From Recruitment to Retention: International Student Experiences and University Management Systems

This study examines the comprehensive adaptation experiences of 15 undergraduate international students at a metropolitan private university through a three-stage management framework: Recruitment, Support & Retention, and Evaluation. Utilizing qualitative in-depth interviews and thematic analysis with Nvivo 14, 334 initial codes were generated and organized into 11 subthemes across the three stages: Recruitment(outreach, application, selection), Support & Retention(support programs, daily life, academic experience, administrative services), and Evaluation(information accessibility, participation in decision-making, recommendation attitudes, welfare and scholarships). Despite the university's strong institutional reputation and cultural attractiveness, findings reveal significant gaps between international student needs and institutional policies in areas including recruitment transparency, support program communication, English-medium instruction quality, competitive academic culture, and welfare provisions. The study suggests that international student management should evolve beyond simple recruitment toward comprehensive lifecycle approaches featuring data-driven planning, phase-specific tailored support programs, systematic formal and informal feedback mechanisms, and enhanced welfare and scholarship systems to ensure students' economic stability and successful integration.