Migration Policy InstituteInternship

$1,472 Biweekly MPI Young Scholars Internship (Spring 2027)

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Archived

Opportunity type

Internship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

United States

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

The Migration Policy Institute is a nonpartisan research institute in Washington DC that studies migration, asylum and immigrant integration. Its internship programme, named after founding president Demetrios G. Papademetriou, brings a small cohort in each semester to work alongside MPI's policy analysts and communications team. The Spring 2027 cycle runs January to April, pays a stipend, and can be done in person in Washington or fully remotely from outside the United States.

What you get:

A $1,472 biweekly stipend for full-time interns, prorated for part-time interns
A four month placement inside one of MPI's research programmes or its communications team
Direct work with MPI policy analysts and senior researchers on live policy analysis
The option to arrange academic credit for the work through your own institution
A named place in the Young Scholars Program, whose cohorts MPI publishes by name on its own site

What you'll do:

Research interns contribute to MPI research through independent quantitative or qualitative analysis
Write paper drafts and prepare literature summaries
Summarise hearings and other public and private events, and provide events support
Communications interns instead track media, build social media campaigns and visual assets, support events, and help promote the Migration Information Source magazine
Handle light administrative tasks alongside the substantive work

Key dates:

Applications for the Spring 2027 cycle close October 15, 2026
Spring 2027 cycle runs January to April 2027
Summer cycle deadline is February 15, with the cycle running May to August
Fall cycle deadline is June 15, with the cycle running September to December

More information:

Programme areas, duties, stipend and visa rules are all set out on MPI's own internships page
MPI publishes its current and past intern cohorts by name and programme area
MPI Europe runs a separate in-person internship in Brussels and its own page says it is not recruiting at present

Who can apply

Applicants must be at least a junior in college and have excellent oral and written communication skills
Current students, college graduates, graduate students and early career professionals are all welcome to apply
Applicants without college experience who can demonstrate substantial relevant work experience will also be considered
You do not need to be a US citizen, but you must be US work authorised before the internship begins unless you reside and work from outside the United States for the whole cycle
MPI is not designated by the State Department as an exchange visitor sponsor and cannot provide supporting documents for H-1B, J-1, H-3 or F-1 visas
Written proficiency and oral fluency in Spanish are required for the Latin America and Caribbean Initiative
Full-time availability is sought for the US Immigrant Integration and Communications roles
Apply in two steps: complete the online form, and separately email a CV, a cover letter of at most 2 single-spaced pages, a writing sample of at most 5 single-spaced pages in English, and transcripts from every college attended
Email the materials to InternshipApplications@migrationpolicy.org with the subject line First Name Last Name_Spring 2027
Applications written or substantially revised with AI tools are disqualified
Foreign language skills, strong quantitative skills and Office proficiency are helpful but not required
MPI strongly encourages minority applicants and applicants from immigrant or refugee backgrounds to apply

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

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This opportunity is run by an established organization, and we confirmed its key details against the official source. As always, never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

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Cross-checked 17 of 21 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Paid at $1,472 every two weeks for a full time placement, which is real money rather than a token stipend
+Four months, January to April 2027, at one of the most cited independent think tanks on migration in the world
+Available full time or part time, and you can usually arrange academic credit
+Open from your third year of an undergraduate degree onwards
+Free to apply, in two steps: an online form and emailed documents

Worth checking yourself

!You need US work authorisation before the start date UNLESS you live and work from outside the United States for the whole cycle. So an international applicant can do this remotely from home, but cannot come to Washington
!MPI cannot sponsor H-1B, J-1, H-3 or F-1 visas
!No relocation costs are covered
!Closes 15 October
!MPI Europe in Brussels is a separate programme and is not recruiting at the moment, so do not apply expecting a Brussels placement

Sources checked

MImigrationpolicy.orgApplyMImigrationpolicy.orgApplyMImigrationpolicy.orgApplyMImigrationpolicy.orgApplyMImigrationpolicy.orgApplyMImigrationpolicy.orgApplyMImigrationpolicy.orgApplyMImigrationpolicy.orgApplyFOforms.cloud.microsoftOfficial

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.