The International Federation of University Women (IFUW) was founded just after World War I by a group of university graduates who wanted to promote peace through international understanding. They were convinced that international cooperation between university women could both contribute to the establishment of a peaceful world and improve the status of women, notably their educational and professional opportunities.

To this end, they implemented an international fellowships programme that enabled some members to pursue advanced studies or research abroad. Conceived as a way of promoting international friendship by sending “ambassadors” to discover other countries than their own, this programme also represented a mean of fostering women’s academic careers. Indeed, the fellows were carefully selected on the quality of their previous work and on the originality of their project, and needed to submit a report of their research at the end of their stay. Thus, the IFUW intended to warrant a high-level recruitment process and hoped that the qualifications gained by their fellowships holders would help them to attain the highest positions in the academic and professional fields.

Based on the study of the IFUW’s archives, this paper aims at highlighting the trends of this fellowships programme. First, it will analyse the theoretical framework on which it was built. Then, it will examine the selection criteria and the awarding process. Finally, it will try to identify the profiles of the women fellows, and the impact of their journey on their career trajectories.