one candidate to the world competition, but multicountry districts can submit one applicant from each country. Because application deadlines vary by club and district, applicants must contact their local clubs and districts for specific deadline information.

World level

Each Rotary district submits candidates’ applications to the Foundation on or before 1 July. The world-level selection committee includes Trustee-appointed Rotarians and representatives from the university partners. The Foundation will inform candidates and districts about final selection decisions in December.

Applicants should consult Club Locator, their local telephone directories, and chambers of commerce for Rotary club contact information. If you have difficulty finding or contacting a Rotary club in your area, contact Rotary Centers staff for assistance.

For more information, contact your local Rotary club or the Rotary Centers Department at The Rotary Foundation.