Judicial Fellows work full-time under the supervision of a Member of the Court, alongside the Member's Senior Legal Assistant. Fellows can expect to conduct research and draft memoranda on matters of law or fact relating to cases pending before the Court, attend hearings and sittings and carry out any other duties that may be assigned to them by their respective judges.

The scholarship lasts approximately ten months, from the beginning of September to June of the following year. The Court generally selects 15 participants nominated by universities around the world.

The Judicial Fellowship Programme, formerly known as the University Internship Programme, was created in 1999 to enable recent law graduates to gain professional experience by working for the International Court of Justice.

Information on financing

• The grant consists of a monthly allowance and will cover living expenses in The Hague as well as travel expenses and health insurance. The stipend will enable scholarship holders to participate fully in the programme without having to suffer financial hardship.
• The allowance will be paid monthly directly to the candidate selected by the United Nations Secretariat.

Eligibility criteria

• When making its selection, the Court looks for candidates of various nationalities.
  • To be eligible, applicants must be aged 31 or under at the start of their scholarship. This requirement can only be waived in special circumstances.
  • Candidates must demonstrate excellent results in their legal studies and an interest in public international law through their studies, publications and/or professional experience.
  • Candidates must have an excellent command, both written and oral, of at least one of the two official languages of the Court (English and French); a working knowledge of the other language is considered an asset.
  • Only universities may nominate candidates. The Court does not accept applications from individuals. Although it is possible to nominate a single candidate, the Court encourages universities to propose more than one candidate.

For more information, please visit the International Court of Justice .