FAQs UNEP/UNESCO/BMU Kurse
Do you have questions about the UNEP/UNESCO/BMU course programme or the scholarship? Do you want to know if and how you can apply for the course program? Or do you have difficulties using our application portal?
On this page we provide lots of answers:
General questions on course programme, eligibility and admittance
Questions on application and application plattform
You can also find useful information in the section Hints for Apllicants. Please contact us only if you cannot find the answer to your questions below.
Course programme, eligibility and admittance
Alle unsere Kurse sind offen für Teilnehmer aus Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern mit guten Englischkenntnissen. Die Bewerber sollten einen beruflichen Hintergrund im Umweltbereich haben. Wir wollen Fachleute aus Ministerien, Behörden oder lokalen Verwaltung und NGOs unterstützen, ihre Wissensbasis und Fähigkeiten zu verbessern, um aktiv die umweltverträgliche und nachhaltige Entwicklung ihrer Länder voranzutreiben. Typische Bewerber sind daher Entscheidungsträger in Umweltbehörden oder NGOs, die im Umweltbereich und im Themenberech Bewirtschaftung natürlicher Ressourcen tätig sind. Die Bewerber sollten einen ersten Hochschulabschluss und mindestens zwei Jahre praktische Erfahrung im Bereich Umweltschutz haben, um produktiv zum Kursinhalt beitragen zu können. Das bevorzugte Alter liegt zwischen 25 und 45 Jahren. Das berufliches Engagement im Bereich nachhaltiges Umweltmanagement sollte belegt werden können. Die verschiedenen Kurseangebote sind auf unterschiedliche Zielgruppen zugeschnitten. Überprüfen Sie bitte vor Ihrer Bewerbung die spezifischen Anforderungen für den Kurs an dem Sie interessiert sind in der Kursbeschreibung.
The application periods are different for each course and are announced at the beginning of each year on our homepage and also on our Facebook page.
You can apply online on our online application portal application portal as soon as the application phase for the particular course has started. After registering with a valid email address, you can log in and start the application process.
The application periods can be found in the respective course description, they are also announced at the beginning of each year on our homepage and our Facebook page.
Further reading: -> HOW TO APPLY
The current admission quota is due to a high number of applications below 9%. However for candidates who fulfill all the admission criteria, the chance to be admitted is very good. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements are strongly encouraged to apply for the program.
Eine Bewerbung ist natürlich dennoch möglich, bei einer Gesamtzulassungsquote von unter 9% sind die Erfolgsaussichten bei nicht erfüllten Mindestvorraussetzungen jedoch eher gering.
The International Steering Committee assumes this group has many opportunities to acquire the desired specific knowledge through the international contacts of their universities. Only in exceptional and well-justified cases, fellowships can be granted as well.
With an overall admission rate of less than 9%, the chances of alumni being admitted to the programme again are very minimal. Highly qualified applicants who have not yet taken part in the course programme will always be given preference. We therefore rather do not encourage CIPSEM alumni to apply if not at least a certain period of time has passed since the last course participation and there is additionally an extremely well-founded reason for a renewed course participation. Even then, re-admission is unlikely.
For reasons of fairness to all applicants, we generally do not accept applications submitted after the deadline.
The fellowship includes a non-reroutable economy air return ticket from a major international airport in the country of residence to Dresden; accommodation in a single study bedroom; health and accident insurance for the time of travel; registration and tuition fees for the course; public transport ticket in Dresden city, monthly allowance of approx. EUR 550.-/month plus money to send home books (varying from course to course), sufficient to cover all basic living expenses during the course (depending on the individual life style).
Please note: The health insurance included in the scholarship does NOT cover any costs associated with diseases or injuries present prior to departure. Cost related to pregnancies and childbirth are also NOT covered.
Dies ist aus vielerlei Gründen nicht möglich. Das UNEP/UNESCO/BMU Kursprogramm behinhaltet weder finanzielle noch organisatorische Unterstützung für das Mitbringen von Familienangehörigen oder anderen Begleitpersonen. Unsere Appartments dürfen aufgrund versicherungs- und mietrechtlicher Gründe nicht von mehr als einer Person bewohnt werden.
Nein, die Themen der Kurzkurse ändern sich jedes Jahr. Die meisten Themen werden jedoch zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt erneut angeboten, in den meisten Fällen alle zwei Jahre. Sollten Sie den Kurs, in den sie interessiert sind nicht finden, probieren Sie es im nächsten Jahr erneut.
The employer has to:
- Facilitate the fellow’s departure for the study programme
(i.e. not prevent selected fellows from joining the course, allow the fellow to sufficiently focus on the course content etc.); - Assist the fellow to meet personal and family responsibilities during the period of the fellowship
If necessary by the continuation of the whole or part of his/her present salary; - Ensure the employment of the fellow upon completion of the fellowship.
- Certify that the candidate possesses sufficient knowledge of the English language
to successfully follow a postgraduate course held in English which includes attending lectures, writing reports, making oral presentations at seminars etc.
Further reading -> INFORMATION FOR SENDING INSTITUTIONS
Application and application portal
Applications can exclusively be submitted via our application portal. Please register first. After registration, you will be guided through the application process. All necessary documents can be transmitted via the portal as pdf files.
The activation emails are sent immediately. It depends on your email provider how fast they arrive in your inbox. If this takes longer than normal, and you also cannot find the activation email your SPAM folder, please contact us. We can then activate your account manually.
In step 7 of the application process, you will be asked to upload a number of files as either image file (for the portrait picture) or PDF (all other files). If you have other file types, please convert them. Various free software is available for such conversions.
In step 7 of the application process you will need to upload all documents that are marked with an asterisk (*, i.e. 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.5, 7.6).
First, check if your files are in the required format, so either an image file (for the portrait picture) or PDF (all other files).
Please note that uploading each document consists of two steps:
(a) browsing for the file
(b) clicking on the upload button once you see the name of the file in the application form.
If you have done this, and you still cannot continue, make sure that also all other steps are completed. You should see a tick mark next to each step on the top of the application form. You should be good to go now. In case the problem persists, please send a screenshot of what you see in the web browser to CIPSEM, this will help with diagnosis.
In exceptional cases, we may add individual missing documents to your application documents even after the deadline has expired. However, a well-founded justification as to why the timely transmission of the document was not possible is necessary.
If you have completed the submission of your application (step 8 in the application portal), you can be sure your application will be fully considered. You will not receive an additional confirmation email.
To see the status of your application please log in to our application portal.
After logging in, you can see the information you have submitted to CIPSEM. You will also see at which time you can expect a notification in case of being selected for participation.

Screenshot showing where to find the status of your application after logging in. The notification dates are different for each course.
CIPSEM informs only successful applicants via email. However, you can check the status of your application at all times by logging in to the application portal. We kindly ask you to refrain from contacting us for further enquiries. With almost 1000 applications per year, it is unfortunately out of our capacity to provide detailed feedback on individual applications.