Internationalization of Higher Education

In the process of the internationalization of higher education, a meaningful integration of international students at host universities has gained interest in the past two decades. Against this background, the purpose of this study was to explore the voices of the main actors involved, i.e., staff members, who provide social and cultural support services at host universities, and international students, who experience the offered support. Three countries were selected: the United States of America (USA), the Republic of Korea (Korea), and Germany. Among these Korea was not only chosen due to the researcher’s biographical background but also recognizing the fact that Korea is the major sender of international students, and the USA and Germany are the main receivers of these students worldwide. The qualitative empirical approach chosen in this study centered around semi-structured interviews with experts and international students from the three countries in question applying a reflexive comparative perspective, thus making it possible to cross-reference individual voices.