Deadline: February 5, 2026.

The Judicial Fellowship Programme, formerly known as the University Traineeship Programme, was established in 1999 to enable recent law graduates to gain professional experience by working for the International Court of Justice. The programme aims to improve participants’ understanding of public international law in practice and the Court’s procedures by directly involving them in the activities of the Court.

Judicial Fellows work on a full-time basis under the supervision of a Member of the Court, alongside the Member’s primary legal assistant. Fellows can expect to conduct research and draft memorandums on questions of law or fact relating to cases pending before the Court, attend hearings and sittings, and perform any other duties that may be assigned to them by their respective judges.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

In making its selection, the Court seeks candidates of diverse nationalities.

• To be eligible, candidates should be 31 years old or younger at the start of their fellowship. This requirement may be waived only 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 work experience.
• Candidates must have an excellent command, both written and orally, 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 can nominate candidates. The Court does not accept applications from individuals. While it is possible to nominate a single candidate, the Court encourages universities to propose more than one nominee.

BENEFITS

The award consists of a monthly stipend and will cover living expenses in The Hague, and travel and health insurance costs. The stipend will enable Fellows to participate fully in the Programme without the burden of financial hardship.

NOMINATION/APPLICATION

An online pre-screening questionnaire must be completed by the nominating university, which must also designate an authorized focal point through whom all application materials will be submitted.

Following completion of the questionnaire, the focal point will receive a confirmation email containing further application instructions, the ICJ personal history form and the candidate profile summary table.

The following six documents must be submitted for each candidate via the email address of the university’s focal point, in the order below:

1. Official letter of nomination from the university
2. ICJ personal history form
3. Letters of reference
4. Official academic records
5. Writing sample
6. Candidate profile summary table

Find more information on the OFFICIAL WEBSITE