AEI internships provide students with an opportunity to learn from some of America’s most renowned scholars, economists, political scientists, and foreign policy specialists conducting research on today’s prominent public policy questions. The Institute provides an intellectually stimulating environment, rich with critical thinking, scholarship, and lively debate.
AEI internships are available in the Fall, Spring, and Summer to experienced undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent graduates. A minimum 3.0 GPA is required; however, most successful candidates have at least a 3.5 GPA.
Due to the volume of applications, only candidates selected to move forward in the interview process will be contacted.
We accept applications from candidates who are authorized to work in the US via an F-1 or a J-1 visa, provided the internship satisfies their program requirements. If your authorization to work in the US limits the number of hours you may intern or how long you may work in the US, please include this information in your cover letter.
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The American Enterprise Institute’s Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility (COSM) seeks a driven, research-oriented intern for summer 2026. The intern will work closely with COSM scholars and staff to research, identify, and promote policies that improve opportunity and mobility for low-income Americans. COSM scholars study the determinants of economic mobility and human flourishing in America through empirically driven and policy-informing research.
The COSM intern will interact with a...
The Asian securities intern at the American Enterprise Institute will conduct research in support of Senior Fellow Dan Blumenthal. The Asian securities portfolio focuses on US defense policy and security issues in the Indo-Pacific, including China’s military modernization, Chinese coercion and influence in Asia, and cross-Strait relations.
Key responsibilities include
- Monitoring military developments in the region,
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The Critical Threats Project, led by Senior Fellow Frederick W. Kagan, tracks and analyzes current and emerging challenges to American national security. An intern will work with Africa Team Lead Liam Karr to support the project’s research on US national security interests in Africa, including state powers such as China, Iran, and Russia and non-state groups like the Islamic State and al Qaeda. Research will include open-source tracking and analysis of key state and non-state actors and related political and security dynamics across the continent, especially in the Horn of Africa, West Africa, and the Great Lakes region. Interns will also assist in research and production tasks for the...
The Critical Threats Project (CTP), led by Senior Fellow Frederick W. Kagan, tracks and analyzes current and emerging challenges to American national security with its partner organization, the Institute for the Study of War. Interns will support analysis of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Iran’s Axis of Resistance, and Iranian regional activities and domestic politics. Interns will be responsible for monitoring regional media, translating, assisting with and conducting research, providing oral briefings on CTP analysis, and contributing to CTP’s daily Iran Update newsletter. The internship includes educational modules for developing...
The American Enterprise Institute seeks interns to work with two scholars covering topics in international security and South Asian studies. The interns will support Senior Fellow Sadanand Dhume’s regular column and book research on South Asian politics, economics, and security. Projects will focus on India but may also include Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other regional topics. Tasks will include gathering newsclips from Indian and international news sources; researching Indian politics, economic issues, and demographics; fact-checking and editing articles; and producing literature reviews. The interns may also be asked to help with individual research tasks pertaining to...
The American Enterprise Institute seeks an intern to assist with research and writing on a wide range of national security and defense issues. Interns will support the work of Senior Fellows Elaine McCusker, Todd Harrison, and William C. Greenwalt and Nonresident Senior Fellow John G. Ferrari, and they will assist with the Defense Futures Simulator.
Key responsibilities include
- Conducting quantitative research and...
Intern in the press office of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a distinguished Washington, DC, think tank. Learn about strategic media communication, track our scholars’ research, and familiarize yourself with the media landscape.
AEI is a great place to learn about the interaction between the government and media. Join a select intern program that offers unique learning experiences such as exposure to research in foreign policy, politics, economics, technology, and education; instruction about the media industry; and personal mentoring by the press team....
Academic Programs connects undergraduate institutions, faculty, and students across the country to the work of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the broader public policy world. The Academic Programs intern is responsible for supporting the planning and execution of program events at AEI and on college campuses, compiling internal surveys, and aiding the team in the preparation and execution of the 2026 Summer Honors Program. Other responsibilities might include researching college campuses, managing databases, and providing logistical support for events hosted in Washington, DC, and virtually. Strong candidates will demonstrate familiarity with and an appreciation for AEI, strong...
The Development department at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is the organization’s fundraising apparatus, attracting and managing financial support for all AEI initiatives and operations. AEI is supported by individuals, foundations, and corporations that share AEI’s core values—free people, free markets, and American global leadership—and engage with the Institute through private and public events, publications, personal meetings, and more.