StudyDesk Scholarships
About the internship
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, offers internships across its global operations: headquarters in Geneva, global service centres in Amman, Budapest and Copenhagen, and country and field offices on every continent, with remote or telework arrangements possible where the manager approves. Interns work on a project that benefits both them and the office — in refugee protection and legal work, international relations, administration, communications, programme and policy management, fundraising, research and data, or emergency and field operations. Placements normally last between two and six months, can begin at any time of year depending on office needs, and may be extended within strict cumulative limits: up to eight months in total for full-time internships and up to twelve months for part-time internships, including any prior UNHCR internships.
The application route is vacancy by vacancy, not a single annual call. UNHCR’s own UK frequently-asked-questions page states that internships are offered on an ongoing basis throughout the year depending on the availability of meaningful assignments, and that there is no deadline for sending in an application form — meaning no central deadline, not that individual vacancies stay open forever. In practice you register on UNHCR’s recruitment platform, watch for internship requisitions that match your education and skills, and apply to each one before its stated closing date. An internship creates no expectation of employment with UNHCR afterwards, and UNHCR charges no fee at any stage of recruitment — any request for payment is a fraud signal, not a normal step.
Benefits
- Real humanitarian experience: hands-on work on refugee protection and displacement response, under experienced staff, in a global, multicultural organisation — the core value of the placement, and the reason it is competitive.
- Food and local transport allowance: interns who do not receive financial support from an outside party (for example a university stipend) may receive an allowance to partially cover food and local transport. Current vacancy guidance sets it at 70% of the GS-3 Step 1 net salary at most duty stations and 50% at hardship-category stations, with part-time interns at 50% of the applicable rate. The amount therefore varies by duty station and is not a fixed monthly salary.
- Return travel reimbursement in some cases: if you are recruited from outside the duty-station country, UNHCR may reimburse return travel by the most economical route. Visa costs are not reimbursed.
- Remote options: some offices offer remote or telework internships if the manager approves, and current guidance states remote internships are also paid on the same allowance basis.
- What is not covered: you must arrange your own medical insurance covering accidents, illness and emergency evacuation before starting, and you are responsible for your legal stay, housing and visa costs. Older UNHCR guidance stating that no financial support is provided at all is outdated against current vacancy terms — but equally, no vacancy guarantees the allowance regardless of your funding position, so read each posting’s financial terms before applying.
Who can apply
- Student or recent graduate: a current student in a graduate or undergraduate programme, or a recent graduate — defined as having completed studies within two years of applying — from a university or higher-education institution accredited by UNESCO.
- Two years of undergraduate study: undergraduate applicants must have completed at least two years of study in a field relevant to, or of interest to, the work of the organisation.
- English at B2 minimum: proficiency in English at a minimum B2 level is required; other UN languages such as French, Arabic or Spanish are an advantage depending on the duty station. No IELTS certificate is specifically required — proficiency, not a test score, is the stated rule.
- No immediate relatives at UNHCR: applicants must not have immediate relatives (father, mother, brother or sister) working for UNHCR as staff on any contract type or as an affiliate at the time of application.
- Cumulative limits not exhausted: you must not have already used up the maximum cumulative internship period with UNHCR (eight months full-time, twelve months part-time, including prior internships).
- All nationalities: internships are open to applicants of all nationalities, subject to the vacancy’s location, language and visa conditions. UNHCR states it particularly encourages applications from women, refugees, stateless people and candidates from underrepresented regions.
Documents required
- An online profile and application on UNHCR’s recruitment platform — applications must be submitted in English, and only fully completed applications are accepted. Individual vacancies state their own required fields and files, and there is no verified universal document package that replaces the vacancy instructions.
- A CV and a tailored letter of interest for the specific vacancy, explaining your availability (full-time or part-time), your relevant education and skills, and why that office’s work fits you. Some vacancies also request a short writing sample.
- Proof of student or recent-graduate status and academic background as the vacancy requires, plus evidence of English proficiency where the posting asks for it.
- Do not send applications by email unless a specific vacancy instructs it: the standard route is the online portal, and only shortlisted candidates are contacted.
How to apply
- Register and complete your profile on UNHCR’s official recruitment platform, linked from the UNHCR careers pages.
- Search current internship requisitions (vacancies) by location, office and field, and shortlist only those matching your education, languages and availability.
- Read each vacancy in full before applying: its closing date, its duty station, its full-time or part-time pattern, its language requirements, and its financial terms — especially whether an allowance applies to your situation.
- Submit the portal application in English before that vacancy’s closing date, with your CV, letter of interest and any writing sample or document the posting requests. Save your draft regularly and keep the system confirmation.
- Arrange your own medical and evacuation insurance and check your visa and legal-stay requirements for the duty station while you wait. Only shortlisted candidates are contacted, so keep applying to suitable vacancies rather than waiting on one.
FAQs
It is not a salary. Interns without external funding may receive a food and local transport allowance — 70% of the GS-3 Step 1 net salary at most duty stations, 50% at hardship stations, part-time at half the applicable rate — plus return travel reimbursement in some cases. Visa costs and medical and evacuation insurance are your own responsibility.
There is no programme-wide deadline. Internships are offered on an ongoing basis all year, and each vacancy has its own closing date. Apply to individual vacancies before their stated dates.
Normally two to six months, extendable within cumulative limits of eight months for full-time and twelve months for part-time internships, including any prior UNHCR internships.
Current students or recent graduates (within two years) from a UNESCO-accredited institution, with at least two years of undergraduate study completed, English at B2 minimum, and no immediate relatives working for UNHCR. All nationalities may apply.
At UNHCR headquarters in Geneva, global service centres in Amman, Budapest and Copenhagen, or country and field offices worldwide. Some offices offer remote internships with manager approval. Not every office offers internships regularly, and some cannot for security reasons.
No. An internship creates no expectation or entitlement to employment with UNHCR at its conclusion, although the experience is valued for later UN applications.
No specific IELTS score is stated. English proficiency at a minimum B2 level is required, and other UN languages are an advantage depending on the duty station.
Verified 29 Oct 2026 against UNHCR's own UK internship FAQ (unhcr.org/uk: internships normally no less than two months and no more than six months; offered on an ongoing basis throughout the year with no central deadline; headquarters and family duty stations in the field; work depends on unit needs) plus current vacancy guidance and programme guides agreeing on: recent graduate or current student from a UNESCO-accredited institution, at least two years of undergraduate study, no immediate relatives at UNHCR, cumulative limits of 8 months full-time / 12 months part-time, English B2 minimum, allowance of 70% GS-3 Step 1 (50% hardship stations, part-time at 50% of the applicable rate), return travel reimbursement where recruited from outside the duty-station country, intern's own visa and medical/evacuation insurance, no recruitment fee, and no expectation of employment. CONFLICTS: (1) The older UNHCR UK FAQ line 'UNHCR does not provide any financial support for interns' conflicts with current vacancy guidance on the food and local transport allowance; the article follows current vacancy terms and states the allowance as conditional on having no external funding. (2) Aggregator 'Fully Funded' labels are REJECTED - this is an allowance, not full funding. (3) A single vacancy listing's $1,642.75 monthly figure is a duty-station-specific posting amount, not a universal rate, and is not stated as the programme rate. (4) No fixed document checklist is published programme-wide; the article states the vacancy-specific position honestly.
