Factors affecting international student adjustment in the U.S.

The international student population is a highly visible and significant subset of the student body of many American colleges and universities. Students from other countries have been coming to the United States since 1784 (Hendricks & Skinner, 1977; Meloni, 1986), and the numbers continue to increase substantially. For example, the international student enrollment in 1930 was 9,643 students; by 1953 that number had risen to 33,647 due to the postwar efforts to help rebuild and develop other countries through direct financial aid and education (Meloni, 1986). As of 1986, the number of international students enrolled in the U.S. is almost 340,000 and represents more than 180 countries and territories of the world (Meloni, 1986; Reiniche, 1986)