The ‘international student experience’ in 2021
Alina Schartner, ECLS
In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, international students are a particularly vulnerable group. Social distancing measures, campus closures, national lockdowns, and travel restrictions aggravate an already challenging life transition, and have a potentially detrimental effect on the ‘international student experience’. Inherent to this experience are academic, psychological and sociocultural adjustments. This project explores these adjustments, from the students’ perspective, in the context of a global health emergency.
You can read the project report which presents the key findings from a survey of over 300 international students who undertook degree programmes at UK universities in the academic year 2020-2021.
Description of poster
International Student Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A survey of 343 International students studying at UK Universities in 2020-21.
Mental Health
58% reported experiencing loneliness
57% reported experiencing anxiety
41% reported being 'extremely' or 'very' worried about their mental health
Social contact
59% reported 'never' or 'rarely' having social contact with people in the local community
Job prospects
55% reported being 'extremely' or 'very' worried about finding work after graduation
Other
46% experienced personal financial loss
47% reported being 'extremely' or 'very' worried about the global economic impact of the pandemic
1 in 4 reported having experienced Covid -related discrimination. 59% reported 'never' or 'rarely' having social contact with people in the local community.