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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...
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The accounting team at the American Enterprise Institute oversees the organization’s budget and operations. This internship provides a hands-on opportunity to learn about the nonprofit financial environment. The intern will assist with day-to-day activities, account-analysis schedules, preparation of detailed account schedules for the annual financial audit and tax filing, accounts payable and accounts receivable, financial reports, and other accounting processes as required. The ideal intern candidate is a great team player with organizational skills, attention to detail, and a strong knowledge of Microsoft Excel. Candidates who can participate in the program in person for...
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The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) seeks a communications and marketing systems intern to assist with promoting AEI’s research to its constituents. This includes using our automated email marketing system to prepare and send articles and newsletters, using our customer-relationship management database to gather appropriate mailing lists, researching and updating constituent contact information, and helping with other special projects. While some data entry is required, the intern will also work on broader projects such as facilitating marketing automation, curating email content, and analyzing and improving the effectiveness of AEI’s email communications to its...
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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 Asian economics interns at the American Enterprise Institute will conduct research in support of Senior Fellow Derek Scissors. The Asian economics portfolio includes researching and media monitoring of Chinese outward investment and corporate activity. Intern duties will include fact-checking and supporting ongoing projects.
The ideal candidate will possess
- A demonstrated interest in Asian studies,
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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...
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The Critical Threats Project (CTP), led by Senior Fellow Frederick W. Kagan, tracks and analyzes current and emerging threats to American national security. An intern will complete operations projects and tasks for the team, gaining skills transferrable to many professions.
The intern will curate content for CTP’s website and social media platforms. Social media work will include researching and implementing new creative strategies to increase social media engagement, monitoring and...
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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...
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The American Enterprise Institute seeks an intern who will assist Nicholas Eberstadt, the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy. Dr. Eberstadt focuses on global demographic trends, human capital, and economic development, with a current emphasis on China, Russia, and developing nations. He also researches North Korea, poverty in the United States, foreign aid, global health, and mortality. The intern will do quantitative analysis, background research, fact-checking, and editing for articles and ongoing projects. Experience with Python, R, or Stata and familiarity with Microsoft Excel are required. Professional working capacity in Mandarin is preferred. Candidates who can participate in the program in...
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The American Enterprise Institute seeks an intern who will assist Distinguished Senior Fellow Danielle Pletka and Senior Fellow Marc A. Thiessen in research tasks for regular opinion columns, long-term projects, and events. Typical research will relate to the Middle East, China, America’s role in the international community, and occasionally domestic politics.
The intern will assist with research for the What the Hell Is Going On? Podcast, to include research packets and promotional materials as well as provide support...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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.
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The American Enterprise Institute seeks an intern to support Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, Kori Schake in research tasks and communications. Typical research tasks will focus on US foreign policy, civil-military relations, and national security. This position will also assist in drafting social media content, attending and reporting on events, and measuring departmental output.
The ideal candidate is detail oriented, demonstrates strong analytic and writing skills, can work in a fast-paced environment, and has a passion for US foreign and defense...