International students experience unique barriers to academic success and persistence. These students often feel cultural shock on a foreign campus, experience isolation both inside and outside the classroom, and encounter language barriers and cultural differences when communicating with their professors.
Higher education institutions can help students overcome these various barriers and adjust to the new environment through international student-specific services and programming. This report explores international student support systems in higher education institutions in Canada and the United States. Specifically, this resource focuses on international student programming and operations of the international student support team.
Create programming specialized for international student adjustmentAt all profiled institutions, programming for new international students begins before the start of the semester. Administrators offer international student orientation, which focuses on helping international students adjust to university life in a new culture. For example, international student support staff at Institution C use their orientation week to help accommodate students’ basic needs (e.g., opening a new bank account, setting up cell phone service). To extend support beyond the first few weeks on campus, administrators at Institution B and Institution D offer ongoing programming to support new international students throughout their entire first year.
International student support teams at profiled institutions also offer free airport pick-up or transportation for international students. For example, Institution E offers free bus tickets to campus to international students during the two-days prior to student orientation.
The president at Institution E attends international student orientation to address the group of new international students and officially welcome the new students to campus. Administrators at Institution E report that students appreciate this tradition, as…