An Intersectional Understanding of African International Graduate Students' Experiences in US Higher Education

The adjustment of African international students in the United States may be different from the experiences of international students from other regions, as African students are considered racial/ethnic minorities in the United States, and, thus, they are exposed to racism, nativism, and other discrimination. This study focuses on the structural systems impacting African international graduate students in the United States and the intercentricity of various forms of opportunities and oppressions impacting their experiences. Findings reveal the following four themes: (1) assumptions made by American peers and faculty, (2) adjustment challenges situated within campus systems, (3) campus internationalization rhetoric, and (4) conflicting worldviews. Even though these themes illustrate how students' experience negative social positioning and other challenges on their campuses, they also demonstrate students resisting marginalizing experiences.