Rotary Peace Fellowship FAQ 2028–29: 18 Questions Answered

No. Active Rotary members cannot apply at all. Rotaract members who are not also Rotary members can apply.

No. Spouses, children, grandchildren, spouses of children or grandchildren, and parents or grandparents of Rotary members and Rotary employees are not eligible. The rule also covers former members and their relatives within 36 months of resignation.

At least three years of full-time relevant experience in peace or development work for the master’s, and at least five years for the certificate. Rotary publishes a Relevant Experience Eligibility Guide that explains what counts.

Not yet. Rotary requires at least three years between finishing your most recent degree and the start of the fellowship, and you cannot be enrolled now or in the upcoming academic year.

No. Rotary Peace Fellowships may not be used for doctoral study.

Not under the current official process. A Rotary club or district recommendation is optional but strongly encouraged, and must be entered before you submit.

Master’s applicants submit English test scores or an exemption; Rotary publishes an English test score and exemption reference sheet. The certificate also requires English proficiency but does not list test scores among its required documents.

Up to 170 a year: up to 50 for master’s degrees and up to 120 for the certificate, across eight Rotary Peace Centers.

Tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and internship and field-study expenses, according to Rotary’s official Peace Fellowships page.

For the master’s you rank two preferred centres; Rotary decides the placement. You cannot study at a centre in your home country. Certificate candidates are matched to a regional centre they meet the criteria for.

It is not among the three certificate centres listed on Rotary’s current pages, which are Makerere University, Bahçeşehir University and Symbiosis International University.

The certificate centre at Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, focused on the Middle East and North Africa. It was funded by a 15.5 million US dollar gift from the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation and offers up to 40 fellowships a year.

The certificate is designed for working professionals and requires 11 weeks on site: a ten-week course and a one-week capstone, plus a two-week online course and a nine-month initiative you run from home.

Rotary says the 2028–29 application opens in February 2027 and that applications are accepted between February and 15 May. Expect 15 May 2027, and confirm when the form opens.

Selected candidates are notified in November, and told which Rotary Peace Center will host them.

Top candidates may be contacted by the university for an interview. Rotary says “may”, so an interview is not guaranteed.

No. After selection you must apply for admission to the university where your Peace Center is located.

Rotary does not publish a limit on reapplying. There is one window a year, so the next chance would be the following February to 15 May.