International Students' Perceptions of University Life.
International students provide economic, cultural, and academic benefits to universities throughout the nation. However, many international students lack the support necessary to be successful and satisfied with their education. In order to determine international students' perceptions of their university experience, an online survey was emailed to the entire international population of 862 students at a Western university. We found that international students' greatest concerns dealt with financial, health, and language issues. In addition, we found students from East Asia had the greatest difficulty with language and students from non-white areas of the world reported a concern about discrimination. These findings may be able to help universities identify interventions to improve the quality of education for international students and increase their satisfaction and success. International students are a growing segment of the American postsecondary education system. They currently account for approximately 4% of the total student population and provide economic and cultural benefits to institutions across the nation (Witherill & Clayton, 2014). Colleges and universities face a growing number of challenges today; from financial concerns to completion rates, educational institutions face numerous obstacles. Christensen and Horn (2013) assert that 25% of colleges in all educational tiers will fail or merge within the next few decades. This may spell financial difficulty for many institutions, but education is a service that has economic consequences that reach far beyond the university walls. One aspect of university education finance that requires further analysis is international student attendance at American universities. As domestic institutions struggle financially, international students have proven to be an asset to the American economy. In 2013-2014, international students numbered over 800,000 and accounted for $27 billion in revenue (Witherill & Clayton, 2014). Yet, international students are an often misunderstood group who can provide extensive economic and cultural benefits to American universities. However, their needs must be studied, understood, and met in a satisfactory manner since these students offer cultural, religious, and ideological viewpoints that are diverse and may serve to improve American students' skill for their future careers in a globalized economy (Luo & Jamieson-Drake, 2013). Moreover, international students increase domestic students' ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds and abilities; a necessary skill in today's globalized workplace (Mamiseishvili, 2012). Many first-year students struggle with culture shock, homesickness, and other issues like adjusting to new social freedoms, grade competition, and unclear assignments (Rodgers & Tennison, 2009). International students face many of these same issues, but the question remains if these experiences differ from that of domestic students? Most universities offer orientation programs for freshmen, but more research is needed to determine what programs need modification or development to fit the needs of international students. This research can result in increased international student numbers, improving fiscal outlooks and cultural diversity for universities and their surrounding communities (Chavajay, 2013). Therefore, international students' opinions and perceptions need to be studied to develop and maintain programs that will lead to higher enrollment and retention rates for international students. A selective review of literature concerning the needs of international students was conducted. Our hope was to gain insight on how to improve the educational experience for international students so that students, the university, and its stakeholders can reap rewards that are mutually beneficial. International students bring significant financial assets to the American economy, and have achieved greater academic success than their American peers (Curtin, Stewart, & Ostrove, 2013). …