The association of intercultural communication (IC) and international students has become increasingly evident in the global expansion of higher education. This study introduces the Cross-Cultural Communication model (CCCM), which explains Cultural Background (CB), Level of Cross-Cultural Adaptation (LCCA), Proficiency in Common Language (PCL), and Communication Efficacy (CE) as distinct stages in intercultural development. Focusing on international students in Malaysia, the research employed a quantitative survey method analyzing data from 215 among multi-cultural students. . Our findings show cultural background’s has positive and significant impact on cross-cultural adaptation, proficiency in common language, and communication efficacy. There was also a direct and significant impact of a level of cross-cultural adaptation and proficiency in common language on communication efficacy. Moreover, the extent to which individuals adapt to different cultures and their proficiency in a common language mediate the association between cultural background and communication efficacy. The findings reveal a progression from acquiring a cultural background (CB) to developing a level of cross-cultural adaptation (LCCA), enhancing proficiency in common language (PCL), and achieving communication efficacy (CE). These findings lend empirical support to the foundational assertions of the CCCM.