“I Want to Continue Athletics and I Also Want to Study”: Exploring International Student Athletes’ Transition Experiences to the NAIA Affiliated Colleges

There are over a million international students pursuing their degrees in U.S. universities. Among them are 25,000 international student-athletes (ISAs) who are enrolled in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) affiliated Universities. While studies have been striving to foster and support this population’s successful transition to the U.S., few studies are available that deal with international student-athletes competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) affiliated universities. Hence, based on the transition theory, this study utilized focus group interviews to explore the transition experiences of ISAs competing in NAIA. Based on previous studies that explored the transition experiences of ISAs in NCAA-affiliated universities, the results of this study found similarities in the hardships that ISAs in NAIA experience during their transition to the U.S. Potential differences were found as lack of support from their coaches and resource available from NAIA to support their transition. Practical implications were suggested for NAIA to develop a comprehensive handbook to guide ISAs’ successful transition, strengthen relationships with the local community to foster a stronger sense of community for ISAs, and add dedicated staff to support ISAs during their transition.