The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank based in Washington, DC, and dedicated to the study of migration worldwide. MPI and its sister organization, the Brussels-based MPI Europe, work closely with policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to analyze, develop, and evaluate migration and refugee policies at local, state, national, and international levels. The Demetrios G. Papademetriou Young Scholars Program, named in honor of MPI’s founding president, has trained more than 375 future global migration scholars and policy analysts. Publication opportunities are available to interns, and more than half of MPI’s interns are now published authors in the field of migration.
History of the Demetrios G. Papademetriou Young Scholars Program
The internship program was renamed the Demetrios G. Papademetriou Young Scholars Program in 2021, during MPI's 20th anniversary celebration. Papademetriou, who was MPI's founding president, exhibited a career-long dedication to training, mentoring, and helping the careers of the next generation of migration thinkers around the world.
To learn about MPI's interns, past and present, click here.
To support the Young Scholars program, click here.
Friends and colleagues around the world pay tribute to Demetrios G. Papademetriou in this short video.
MPI is committed to recruiting and offering learning opportunities to interns who reflect the breadth of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives in the countries where we work. This encourages diversity of thought that enriches and adds greater credibility to our work. As such, we are committed to making sure that interns and staff members of all backgrounds work in an inclusive environment with equity and access for all.
General Internship Application Deadlines
(For information on MPI Europe internship opportunities in Brussels, click here.)
An independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank based in Washington, DC, MPI provides analysis, development, and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at local, national, and international levels. It aims to meet the demand for pragmatic and thoughtful responses to the challenges and opportunities that large-scale migration, whether voluntary or forced, presents to communities and institutions in an increasingly integrated world. MPI seeks current college seniors and advanced-degree students as well as college graduates for full- and part-time research internships. Interns provide support to MPI researchers in one or more of the following program areas:
U.S. Immigration: Assessment of border enforcement efforts, current and proposed state and federal immigration legislation, effect of changes to immigration law and policy, and prospects for immigration reform.
International Migration: Comparative analysis of immigration and integration policies in the areas of refugee resettlement and asylum, immigrant integration policies (including labor market integration and social cohesion), labor migration, borders and mobility, migration and development, and returns and reintegration.
U.S. Immigrant Integration: Early childhood education and care; Dual Language Learners and English Learners; K-12 immigrant education; adult education, training, and workforce development; state and local immigration/integration policy and services; and language access policy. (Full-time internship preferred.)
U.S. Human Services Initiative: Issues concerning refugee resettlement; unaccompanied children; public charge and other issues affecting access to services and benefits; immigration issues in child welfare; and the impacts of immigration enforcement on human services programs and policies.
Latin America and Caribbean Initiative: Assessment of regional policy responses to massive influxes of migrants, with a special focus on Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, and Central American flows; formulation of migration systems; tracking regional and international cooperation, as well as development of policies to address integration challenges in education, health care, labor markets, and community building.
Within each of these substantive areas, research intern duties include:
Foreign language skills and proficiency in key Office and other software programs prove helpful for certain projects, as do strong quantitative skills.
MPI seeks college seniors and advanced degree students as well as college graduates for full-time editorial/communications internships. Interns work with MPI’s Communications team and at times with the Migration Information Source, MPI’s award-winning online journal. As part of their general responsibilities, Editorial/Communications Interns may:
Craft digital campaigns and graphics
Track media mentions and identify news outlets for targeted outreach
Assist in the dissemination of MPI publications
Edit multimedia audio and video
Research potential authors and topics
Carry out events-related activities
Strong editorial, social media, and multimedia skills are required.
The MPI internship program lasts for four months and is divided into three cycles over the course of the year. There is some flexibility in internship start and end dates, but the Spring internship cycle generally runs from January through April, the Summer cycle from May through August, and the Fall semester from September through December.
Internships are available on both full- and part-time basis (with full-time sought for U.S. Immigrant Integration and Communications internships). A stipend is offered to full-time interns and a prorated stipend is available for those interns who work part-time. Students also may arrange to obtain credit for their work. We do not cover relocation expenses.
For all positions, applicants must be at least a senior in college, possess excellent oral and written communication skills, and be able to work both independently and as part of a team. Minority applicants and/or applicants from immigrant or refugee backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
You need not be a U.S. citizen to apply; however, all applicants must be authorized to work in the United States before the internship begins, unless they reside and work from outside the United States throughout the internship cycle. Since MPI is not designated by the U.S. Department of State to be an exchange visitor sponsor, we cannot provide the supporting documents to apply for foreign worker (H-1B), exchange visitor (J-1), trainee (H-3), or foreign student (F-1) visas.
Interested applicants should send to [email protected] the following materials:
Electronic submissions are strongly preferred. However, hard copies can be mailed to:
Director of MPI's Internship Program
Migration Policy Institute
1275 K Street NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
For additional information, you may contact [email protected]. Please submit one application but indicate the desired internship(s) and, if applicable, program area/s in the subject line. Due to the large number of applicants, only those being considered for the position will be contacted. No phone calls please.