International Students find support in small liberal arts colleges and universities in Massachusetts
By Camila Zuluaga
“There’s only so many students, so it forces you in a good way to be like part of the whole Stonehill community instead of being separate,” Assistant Director of International Programs at Stonehill College Katie McGillivray said.
Stonehill College, a small liberal arts school, has 55 international students out of 2,700 students, or 2.04% of the student population.
McGillivray said that a small school benefits international students because they can build personal relationships with the faculty, staff, and American students because it’s not that big of a community.
She said that for her, small schools have an advantage because she can get to know students quickly and build personal relationships with them. She said she wants them to see her as a resource because they know her name and her face.
Aradhana Mehta, the senior advisor for International Student and Scholar Services at Roger William University, said that international students don’t feel lost at a smaller school. She said it was easy to explore clubs and different things on a smaller campus.
“They get to know each other, that’s the biggest thing. They are very comfortable with each other after they spend a semester or so with each other,” she said.
At Roger William University, 1.49% of the 3,440 undergraduate students are international students, according to the College Board website.
Massachusetts is the top fourth state with the largest international population in the country, according to Open Doors data. The state totaled 84,097 international students in 2025.
Small colleges and universities, inclu
ding Stonehill college and Roger William University, contribute to this larger number.
Babson College, another small school in Massachusetts, has a 30% international student population on campus, with an overall population of 2,800 students, said Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Cate Brennan said.
For Harrel, finding people from your own nationality is easier in a smaller school, he said. He coincidently heard two people speaking Norwegian and introduced himself. Turns out the guy was Norwegian and now they are good friends, he said.
“The chances of this happening at a school with a much bigger student body would be a lot smaller,” he said.
Building close relationships with professors and classmates is easier due to small class sizes which make discussions more interactive and personal, he said.
He also said professors are generally very accessible outside of class, and it is common to attend office hours, have informal conversations after lectures, or even work closely with faculty on projects.
“I am, for instance, currently doing an independent research project with one of my professors,” he said.
Katie McGillivray said that the international student population was growing at Stonehill College since the school switched to D1 athletics.
“The fact that we’re growing at this rate means that we need to update our systems, check things out, process things, because I think soon we won’t have the past infrastructure to support that,” she said.
McGillivray said that The Office of International Programs offered a wide range of services for international students. The office is open to the students to set appointments for whatever they need, and they can come to their drop-in hours that happen twice a week.
The office also hosts workshops that relate to employment, Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT), getting a driver’s license, and things related to international status, she said. She said that Career Development, part of their bigger office, sends a weekly newsletter with any upcoming events or workshops that could be helpful for students.
“Anyone in our office can help answer questions or direct them to somebody that can,” she said.
McGillivray said she updated the student portal site for international students, so when they couldn’t find someone they could find some information online. She said the site also included a section talking about cultural differences and academic differences as well as all the information on Visa compliance, and employment.
Emma Arcà, a Stonehill junior, who is an international student from Rome, Italy said attending a small school made it easier to get to know others and build closer relationships.
She picked Stonehill because of basketball, and after visiting the campus she had a really good feeling about it.
“It felt like the kind of place where I could find a strong community and feel supported while being away from home, and at the same time keep growing both academically and athletically,” she said.
“I was placed on a First-Year Experience section with other international students my freshman year, and that was a great way for us to meet each other in a comfortable setting as we started our college journey,” Arcà said.
She said the school also had a group called InterAct where international students stay updated and involved in campus events and life. She said that the international community at Stonehill was really strong.
“I’m friends with many other international students, especially athletes, and I really enjoy talking with them about our experiences because we can relate to each other,” Arcà said.
Arcà said the Office of International Programs did a great job of keeping all of the F1 students on top of everything needed.
Advisor Arhadana said Roger Williams offers support for international students.
She said once the students were admitted to Roger Williams they are connected to her. During the stages previous to attending the university, she was available to connect with them.
Once the student decides to attend Roger William University, the school offers two Zoom meetings with both the students and parents to answer questions and make them aware of different things about the school like weather, rules, regulations, do’s and don’ts
, she said. They will also let them know about transportation, clubs and resources they can find at Roger Williams.
“We pick them up from Providence, whether it is a train station or a bus station or the airport. We bring them and then we do an international orientation with the student as well as parents are welcome to join us,” Aradhana said.
During the orientation, the office helps them with getting their IDs, settling down on their dorms, opening a bank account, going shopping, etc, she said. The students also get a self-care package including sheets, and other stuff they might need. Aradhana also said that during this, the students got paired up with an International Ambassadors, another upperclassmen student that will support them through their whole first year and become a resource long term.
“We keep in mind if the student is coming from, suppose Greece, we try to put them together with a senior student, either they are from Greece or maybe try to pair them with their majors, depending upon them,” she said.
Roger Williams also hosts smaller activities so the students can get to know each other and learn about different clubs, she said.
Smalls schools also have to face certain challenges to accommodate their international students.
Budget and the growing numbers of international students can be a challenge for the school, McGillivray said.
“But for now, we kind of have to focus on the most important things and like the most important resources that students need to help them stay in. These are compliance and just give them the essential support,” McGillivray said.
Aradhana said that budget had been an issue recently for their office, and that sometimes the school could give scholarships but with the budget cuts and everything it is becoming a challenge.
Mattias Harrell, a junior at Babson College from Oslo, Norway, said he initially wasn’t aware of any resources that the school offered. After he looked online he said that he found the International Student & Scholar Services, a service that helps students with visas, work authorization, and general immigration questions.
The international community at Babson is big, and there are a few students from South America and Asia, but not as many from Europe, Harrell said. He said he believes it is because the school is not as well-known there.
“I was part of a group called the Babson European Society; however, this group is not currently active,” he said.
He thinks the reason for this is because Europeans don’t necessarily share a strong common identity in the same way some other regions might, he said. Harrell said that it would be helpful to have some sort of database or overview of students and alumni and their nationalities, so it would be easier to find and connect with people from your country or neighboring countries who you might have an automatic connection with.
Arcà said that she wishes that there was more consistent support and workshops focused on internships, job opportunities, or navigating careers in the U.S. as an F1 student at Stonehill.
“I think having more guidance in that area would make the experience less stressful and help us feel more confident about planning our future,” she said.
Sources:
https://opendoorsdata.org/fact_sheets/state-fact-sheets/
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/roger-williams-university/campus-life
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