Exploring the experiences of international students in UK higher education: possibilities and limits of interculturality in university life

Abstract

This article is based on a two‐year multi‐method research project, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council, investigating the experiences of international undergraduate students in UK higher education. In investigating the influences on their experiences and the strategies that students employ, the study has also revealed something of the possibilities and limits of interculturality in the context of these universities. The paper uses contact theory as a framework to analyse that nature of their experiences, questioning how far the university environment nurtures interculturality for international students.