Academic and Social Integration and Persistence of International Students at U.S. Two-Year Institutions

Abstract

As a growing number of international students discover two-year institutions as the possible gateway to U.S. higher education, it is important to have a better understanding of who these students are, what attracts them to two-year colleges, and how they engage with the campus community. To address these questions, the study used the data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06) survey to examine the profile of international students attending two-year versus four-year institutions in the United States. More specifically, the study explored to what extent international students engaged academically and socially on two-year college campuses in their first-year of study in the U.S. It also examined how students' integration related to their likelihood of persistence through the second year. The results of this study revealed that location, cost, and coursework were among the primary considerations for international students enrolling at two-year institutions in the U.S. The study found that academic advising and faculty interactions played a significant role in the first-to-second-year persistence of international students. Considering these findings, developing relationships and interactions with faculty, academic advisors, and peers should be reinforced and supported.