Barriers to the Social and Academic Integration of International Doctoral Students

   In light of the national strategy towards strengthening position of higher education and extending Russian humanitarian influence globally, training of international postgraduate researchers has gained a special prominence with students acting as a key resource for scientific and technological cooperation and an effective soft power instrument. Despite a recent substantial increase in the number of students, training demonstrates low efficiency (low rates of graduates defending candidate dissertations).

   As a pilot qualitative study, this article aims at revealing the specific nature of barriers to the social and academic integration of international doctoral students and proposing new research dimensions within this problematic.

   Drawing on Tinto’s theory of student integration, we comprehensively analyzed academic and social aspects of adaptation. The empirical base for the research comprises 14 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Lobachevsky State University postgraduate students representing 11 countries and a wide range of majors. Qualitative research design allowed reconstructing subjective meanings, motivation and latent factors that shape respondents’ educational experience. The study examined such key integration barriers as the language factor, adaptation to Russian academic culture, social and psychological isolation, financial difficulties, administrative and bureaucratic hurdles.

   The scientific contribution of this work is twofold: first, it states the research problem of international postgraduates’ social and academic integration in Russia as an independent direction of analysis of the university internationalization policy; second, it identifies specificities of integration barriers based on qualitative interviews and develops an analytical framework for further research.

   The study offers applied value to developing a university policy regarding international postgraduate students: creating an inclusive environment that facilitates retention of talented graduates in Russian academia; reducing bureaucratic burden; building additional support networks mechanisms.

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