This chapter examines international student migration through a multi-theoretical lens, with particular emphasis on acculturative stress, coping strategies, and mental health outcomes. Drawing on the Push and Pull Theory, Boswell’s Migration Theory, Berry’s Acculturation Model, Lazarus and Folkman’s Stress and Coping Theory, and Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources Theory, it explores how students navigate the psychological and cultural challenges of academic mobility. The analysis compares institutional environments in South Africa and Germany, highlighting how national policies and university-level support systems influence students’ adaptation processes. By integrating theoretical insights with empirical contexts, the chapter identifies key acculturative strategies, including integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalisation, and examines how these approaches affect mental health. It concludes with a contextualised framework designed to guide future research and inform policy aimed at improving student well-being in cross-border higher education.