Six ways UK universities can better support international postgraduate students

The transition to postgraduate study is challenging for many, but for international students it often involves navigating an entirely new system of education, culture and daily life. In the UK, international students now make up almost a quarter of the higher education population yet institutional support structures have not always evolved at the same pace as this demographic shift.

Based on my experience as an international student and now as a staff member working across research, teaching and student well-being, I have seen first-hand how gaps in support can affect academic progress, well-being and retention. Below are practical steps universities can take to better support international postgraduate students, not as an add-on but as a core part of their operations.

1. Treat international transition as an ongoing process, not a one-off induction

Many universities front-load support into welcome weeks, assuming students will settle in quickly. Challenges often emerge months later when coursework intensifies, the weather changes, funding pressures rise or visa conditions begin to shape everyday decisions. 

To acknowledge transitions between different systems, institutions should:

• Design extended transition support that spans the first year, with structured check-ins at pressure points (for example, first assessments, funding milestones, confirmation of status). 

These could include peer mentoring sessions with senior postgraduate students or small group forums where students can share experiences, or facilitated group check-ins where students can discuss emerging challenges and be signposted to appropriate support services.

• Offer sessions on understanding UK academic expectations and practical workshops on using university digital platforms and support systems. 

• Embed international student-focused sessions into postgraduate development programmes, not just inductions, explicitly acknowledging transitions between different systems, including:

1. Undergraduate to postgraduate study
2. International undergraduate systems to UK postgraduate systems
3. Taught postgraduate programmes to doctoral research (a particularly steep and under-supported shift)

• Encourage students to seek help early by proactively signposting support rather than waiting for them to struggle.

• Provide tailored guidance for students moving from taught master’s programmes into PhDs, who often face a sudden jump in expectations around independence, research design and academic writing.

• Spotlight guide: How to deliver value for international students
• Culturally sensitive support for Black international students
• Using early engagement to build belonging for international students

2. Rethink metrics and expectations during early stages

Many institutional metrics, particularly in the early months of study, assume prior familiarity with UK academic norms. Applying identical performance expectations to students arriving from entirely different educational systems risks conflating transition with underperformance.

Good practice includes:

• Introducing more flexible or adjustment-aware metrics in the early stages of study, allowing international students time to adapt to unfamiliar academic expectations without immediate academic consequences. 

For example, early coursework could emphasise formative feedback rather than high-stakes grading, and initial difficulties with academic writing conventions, referencing styles or digital learning platforms could be treated as part of the adjustment process rather than triggering negative performance flags or progression concerns.

• Recognising that academic performance cannot be measured identically for home students educated entirely within the UK system and international students transitioning from fundamentally different academic cultures, assessment models and pedagogical expectations.

• Training staff to interpret early engagement and performance data contextually, rather than punitively.

Equity does not mean lowering standards; it means recognising starting points.

3. Recognise that financial pressure is not just about tuition fees

For many international postgraduates, financial strain extends beyond fees to include unexpected costs, restrictions on working hours, currency fluctuations and caring responsibilities.

Universities can help by:

• Providing transparent guidance on realistic living costs and employment restrictions.

• Offering targeted financial advice clinics and support for international students, particularly those with dependants.

• Designing hardship and emergency funds with international eligibility in mind, rather than default exclusions.

Financial stress is one of the biggest hidden drivers of student disengagement.

4. Build tailored support into core operations, not side initiatives

International students often encounter fragmented support, with visas, finance, well-being, academic progression and IT systems operating in parallel rather than in coordination.

Universities should:

• Establish a clearly coordinated international postgraduate support system that goes beyond providing separate services. 

• Introduce a dedicated international postgraduate “navigator” model, where a named contact helps students access support across visas, finance, well-being and academic development.

This model could combine digital and human support through a single online platform that guides students to relevant services while also offering scheduled check-ins with trained advisors who understand the specific challenges international postgraduates face. 

• Faculty-based contacts could work alongside central services to ensure concerns raised within departments are quickly connected to appropriate institutional support, creating a more proactive and joined-up system.

Support works best when it is proactive, integrated and predictable.

5. Acknowledge intersecting responsibilities and identities

International postgraduate students are not a homogeneous group. Many are parents, carers, first-generation scholars or students with disabilities. These intersecting responsibilities can amplify challenges.

Universities should:

• Build flexibility into policies around progression, attendance and timelines. 

• Design “transition-sensitive” academic policies that recognise the additional administrative and logistical pressures international students face. 

For example, universities could introduce short transition grace periods at key points such as arrival or visa renewals, where attendance monitoring and administrative deadlines are temporarily adjusted to allow students time to stabilise housing, finances and documentation.

• Ensure institutional well-being and support services are culturally responsive and internationally aware. This goes beyond general cultural awareness training. 

• Embed international student specialists within counselling teams, develop peer-led discussion spaces where international students can share experiences without stigma, and offer well-being programmes that explicitly address challenges such as separation from family, cultural adjustment and navigating unfamiliar academic expectations. 

Belonging is a powerful factor in student success.

6. Involve international students in shaping solutions

Finally, effective support cannot be designed without those it is intended to serve.

Universities should:

• Move beyond consultation exercises and embed international postgraduate students as partners in institutional decision-making. 

For example, institutions could establish international postgraduate advisory boards that work alongside senior leaders to review policies, identify systemic barriers and co-design improvements based on lived experience. 

International postgraduate students bring immense academic, cultural and economic value to UK universities. Supporting them effectively requires intentional design, flexible metrics and systems that acknowledge difference rather than erase it. When institutions embed tailored, inclusive support into their core operations, international students are far more likely to thrive academically, professionally and personally.

Listening alone is not enough; action builds trust.

Perpetual Eze-Idehen is postdoctoral researcher in sustainability, project manager of the Future Families Project, and chair of the Parents, Carers and Guardians Network at The University of Manchester.

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