Background <p>For future nurses, who are of critical importance for public health, research and determinations based on universal standards should be conducted to ensure that they avoid xenophobic attitudes and provide culturally sensitive care in the face of different cultures and values.</p> Methods <p>The present study aims to investigate the relationship between cultural sensitivity, intercultural communication apprehension, and xenophobia among nursing students. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted on 242 nursing students at a state university’s Faculty of Health Sciences in Türkiye during the spring academic semester of the 2023–2024 academic year. Data were collected online between 1st March 2024 and 28th March 2024 by using a web-based survey tool. Data collection included a “Sociodemographic Data Collection Form”, the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale, the Intercultural Communication Apprehension Scale, and the Xenophobia Scale.</p> Results <p>The mean total scores obtained by students on scales were determined to be 85.72 ± 11.41, 40.70 ± 4.38, and 54.60 ± 9.61, respectively. The explanatory power of the regression model established was 0.297, which indicates that the model can explain 29.7% of the variance in the xenophobia variable with cultural sensitivity and intercultural communication apprehension variables.</p> Conclusions <p>Students exhibited high levels of cultural sensitivity and moderate levels of intercultural communication apprehension and xenophobia. A positive correlation was found between xenophobia and intercultural communication apprehension, a negative correlation between xenophobia and cultural sensitivity, and a positive correlation between intercultural communication apprehension and cultural sensitivity.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>