Overview

MIP Program Overview

AADF has created, designed and owns the AADF MIP Master’s and Internship Program, offering a Master's Degree Fellowship Program aiming to provide to young professionals, who are permanent residents and citizens of Albania, the opportunity to obtain a Master’s Graduate Degree from an approved United States academic institution. The Master’s Degree Fellowship is co-funded with the Biberaj Foundation. For the academic year starting in the Fall of 2021 MIP may provide up to 8 graduate fellowships per year to promising Albanians for top-level training at select U.S. universities.

MIP Program offers academic excellence on the principles and practices of their professional fields equipping fellows with research, analytical and leadership skills, intercultural education and acquaintance with U.S values. Through their graduate studies, fellows’ academic progress and integration will be fully monitored and supported to secure academic and personal progress. MIP Fellows are required to return to Albania after their studies and apply their set of skills for the betterment of Albania.

To date, 17 universities have hosted MIP Fellows, including , Bentley University, Boston University, and Brandeis University. Aside from providing MIP Fellows a top-notch education, our university partners also provide tuition cost-sharing.

Without exception, MIP Fellows have performed at a high academic level.

MIP Program Origins

The Master’s & Internship Program (MIP) was established in 2016 by the Albanian – American Development Foundation (AADF), to provide an opportunity to the most talented and ambitious young to mid-career professionals and Albanian future leaders to enhance their management and technical capacity, hone their professional skills, improve their individual career prospects and therefore contribute to the development of Albania upon their return. In open competition, American Councils for International Education was awarded administration of this endowment in 2018.

MIP Program Administration

The MIP Fund is administered by American Councils for International Education, a not-for-profit organization that believes by investing in outstanding individuals and their educational journeys, we can create long-term, equitable, and sustainable development for societies around the world.

American Councils has nearly thirty years of experience in administering graduate-level educational exchanges between U.S. universities and the countries of Eurasia. The organization's expertise ensures the success of the program in the following ways:

• Impartial Selection
  American Councils has unmatched experience in advertising and administering a fair, impartial selection of candidates for graduate-level exchange programs. Our selection efforts ensure that the MIP Graduate Fellowship Program is a fair and transparent competition.
• Cost-Efficient Program Administration
  Through our relationships with over 400 U.S. universities, American Councils generates tuition cost share from university partners exceeding 50 percent of total tuition costs. This affords us the ability to extend MIP's financial resources even further.
• Targeted Placements
  Because of our extensive experience in working with U.S. institutions of higher education and students from abroad, we have an excellent understanding of universities' strengths and weaknesses, and we place students in programs that match their goals.