THE EXPERIENCES OF AFRICAN GRADUATE STUDENTS IN A COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES

research that states international students face specific challenges when studying in the United States, this study sought to examine the experiences of African graduate students receiving advanced degrees. This research used a qualitative research design. Students cited opportunities to grow academically and professionally as primary reasons for study in the United States. Challenges included difficulties balancing responsibilities and lack of culturally familiar resources. Results from this study will be useful to academicians and school administrators attempting to better enhance international, specifically African, graduate student experiences. Hosting international students in colleges and universities is beneficial because these students contribute to the enrichment of higher education, to the strengthening of relations with countries in world trade, and to the promotion of global understanding (Chapdelaine, 2004). The United States annually hosts more than 500,000 students (close to half, 267,876, study at the graduate level). International students constitute 13.3 percent of all graduate students, compared to 2.7 percent undergraduate students (Altbach, 2004). In 2000, more than 34,000 students fro