International students' experiences and concerns during the pandemic

Abstract

In contrast to domestic students, international students at research universities are more satisfied with their academic experiences and institutional support during the pandemic, according to the recent Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Consortium survey of 22,519 undergraduate students and 7,690 graduate and professional students at five public research universities. ​ International students' primary concerns are not with universities themselves but with health, safety and immigration issues. Academic Experiences of International Students Both undergraduate and graduate international students report they adapted to remote instruction better than domestic students. International students are more satisfied with how their university responded to the pandemic, the courses that were offered remotely, and with how instructors supported their remote learning (Figure 1). The academic experiences of international undergraduate, graduate, and professional students differ by the country of origin: for example, 69% of undergraduate students from China said they adapted well or very well to remote instruction​-​ higher than students from India (41%) or Mexico (59%). Similarly, 75% of graduate and professional students from China adapted well or very well to remote instruction compared to 64% from India and 60% from Mexico.