Please Enable Cookies to Continue
Please enable cookies in your browser to experience all the personalized features of this site, including the ability to apply for a job.
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.
Looking to update your application materials?
Click here to login, click "Dashboard" in the upper right hand corner, and then click "update your profile." Then, you can update your various attachments (resume, cover letter, writing sample and transcripts).
The system cannot access your location for 1 of 2 reasons:
- Permission to access your location has been denied. Please reload the page and allow the browser to access your location information.
- Your location information has yet to be received. Please wait a moment then hit [Search] again.
Click column header to sort
-
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 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...
-
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,
-
-
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...
-
The American Enterprise Institute seeks an intern for the Coalition Defense of Taiwan who will conduct research in support of scholar Dan Blumenthal and others. The team’s portfolio focuses on US defense policy and security issues in the Indo-Pacific, including China’s military modernization, US allies’ interests and objectives, and cross-Strait relations.
Key responsibilities include
- Monitoring...
-
The Editing Services department at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is responsible for the production of AEI Press titles, which includes coordinating with our printer and distributor, maintaining accurate records, compiling metadata for new titles, and ordering books for all departments. An intern in this department will assist the book operations manager with cataloging publications, coordinating AEI book promotion, maintaining archives, and researching opportunities in the bookselling ecosystem. Candidates should have excellent writing skills, strong attention to detail, knowledge about media and current events, great organizational skills, and an interest in books and publishing. Experience...
-
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 constituents....
-
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 preparation for upcoming Summer and Winter Honors Programs. 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...
-
The FREE Initiative is a national collaborative outreach and educational resourcing effort led by AEI scholar Ian Rowe. The FREE Initiative disseminates insights about the crucial roles of family, religion, education, and entrepreneurship in developing the rising generation of young Americans. FREE is also building and catalyzing a growing network of exemplary leaders from across the nation who use their spheres of influence to revitalize community life and instill a sense of agency in the next generation.
-
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Coalitions team helps AEI scholars connect their research with audiences inside and outside Washington, DC. We focus on getting scholarly work from the website to the community. Interns must have a startup mentality and an ability to identify new ways to add value across the organization. The most successful interns will be interested in and familiar with AEI scholars’ work, exhibit strong writing and organizational skills, and be curious about nonprofit management and public relations.
-
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 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....
-
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 are able to participate in the program on an in-person basis...
-
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Events team ensures that the more than 1,200 public and private events held annually at AEI’s headquarters are executed flawlessly. AEI scholars and staff turn to the Events team to maximize the quality of all aspects of events, including setup, audience attendance, audiovisual production, catering, registration, metrics, and billing. As the Events intern, you’ll play a crucial role in supporting AEI’s mission to foster insightful dialogue and executing impactful events that shape the future of public policy.
-
The Editing Services department at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is responsible for editing and coordinating publications, event materials, and other projects and assisting with the promotion of scholars’ work. An intern in this department will assist team members with copyediting and proofreading, coordinating AEI book promotion, maintaining archives, and completing other communication-related tasks. Candidates should have excellent editing and writing skills, strong attention to detail, knowledge about media and current events, great organizational skills, and an interest in communications and marketing. Experience working with publications and with editorial style guides...
-
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.
-
The office of the president at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) seeks an intern for the coming semester. Robert Doar, AEI president, is a former social-service administrator whose primary scholarly interest is poverty. He is an active and respected participant in the ongoing national debate about social spending and welfare reform.
Mr. Doar and his staff support the work of AEI’s scholars and promote the Institute’s fundamental values of limited government, economic...
-
American Enterprise Institute (AEI) education policy scholars research and write on the politics of education, higher education financing, school reform, and related education policy issues.
The intern for AEI’s education team will assist with various long- and short-term projects by conducting primary-source research for reports and op-eds, editing, working with datasets, and providing administrative assistance as needed. The intern will also be responsible for providing assistance to...
-
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 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 American Enterprise Institute’s Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility seeks a driven, research-oriented candidate for its workforce development team. The vocation, career, and work intern will work closely with Senior Fellow Brent Orrell and staff to research the intersectional domain of workforce development policy.
Current projects include analyzing the present and future of work, economic trends in response to artificial intelligence, the skills...
-
The American Enterprise Institute’s Center for Technology, Science, and Energy (CTSE) seeks a driven, research-oriented intern. The intern will work closely with Senior Fellow M. Anthony Mills and CTSE staff to research the relationship between the federal government and the scientific research establishment, the role of expertise in democracy, and the history and impact of federal science policy. Intern duties will include assisting with a book manuscript, conducting literature reviews, retrieving and analyzing data, editing and drafting materials, discussing research ideas, organizing and assisting with the execution of conferences and seminars, and providing background research for reports...