Academic and Social Challenges Faced by African International Students in Collegiate institutions in America

Abstract

International students’ enrollment in higher education in the U.S has expanded considerably in the last decades. In 2015, the United States hosted more of the world’s 4.1 million international students than any other country (Institute for International Education, 2015). With the number of foreign students that come to study in the U.S, 14.5% of international students are African students with the majority of the population coming from Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana. The U.S. is often described as the land of opportunity abroad, but this research intends to explore that perception for international students, especially African students. Many consider African international students as the gateway to local business owners in the U.S seeking to expand a wider global horizon, especially in Africa. This research explored the different types of academic and social challenges faced by African international students in collegiate institutions in America through auto-ethnographic research, and to find possible solutions to those challenges faced by African students. This is a qualitative research approach that used the sequential autoethnographic experience of the author as the research tool in identifying and categorizing some of the challenges faced by African international students. It is the researcher’s intention that the findings in this research will be used as a guide for the next group of African international students aspiring to come to the U.S to study.