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International Study and Exchange Programs

Group Study Exchange 

The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) Program is designed to create a unique opportunity for men and women between the ages of 25 to 40, early in their professional career to exchange cultural and business practices with those practicing similar vocations around the world.  The program provides grants for teams comprised of one Rotarian Leader and four non-Rotarians to visit a similar team in a foreign country and, in turn,  to host that team when they visit the United States.  In recent years our district has had exchanges with Taiwan, Tasmania, India, Peru, Brazil and Sweden.

During this four to six week period, the team experiences the host country, the Rotary experience in that country and creates personal and professional relationships abroad.  To learn more about the GSE Program, log-on to the Rotary International website.

Youth Exchange 

The Rotary International Youth Exchange Program is designed to advance international understanding, peace, and goodwill at the individual level. This exchange program is one of the largest Youth Exchange programs in the world. Each individual Rotary Club designates a Youth Exchange Committee to recruit, select, and support inbound and outbound high school students to participate in summer and year long study exchanges throughout the world. Students reside with local families, attend school, and serve as Rotary ambassadors on the yearlong study program. Summer exchanges are three weeks in duration, and reciprocal in nature, where the host sibling returns with the outbound exchange student for three weeks in the United States.

Students accepted into the program can choose from a list of over 50 different countries in which to live with Rotary designated families. Families provide room and board and assist with integrating the student into the local culture while attending high school in the host country. The host Rotary club provides a monthly expense stipend to cover some of the incidental costs. In addition, Milwaukee Rotary will subsidize the application fee in the amount of $1,000 per student. The typical annual cost to the student is $3,000 to $4,000 or more, depending on the country, airfare, insurance, and personal spending.

To learn more about this life changing opportunity, log-on to the Rotary International web site.

Ambassadorial Scholarships 

The purpose of the Ambassadorial Scholarships program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries. The program sponsors several types of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students. While abroad, scholars serve as ambassadors of goodwill to the people of the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to greater understanding of their host countries.

District 6270 will be awarding one (1) academic school year Ambassadorial Scholarship.

Funding is intended to cover round-trip transportation, required academic fees for a normal course load, reasonable room and board expenses, and some educational supplies. Generally, awards will range between $11,000 and $25,000 depending upon actual costs at the assigned study institution, with no award to exceed $25,000.

Applicants must have completed at least two years of university or college course work, or must have a secondary school education and have been employed in a recognized vocation for at least two years, when the scholarship begins. All applicants must be citizens of a country in which there is a Rotary club. Initial application must be made through a local Rotary club in the applicant's legal or permanent residence, or place of full-time study or employment. Persons with disabilities and members of Rotaract clubs are eligible and encouraged to apply.

To learn more about this scholarship, log-on to the Rotary International web site.  For information on our Club's application deadlines, please go to our webpage. 

Rotary World Peace Scholarships 

The Rotary Foundation has partnered with eight leading universities around the world to establish the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution. Each year, 70 scholars are selected to study at one of the seven Rotary Centers worldwide. The selected Rotary World Peace Scholars will begin two-year master's-level degree programs in conflict resolution, peace studies, and international relations.

Program Objectives 

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International has established the Rotary Centers for International Studies:

  • to advance research, teaching, publication, and knowledge of issues of peace and goodwill, causes of conflict, and world understanding;
  • to provide advanced educational opportunities for a group of Rotary World Peace Scholars chosen from various countries and cultures in order to advance knowledge and world understanding among potential future leaders of government, business, education, media, and other professions;
  • to establish a program through which The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International and the member clubs of Rotary International may become increasingly effective in promoting greater tolerance and cooperation among peoples, leading to world peace and understanding.

To learn more, log-on to the Rotary International web site.  For information on our Club's application deadlines, please go to our webpage. 

World Affairs Seminar 

The World Affairs Seminar (WAS) takes place each summer at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Seminar is a unique educational program that provides a forum for future leaders (high school students) to be introduced to some of the most perplexing global issues and problems present today. It enables over 1000 of the best and brightest students from all over the world to come together and to study and discuss these issues in a safe and non-threatening environment. In the process, participants also learn about each others' customs, traditions, opinions and aspirations.

The academic program is based on a central theme, and experts are invited to speak on related topics. The daily schedule consists of lectures, panel presentations, films, informal discussion sessions, breaks for meals served at a university dining hall, and numerous opportunities to participate in social and recreational activities across the campus. Domestic high school students who will complete their junior year just prior to the start of the Seminar and international students are eligible to apply.

Students may choose to:

  • attend at their own expense with the written approval of a high school official.
  • apply through the high school counselor's office where scholarships may be available from the school, local area service clubs, organizations or businesses.
  • submit a request for funding directly to local area service clubs, organizations or businesses.

To learn more, log-on to the WAS web site.