Assessing Satisfaction with the University Experience: An International Perspective

Abstract

Despite the many positive contributions international students make to U.S. colleges and universities, their rapid influx has led to adjustment problems for both students and host campuses. Using measures of importance, expectation, and satisfaction, four distinct areas of the university experience including Campus Life, Academic Instruction, Student Guidance, and Instructional Support are analyzed. Collectively, results suggest that for many international students, the university experience is not meeting their expectations and they are not completely satisfied. These findings may be useful as preliminary indicators of areas in which U.S. institutions could become more multi-cultural in orientation.