Who can apply?
- Undergraduates are eligible only in the final year of a first university degree. Graduate students and recent graduates also qualify; openings describe recent graduates as those typically completing their degree no more than a year before the internship starts. Proof of status is attached to the application, and an official certificate is required later.
- The UN says you can apply for any internship regardless of nationality. Openings require fluency in English, treat French as desirable, and require a field of study closely related to the internship; no professional work experience is needed.
- The Secretariat does not pay interns. Openings state that travel, visas, accommodation and living costs fall to interns or their sponsoring institutions; interns who are not citizens or residents of the host country may need their own visa and work authorization.
Final year means final year. A US junior is not eligible for the Secretariat programme, even though graduate students and recent graduates are.
Dates, pay & program timing
Internships run at any time of year, full or part time, for a minimum of two months full time and a maximum of six. There is no single cycle: each office posts openings with its own deadline, and the openings listed at review closed between one and four weeks after posting. An internship does not lead automatically to a UN job, and the UN asks former interns to wait at least six months before applying to Professional or Field Service posts. You may be able to earn academic credit, subject to your institution's policy.
View the deadline calendarThese details reflect the sources at the review date. An overview is not a live job offer. Check the official page for today's application status and the selected opening's written terms.
How to apply to United Nations Secretariat
- Check timing against the final-year rule: you must be in the final year of your bachelor's degree when you apply, or apply as a graduate close enough to your degree that you would start within about a year of completing it.
- Search the careers portal for internship openings by duty station and field, and read each one's dates, work arrangement and field-of-study requirement; offices set these individually.
- Apply to the specific opening before its deadline, stating which eligibility criterion you meet and attaching proof of enrollment or graduation.
You leave FirstInternships to apply. We do not accept applications, offer referrals, or represent the employer.
Our editorial advice · not employer requirements
How to prepare a stronger application
Openings require a field of study closely related to the internship, so apply narrowly. A political science student applying to a humanitarian affairs office should connect a specific course, paper or project to that office's work rather than to the UN in general.
Budget before applying. A placement at a headquarters duty station means carrying housing, travel and living costs for at least two months with no stipend. Ask your university early whether it funds UN internships and whether the placement can count for credit, which the UN says is possible.
Your preparation, on this device
Make it a plan.
Checking an item saves this program. These are planning prompts, not a substitute for the employer's full requirements.
Add a stage & next actionOfficial sources & update notes
We reviewed these publisher pages on . They establish the program facts above; our preparation suggestions are independent editorial guidance.
- Internship Programme section: who can apply, duration, pay, credit and employment afterwards
- Example Secretariat internship opening (OCHA, New York; closes October 20, 2026): eligibility, language and cost terms
We do not infer deadlines, remote eligibility, or guaranteed offers from older recruiting cycles. Read our editorial process.