College Experiences and Outcomes Among International Undergraduate Students at Research Universities in the United States: A Comparison to Their Domestic Peers

Abstract

Using a large dataset from a state education system, this study examined the experience of international college students in the United States as well as the connection to their cognitive, affective, and civic outcomes. The study utilized data from the 2010 University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) and a sample of 35,146 junior and senior undergraduate students across 10 campuses. The results of this study showed that international students may uniquely experience college and may not benefit from those experiences as much as their domestic peers. Furthermore, this study identified a broad range of college experiences that contribute to the key outcomes for international students. The study discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings

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“…According to Association of International Educator (NAFSA) (2019), international students contributed $39 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2017-2018 academic year. However, some international students reported that they do not experience the same benefits as their domestic peers, which raises questions for attracting more international students studying in U.S. (Kim et al, 2017). Because the largest group of international students studying in the U.S. are Chinese, this study encourages future research be conducted to investigate the influences of culture on Chinese students' cognitive style.…”

Examining College Students’ Multicultural Education Perspectives

“…Previous studies also suggest that non-native English speaking students, including international students, are often mistaken about their linguistic and cultural identity and experiences, and their American peers find difficulty in interacting with them because of the socio-cultural difference (Kim et al, 2017; Moglen, 2017; Wang et al, 2017). In another study, Zhou and Cole (2017) found that “international students had more frequent positive and negative cross-racial interactions than American students, and negative cross-racial interactions decreased international students’ overall satisfaction” (p. 655).…”