Language and literacy skills of home and international university students: How different are they, and does it matter?

Although international students experience lower attainment at university than home students (Iannelli & Wang, 2014; Morrison et al., 2005), the reasons are poorly understood. The role of language is disputed as international students arrive with required language qualifications. In this talk I report the results of a study which explored whether there are meaningful differences – differences that would influence academic achievement – in the language and literacy skills of international students who have successfully met university language entry requirements and those of home students studying in their native language.