Author(s)

Pallavi Singh^1*, Kimberley Williams², Ratnaditya Jonnalagadda³, Avinash Gogineni⁴, Roopesh Reddy Sadashiva Reddy⁵

¹Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
²Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
³Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
⁴Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
⁵Sylvester Cancer Research Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.

With a growing number of international graduate students pursuing degrees in the United States, it is essential that universities understand the unique challenges this population faces. In this study, we researched the role that university’s international graduate student housing plays in building a sense of community among international students. This qualitative study explored 17 international graduate students lived experience in the United States regarding sense of community within the graduate housing complex. Findings suggest that international student residents faced several issues; these included satisfaction with their accommodation, the way their fellow neighbors conducted themselves in university housing and preferring to reach out to other international students from their home country. However, they were able to find support within other departments and smaller communities within university. Recommendations are presented to practitioners and future researchers so that they can effectively develop support for international graduate students.

International Graduate Student, Graduate Housing, Sense of Community

Singh, P. , Williams, K. , Jonnalagadda, R. , Gogineni, A. and Reddy, R. (2022) International Students: What’s Missing and What Matters. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 10, 381-397. doi: 10.4236/jss.2022.102027.