International students

How can universities best attract and offer value to international students? These resources offer advice on marketing strategies that boost international enrolments, to providing a warm welcome and effective student support for international cohorts in order to ensure successful outcomes for graduates and post-graduates from all over the world.  

A range of international flags, shot from below

Four key hurdles international students face – and what to do about them

How can we make international students’ academic journey a positive one? Katherine Mansfield suggests ways to alleviate their social, academic and language challenges

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Two women walk away from the camera, their arms around each other's shoulders

Ease the transition for international students with a holistic peer-mentoring programme

Enlist peer mentors to help make international students’ transition on to your campus a smooth one. Naia Robinson shows how

Naia Robinson

Australian National University

Let’s make the international student experience as valuable as the degree

Given the unique challenges international students face, how can universities create an inclusive and supportive community? Educators share suggestions for helping international students thrive

Multiple authors

University of Adelaide

A buffet table, groaning with food, stretches nearly as far as the eye can see

A smorgasbord of strategies to help international students feel included

Educators are like seasoned chefs with the responsibility to create harmonious classroom environments that celebrate the flavourful cultural diversity of international students, says John Sinclair

John Sinclair

Colorado State University Global

A young woman boards a plane in glorious sunshine

What will it take to ensure that international students are treated fairly?

Treatment of international students needs to shift to a social justice approach, and the interim report from Australia’s Universities Accord Panel doesn’t go far enough. Here’s how we can do more

Carly Steele, Sender Dovchin, Ana Tankosić

Curtin University

Helping international students in their transition to US institutions

International students enrich and add value to American campuses. Here, Ashlee Toomey-Flinn offers practical tips for helping them transition successfully into their US university experience

Ashlee Toomey-Flinn

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Navigating the choppy waters of intercultural differences in an international classroom

Farish A. Noor draws on three decades of teaching across different continents to offer advice on the challenges inherent in teaching students from diverse backgrounds

Farish A. Noor  

University of Malaya

How to help international students prepare for university life ahead of and after their arrival

Ayten Ordu provides five top tips that will help ensure international students have a smooth transition to their new surroundings

Ayten Ordu

Near East University

How to support international students’ smooth transition to a new country

Orientation is an ongoing process for international students, so welcome programmes need to extend further than a single day. Here, Mengping Cheng explains how to support new arrivals throughout their adjustment

Mengping Cheng

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

What about lifelong learning for international students?

International students might not be comfortable with the student-centred mindset that underpins continuous, self-directed learning. We must prepare them for lifelong learning so they are not left behind, argues Graham Wise

Graham Wise

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

How to create and run pre-sessional courses to enhance future success

A team from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China outline the starting points for providing short-term English proficiency courses for non-native speakers

Multiple authors

The University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Five useful measures for welcoming students to international classrooms

Preeti Aghalayam explains why it’s worth examining the effectiveness of your teaching, acknowledging the changes needed for an inclusive classroom and how to do it

Preeti Aghalayam

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Help students make the most of studying overseas at branch campuses and beyond

Chris Pirie offers advice on how to run a smooth international student exchange programme

Chris Pirie

Heriot-Watt University

International students showing off their national flags

How to support more international student applications

UK universities can increase their appeal for international students with better transparency and support through the application and enrolment process, Christina Matthews explains

Christina Matthews

Aston University

The top three ways to support international graduate employability

Building effective partnerships with employers and using feedback to shape curricula and careers services will boost outcomes for students, universities and industry alike

Eric Huang

University of East London

A group of international students chatting together on campus

Digital marketing as a route to reaching international students

Advice for university marcomms teams on shaping digital marketing efforts to reach and appeal to international students

Claire Roper-Browning

Heriot-Watt University Dubai

Man speaking through a megaphone while his shadow is urging silence

Unearthing the hidden curriculum in international classrooms

How educators can help international students navigate the unspoken assumptions, expectations and norms of US higher education

Andrea Feldman

The University of Colorado Boulder

International students pipeline needs strengthening

How to build a stronger pipeline for international student recruitment

Iain Sloan explores four key strategies universities can introduce to help them continue to attract overseas students in challenging times

Iain Sloan

Ellucian

Student ROI is becoming a major factor in study abroad decisions

Is your university worth the investment for international students?

International student concerns have changed in recent years, and traditional study-abroad destinations need to keep up

Cagri Bagcioglu

Cintana Education

A lecturer sitting on a desk speaking to students in an informal manner

The hows and whys of improved interactions with international students

Strategies for overcoming potential cultural differences and supporting better academic-international student relationships

Lenka Janik Blaskova

The University of Exeter

How to support multilingual international students in the classroom

Multilingual students face unique challenges that affect their participation and communication in the classroom, but educators can take steps to make them feel welcome

Andrea Feldman

The University of Colorado Boulder

The tastes of home can help international university students settle

Five tips for helping international students settle in their new surroundings

Ganna Pola and Önay Aktunç offer advice based on their experience as advisers to international students in North Cyprus

Ganna Pola , Önay Aktunç

Near East University

International students require help when travelling to new countries

How to champion the international student experience from admission to graduation

An international student’s experience at your institution can be very positive with mindful handling every step of the way, says Preeti Aghalayam

Preeti Aghalayam

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Universities are policing and surveilling international PGRs

Universities must stop policing and surveilling international PGRs

From controlling travel to failing to provide adequate support, universities’ treatment of international postgrads is harming the research community and the HE sector

Tina Sikka, Heather Proctor

Newcastle University

Linguistic racism in universities can have an adverse effect on mental health

Linguistic racism can take a high toll on international students

Even seemingly innocuous comments on the way that students use dominant local languages can have severe effects on mental health, says Sender Dovchin

Sender Dovchin

Curtin University

The importance of promoting multilingual approaches in international universities

Introducing ‘translanguaging’ – and other ways to promote multilingualism

If universities are serious about internationalisation, they must confront the hegemony of English-medium instruction – here’s how, says Dylan Williams

Dylan Williams

Seoul National University

Group of international students’ showing their national flags

In support of international students’ journey through higher education

International students embark on a challenging personal and educational journey when they enrol overseas. Fiona S. Baker outlines support inside and outside the classroom that can help them succeed

Fiona S. Baker

Durham University

Russia’s intellectual isolation presents opportunities for Central Asian HE

Major universities in this region are now uniquely positioned to build new international partnerships with academic institutions that have lost access to Russia

Daniel Scarborough

Nazarbayev University

The US should admit Ukrainian medical students to help them rebuild their country

A caveat for recipients of such aid would be committing to moving back to Ukraine to practise after they have completed their studies

David Lenihan

Ponce Health Sciences University

A formula one team represents university collaboration to support refugee students

Simple ways universities can collaborate to bring more refugees into higher education

There’s strength in numbers when it comes to meeting the unique learning and support needs of refugee students

Rebecca Granato

Bard College

How to stop unintentionally discriminating against international university students in your classroom through your pedagogy

How to stop unconsciously discriminating against international students

Using enquiry-based learning gives overseas students agency and helps them decide for themselves how they want to be included in the learning process, says Dylan Williams

Dylan Williams

Seoul National University

Welcoming international students is increasingly important for universities worldwide

Enrolment throws up issues to be balanced, not problems to be solved

Enrolment managers must realise an increasingly complex landscape doesn’t need a quick fix to a short-term challenge but rather a reasonable strategy for managing long-term tensions

Steve Taylor

Liaison International

Woman explaining to student pointing to a computer screen

Strangers in a strange land: how supervisors can support international research students

Ravinder Anand-Ivell explains how early investment of time and empathy can help international postgraduate research students adapt to a new environment

Ravinder Anand-Ivell

University of Nottingham

Advice on supporting students to manage and overcome culture shock after arriving at university

Taking the shock out of culture shock: helping international students navigate transitions, part two

Inga Ackermann shares advice on helping students manage and overcome culture shock after their arrival at a university overseas or far from home

Inga Ackermann

The University of Edinburgh

International students needs careers advice too

Don’t forget that international students need careers support too

Just 2 per cent of international students find jobs through UK universities’ careers services – a big failure given their economic input, says Alexis Brown

Alexis Brown

Higher Education Policy Institute

International students generate billions of pounds for the British economy so the nation must act to preserve its reputation overseas

The UK must act now to preserve its reputation internationally

The figures show that the UK is slowly losing its appeal to overseas students, but what can be done about it? asks Vivienne Stern

Vivienne Stern

Universities UK International

Advice on preparing international students for potential culture shock when they arrive at an overseas institution

Taking the shock out of culture shock: helping international students navigate transitions, part one

Inga Ackermann outlines what steps institutions can take to prepare international students for the potential culture shock they may experience on arrival at their new university

Inga Ackermann

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on what mental health support universities should put in place for international students

Mental health support for international students: five key steps

Frank Haber explains what support mechanisms universities must put in place to protect international students’ mental health

Frank Haber

Oldenburg University, Constructor University

Recommendations for how Western institutions can remain attractive to Asian universities and students

Tips for engaging Asian universities and alumni in new modes of collaboration

Western institutions can continue to forge fruitful collaborations with Asian universities and attract students from the region. Here, Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan shares two key recommendations for how to do it

Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Collaboration between Asia and the West is a global common good in higher education and beyond

What does the rise of Asia mean for global higher education?

Many hurdles remain, from racism to presumed Western superiority, but equal dialogues and collaborations will foster the global common good, says Xin Xu

Xin Xu

University of Oxford

Advice for teaching students across Eastern and Western cultural boundaries

When East meets West: improving student engagement in culturally diverse classrooms

TJ Moore offers simple steps that support student engagement across Eastern and Western cultural boundaries, for lecturers teaching at home or overseas

TJ Moore

The University of Edinburgh

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: rethinking the internationalisation of higher education

How should international study evolve post-pandemic in order to extend the benefits of higher education to every corner of the globe?

Omolabake Fakunle , Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan

The University of Edinburgh, Hong Kong Metropolitan University

A multiracial group of students. It's going to be even tougher to engender interactions between students from different countries while learning online.

Don’t let Covid disrupt bonding with overseas students

We will need to work harder than ever to create meaningful interactions between international and domestic students in pandemic times, says Futao Huang

Futao Huang

Hiroshima University

Managing conflicting perspectives of international students when teaching online

Negotiating the minefield of global online teaching: dealing with difference  

Farish A. Noor offers advice on managing the conflicting viewpoints of students living and studying in different countries and cultural contexts when teaching international groups online

Farish A. Noor  

Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

Applying flexibility, inclusion and empathy to your hybrid teaching model for on-campus and overseas students

Guiding principles to support students on campus and overseas through hybrid teaching

Markus Davis explains how three guiding principles of flexibility, inclusion and empathy have helped shape a hybrid teaching model that serves both on-campus and overseas students effectively

Markus Davis

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Advice on supporting students locked down overseas via digital channels

Ensuring quality digital teaching for students locked down overseas

Parama Chaudhury offers advice on how to help international students continue their studies while stuck in their home countries during the pandemic

Parama Chaudhury

UCL

Driving internationalisation in digital teaching to enhance the student learning experience

Using internationalisation to enhance digital learning experiences for all

Omolabake Fakunle explains how steps to support internationalisation in digital teaching can enhance the learning experience for all students

Omolabake Fakunle

The University of Edinburgh

Steps to running online masters courses that cater for international students

Developing online master’s courses for an international audience

Lauren Johnston-Smith describes steps to create a quality learning experience for students enrolled on online postgraduate courses from all over the world

Lauren Johnston-Smith

The University of Edinburgh

How use online teaching to enhance university's international education offering

Boosting international education and collaboration through online delivery

With its lack of physical boundaries, online teaching can be used to boost access to learning for international students, as Stuart Perrin explains

Stuart Perrin

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

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