Young and Mature International Students: What Their Experiences Reveal

Moving to a new country to study is both exciting and demanding, and students’ experiences can vary significantly by age. Drawing on data from the International Student Barometer, this insight piece compares younger international students aged 18–20 with mature students aged 50 and over. Looking across arrival, learning, living and support, the findings highlight how institutions are meeting the needs of students at different life stages; and where there may be opportunities to strengthen the experience further.

Settling into a new country and starting university can feel very different depending on a student’s age. Younger students report higher overall satisfaction with arrival than mature students aged 50+ (93% vs. 89%), including pre-arrival information (91% vs. 90%) and first-night arrangements (88% vs. 86%). Mature students, however, are more positive about welcome or pickup services (84% vs. 79%) and introductions to clubs and societies (87% vs. 85%). This suggests that practical arrival support remains important for students at all life stages.

Learning experiences are generally positive for both younger and mature international students. Younger students are slightly more satisfied overall (91% vs. 89%), and also rate course content (91% vs. 90%), learning support (89% vs. 87%) and course organisation (89% vs. 86%) more highly. Mature students, by contrast, are more satisfied with teaching ability (92% vs. 89%) and performance feedback (86% vs. 84%), which may point to a stronger focus on teaching quality and direct academic guidance.

Outside the classroom, both common strengths and important differences emerge. Younger students are more satisfied with organised social activities (88% vs. 80%) and engagement with the host culture (87% vs. 82%), underlining the importance of social connection, integration and a sense of belonging. This may suggest that younger students benefit from structured opportunities to build networks, while mature students may already have established support networks in place, family responsibilities, or greater experience in forming connections independently. Mature students are more satisfied with finding accommodation (53% vs. 47%), but less satisfied with accommodation costs (49% vs. 58%), earning money (44% vs. 57%) and financial support (51% vs. 57%). While mature students may find it easier to secure suitable housing, affordability and financial flexibility remain key challenges.

Support services are rated highly by both younger and mature international students, though their areas of strongest satisfaction differ. Younger students give higher ratings for residential assistants (95% vs. 85%) and the international office (93% vs. 89%), suggesting a greater reliance on campus support. Mature students, meanwhile, are especially positive about sports facilities (100% vs. 96%), faith provision (100% vs. 95%), personal tutors (98% vs. 95%) and disability support (94% vs. 93%), highlighting the value of personalised and specialist services.

Overall, international students report positive experiences across arrival, learning, living and support, but age clearly shapes their priorities. Younger students appear to place particular value on social integration, structured support and opportunities to connect with campus life. Mature students, in contrast, place greater emphasis on practical information, flexibility, teaching quality and personalised support. Understanding these differences can help universities design services that better reflect the needs of all international students — helping them thrive academically, socially and personally while studying abroad.

*The International Student Barometer 2025 Wave 2 collected responses from 96,843 international students, including 12,622 aged 18–20 and 487 aged 50+.