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CU-Boulder Campus Climate Survey, Fall 2006

International Students

Highlights

International students' experiences at the university and within the Boulder community are quite positive. International students report high levels of comfort in academic and social settings. They are comfortable interacting with faculty, expressing their views in class, and participating in social activities, both on campus and in the Boulder community. They rarely feel disconnected or left out of campus life. Compared with other international students and U.S. students, however, East Asian students generally report feeling less comfortable on campus and in the Boulder community.

International students seem to feel sufficiently integrated into college social and academic life, as evidenced by the fact that they interact with many different groups of people on campus. As one would expect, they have significantly more contact than other students with non-native English speakers. On the other hand, they report significantly less contact than other students with members of the gay and lesbian community.

International students generally report hearing fewer derogatory remarks about different groups than do students who are U.S. citizens. Thus, it is no surprise that international students feel that the Boulder community and the various groups within the university value diversity. We are not sure to what extent the results may be due to cultural differences. Many of the international students may come from cultures that are not very tolerant of diversity, whereas UCB is relatively open and accepting. In addition, some international students may not be sufficiently proficient in English to understand subtle derogatory remarks that native English speakers might make. Perhaps this language barrier is a contributing factor in international students' reluctance to challenge derogatory remarks or behavior directed at various minority groups. International students, especially South and Southeast Asian Students, are by far less likely than U.S. students to say they will challenge others, perhaps also reflecting cultural differences related to the acceptability of confrontation.

Differences Among International Student Groups

The international student groups, shown in the table below, are based on geographical region and cultural similarity. They are modeled after the groups of the 2001 Climate Survey  which were determined with the assistance of staff members in the CU-Boulder Office of International Education.

The number of students from the Middle East, Latin America, Former Soviet Block, European Commonwealth, and Africa is too low to allow for reliable and valid analysis of their responses. Therefore, we present results for only the East Asian, European Union, and South and Southeast Asian students. Their responses are contrasted with those of students of U.S. citizenship. Both undergraduate and graduate students are included in these analyses.

Among the groups of international students, Southeast Asian students and European Union students seem to be more positive about the CU-Boulder campus climate, whereas the East Asian students seem to be less positive. East Asian students are somewhat less comfortable in some social settings; in particular, shopping and eating in Boulder, participating in campus social life, and looking for a place to rent in Boulder.

The international student groups vary most in their perceived likelihood of challenging derogatory remarks. South and Southeast Asian students consistently report being the least likely to challenge, or among the least likely to challenge, derogatory remarks. In comparison, U.S. students report that they are more likely to challenge such remarks directed at any of the minority groups. When derogatory remarks concern religion, East Asian students also indicate significantly less likelihood of challenging them.

All international student groups say they are quite comfortable being in class and interacting with faculty. Although all groups of students report hearing very few disparaging remarks from faculty, East Asian students typically report hearing such remarks more often than do U.S. students and other international students. Students are much more likely to hear such remarks from other students. Generally, U.S. students report hearing more disparaging remarks from fellow students than do international students. In particular, U.S. students report hearing more remarks about people with strong religious beliefs, more remarks targeted at women, and more remarks about the GLBT community than do international students. Both groups of Asian international students, however, report more often hearing disparaging comments about foreign students.

As discussed in the highlights above, many international students may not be sufficiently proficient in English to understand subtle derogatory remarks in that language and, therefore, may underestimate the frequency with which such remarks are made in their presence. It should also be noted that nearly 60% of East Asian and European Union students and 96% of South and South East Asian students are graduate students. Analyses by class standing reveal that graduate students, in general, hear fewer derogatory remarks than do undergraduates. English language proficiency, as well as cultural differences, may explain the perceived discomfort among Asian students in thinking about challenging derogatory remarks.

Most Important Group Identity

The international student groups differ considerably in the extent to which their international status is regarded as central to their treatment on campus. Twenty percent of East Asian students and over one-third (37%) of European students list international status as the most important factor affecting their treatment on campus. In contrast, only 8% of students from South and South East Asian countries list their international student status as the most important factor related to their treatment.

Other identity groups often cited by international students include academic groups (17% of South and South East Asian students and 21% of European Union students), student organizations (17% of South and South East Asian students), and academic major (16% of European Union students). Few or no international students reference race/ethnicity, class level (e.g., freshman, graduate student), or religion as their most important campus identity group. Because there are relatively few international students in the sample, and because many of them either did not answer the identity group item or provided a response that could not be categorized, the findings should be interpreted carefully with this limitation in mind.

Percent of students in each group listing the identity as most important to how they are treated on campus.

Graphs of scale scores by international group

Last revision 08/29/07