Roles of University Support for International Students in the United States

Abstract

Unlike previous research on international students’ social support, this current study applied the concept of organizational support to university contexts, examining the effects of university support. Mainly based on the social identity/self-categorization stress model, this study developed and tested a path model composed of four key variables—university identification, university support, school-life satisfaction, and psychological stress. Results from structural equation modeling (SEM) supported most paths among those four variables, particularly presenting the critical roles of university support for international students’ psychological well-being.