A Study on the Residential Satisfaction of International and Local Students with University Dormitory in Korea

The significant increase in the number of international college students in South Korea along with the government strategy of attracting a more diverse population emphasizes the need to evaluate their residential satisfaction. Understanding the experiences of international students is necessary for the creation of supportive living environments. This study examined residential satisfaction of International and Korean students living in dormitory (total 339 students), focusing on differences of individual characteristics between international and local students. The study evaluated the impact of age, gender, religion and cultural background, based on the degree of residential satisfaction. According to the analyses, there was a significant difference in overall residential satisfaction between international and Korean students, indicating higher level of satisfaction of Korean group. The number of roommates negatively impacted satisfaction for both groups, and religious affiliation also played a significant role for international students, with Christian students’ reporting of the highest satisfaction. These findings implies that international students encounter more distinctive challenges in dormitory life which highlights the necessity for university school planners to reflect cultural diversity in dormitory physical environment planning to enrich the residential experience and satisfaction of college students.