The Transformative Role of Personal Tutoring and Academic Advising in Supporting Transition, Belonging, and Graduate Confidence for International Students

The increasing internationalisation of higher education has intensified the need for effective structures that support the diverse academic, social, and developmental needs of international students. While personal tutoring and academic advising serve as central mechanisms for fostering student success, their potential to shape empowering and future-oriented trajectories for international learners is not always fully realised. Aligned with the conference theme, Spotlight on Student Futures, this lightning session aims to examine how tailored, culturally responsive tutoring practices can actively support international students’ transitions into UK higher education and enhance their long-term educational outcomes.
The session has three key objectives. First, it seeks to identify and articulate the specific challenges faced by international students, including cultural adjustment, linguistic demands, social integration, and differing academic expectations, and demonstrate how these challenges influence engagement and feelings of mattering. Drawing on research indicating the centrality of belonging in student success (Masika & Jones, 2016; Meehan & Howells, 2019), the session discusses how structured, compassionate advising interactions can foster a stronger sense of inclusion and academic community.
Second, the session aims to outline concrete tutoring practices that support academic transition, with an emphasis on demystifying hidden curricula, clarifying assessment expectations, and developing academic literacies. It will present examples of proactive advising strategies, such as early diagnostic conversations, explicit feedback guidance, and culturally sensitive communication, that help international students navigate new pedagogical norms and build academic confidence.
Third, the session seeks to highlight the role of advising in shaping international students’ future aspirations and employability, an area often complicated by unfamiliar labour markets, visa regulations, and limited access to professional networks (Zeng, 2024). The session introduces approaches based on developmental advising, focusing on how tutors can support reflection, goal-setting, and engagement with co-curricular opportunities that strengthen graduate identities.
Overall, the content of the session is structured to provide participants with evidence-informed strategies and practical examples of how personal tutors and advisors can enact culturally aware, relationally grounded support that enhances international students’ wellbeing, continuation, and graduate outcomes. By foregrounding the lived experiences of international learners and the mechanisms through which advising can influence their trajectories, the session contributes to broader sector discussions on creating equitable, empowering, and future-focused educational environments.
Reference
Masika, R. and Jones, J., 2016. Building student belonging and engagement: Insights into higher education students’ experiences of participating and learning together. Teaching in higher education, 21(2), pp.138-150.
Meehan, C. and Howells, K., 2019. In search of the feeling of ‘belonging’in higher education: Undergraduate students transition into higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 43(10), pp.1376-1390.
Zeng, L., 2024. Enhancing Teaching for International Students: Expectations and Challenges. ITL Teaching and Learning Conference 2024, 26–27 June, Manchester, UK.