Belonging beyond borders: a comparative analysis of international and domestic students at a Canadian university

The number of international students attending Canadian institutions of higher education has dramatically increased over the past two decades. While the tuition revenue generated from these students has become a vital source of funding for universities, research shows that international students often face a host of challenges integrating into a new campus community. Drawing on comprehensive survey data from a large university in southern Ontario, we examine a key indicator of adjustment to campus life: students’ sense of belonging. In contrast to research that overlooks variation among international students, we compare three groups of international students (Chinese, South Asian and students from other countries) to domestic students. Further, using a wide array of control variables, our analyses identify how students’ socio-economic and academic characteristics, as well as their experiences at the university, contribute to differences in their sense of belonging. Our findings reveal significant variation between international and domestic students. Chinese international students experience a greater sense of belonging compared to domestic students, while South Asian students do not differ, and students from other regions experience a more tenuous sense of belonging. These differences can be partially explained by variation in students’ social and academic background characteristics, their involvement in campus activities, and propensity to engage in cross-racial socialization. Our analyses also reveal how international students’ disproportionate experiences with on-campus racism and discrimination negatively impact their sense of belonging.