Staying Power

Changes in U.S. immigration policy and global unrest are daily reminders of the challenges of recruiting international students. International programs at U.S. institutions have no control over geopolitics, but there is one area where they can exert control: retention.

International offices employ various tactics to give international students the confidence to succeed, but strategies for keeping students through graduation go far beyond encouraging strong academic performance. Retention means ensuring students’ ability to overcome the myriad challenges they face. 

Provide a Sense of Belonging from the Beginning

Student retention efforts often begin before an international student sets foot on campus; they begin with international office staff reaching out. At the University of Minnesota, a first step is enrolling international students in a mandatory online course designed to ease the transition to a U.S. academic institution. Some information in the course is simple—how to get from the airport to campus, how to find the international student office—while others, such as what academic expectations are in the United States, are meant to prepare students for the classroom.

“We release the course early in the process, in the spring or summer prior to arrival,” says Barbara Kappler, assistant dean of international student and scholar services. “The modules are updated frequently to ensure that we’re incorporating feedback from students.” Once students are on campus, Kappler’s office has an in-person welcome event to provide a more personal link. 

For international students, the campus is their “home away from home, and it needs to feel that way,” says