P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship (IPS) 2026

Who can apply

A woman outside the United States and Canada seeking an advanced degree from an accredited college or university in the US or Canada, or an international student attending Cottey College
Intends to return to her home country to use her education to make a positive impact
Has a full year of formal coursework remaining and will be enrolled and in residence in the US or Canada for the entire school year
Doctoral students who have completed coursework and are working only on a dissertation are not eligible as first-time applicants
Not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada (residency for tax purposes only is permitted)
Scholarships are not given for online courses, research, internships, or practical training not combined with formal coursework

A need-based grant, not a full-ride award

This is a need-based grant, not a full-ride award: up to $12,500 a year toward tuition and living expenses for one year of full-time graduate study in the US or Canada, with the Fund explicit that this is not meant to cover everything. When you apply, you need to show what else is covering the rest of your costs, whether that’s personal or family funds, a tuition waiver, work, or another scholarship.

A fixed three-month window every year

The application window runs the same three months every year, 15 September to 15 December, and as of this check that window for 2026 has not opened yet. Award announcements follow the next May.

The eligibility rules that trip people up

Eligibility is specific in a way that trips people up. You need a full year of formal coursework still ahead of you and must be enrolled and in residence in the US or Canada for the entire school year, so a doctoral candidate who has finished coursework and is only writing a dissertation does not qualify as a first-time applicant. The scholarship also will not fund online courses, research-only time, or internships and practical training that aren’t combined with formal coursework. And it is specifically for women who are not citizens or permanent residents of the US or Canada (residency for tax purposes only is fine), intending to return home afterward to put the degree to use.

Run by a 150-year-old sisterhood, not a foundation set up just for this

The International Peace Scholarship Fund is one of six philanthropic projects run by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a women’s organization founded in 1869 by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Iowa. Across more than 150 years, P.E.O. has grown to over half a million members across the US and Canada, and as of July 2026 states it has helped more than 132,000 women pursue their educational goals with approximately $490 million in assistance across all six of its philanthropies combined, not this scholarship alone. That scale and longevity are part of why the application process runs on such a fixed, unchanging calendar year after year, administered by a large volunteer membership rather than a small dedicated staff.