Social Integration and Academic Outcomes: The Case of an International Public Policy and Management Program

In this paper, we use survey data from an international public policy and management program within a large private U. S. university to study sociocultural and academic adjustment of the students, how this is affected by the structure of the program, and its effects on their academic performance. We focus on factors that affect students’ ability to socially integrate successfully during their time in the United States for higher education and attempt to determine if this social integration translates into better academic outcomes.