Faculty Perceptions of Graduate International Students: The Benefits and Challenges

Abstract

This study sought to better understand faculty members’ views of graduate international students through interviews with individuals from four academic departments at a top midwestern research university. Faculty members varied in the extent to which they perceived that international and domestic students had distinct academic and personal needs. They most commonly observed the following challenges that international students faced: functioning in English, achieving unique academic goals, adjusting culturally, and integrating with American students. Faculty members mentioned a variety of benefits that international students brought to their departments, including filling research assistant vacancies, helping them establish international ties, and providing American students with a more accurate perception of their life circumstances. Challenges that faculty members faced because international students were enrolled ranged from integrating domestic and international students to managing some faculty members’preferences for having American students in their research group.