Universities across Europe have become increasingly diverse. Social diversity, inclusion, and social justice are being discussed more vividly than ever against the background of diversity policies and the changing role of universities in society (EUA 2018). While universities respond to these challenges (i.e. developing and employing equality plans, diversity management, or trainings for teachers), still few data is available about how diversity effects international students – a group, which is oftentimes neglected in empirical studies about diversity, since it is often believed that they are not as ‘vulnerable’ as other student groups. Completing a stay abroad is generally viewed as a positive contribution to developing one’s identity as a global citizen, however, the transition to a different higher education institution can be difficult for students – academically, socially, and culturally (Rienties, Tempelaar 2013; Schaeper 2019). In the process of adapting to a new national, university, and student culture, international students can experience critical incidents, when students from different cultures encounter each other and a (cultural) misunderstanding occurs, which cannot immediately be solved and leads to a loss of one’s own cultural reference frame (‘critical incidents’) (Weiss et al. 2018). This presentation aims at exploring the most pressing areas of concern in cross-cultural adaptation processes in a comprehensive manner from the perspective of international students who studied abroad in either Austria, France, Germany, Portugal, or Poland, giving insight into European data collected in five universities. The SOLVINC study “Solving intercultural conflicts with international students“ is a comparative study based on the critical incident technique (Flanagan 1954; Butterfield et al. 2004), which gives insight into experiences of international students with diversity across universities and countries – including experiences with disability, gender stereotypes, and cultural differences. The qualitative sample with n=35 cases comprises incidents in class, in bilateral meetings of students, student small groups, student dorms and other spaces of learning (library, corridor etc.). In this presentation, the findings of the qualitative study are displayed following qualitative content analysis. The most urgent areas of concern in students’ and staff’s daily intercultural encounters are differences in communication, concerns of belonging and identity, culture and gender roles, differences in hierarchy, differences in time perception, and effects of colonialism. The findings show potential fields of action for universities for international and local students in order to make the higher education sector more diversity-friendly.

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