Fitting-in: Sociocultural Adaptation of International Graduate Students

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between sociocultural adaptation of international graduate students and selected demographic characteristics, and to explore the students’ perceptions of institutional support with regard to their adaptation. A three-phased, mixed methods approach was used to study international graduate students at a private, urban, mid-sized, Northeastern university. Preliminary discussion groups (N = 42), followed by a questionnaire (N = 129), and then follow-up focus groups (N = 11), resulted in 28 statistically significant findings and five major themes. These findings resulted in recommendations for: improving university communication with international students, expanding international orientation, including more Americans in international activities, expanding English language improvement activities, and continually assessing international programs