International Students in Crisis Times: Exploring the Experiences of International Students Studying in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The purpose of this qualitative research is to explore the experiences of international students studying in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 pandemic. By focusing on a sample of international students, the researcher generated data through semi- structured individual interviews with the participants via Zoom due to Covid-19 circumstances. Although the researcher sent more than 100 invitations to international students to participate in this research, either via e-mail or WhatsApp, only 12 male international students studying at different universities in Saudi Arabia agreed to participate. The overall findings of this research revealed three themes that emerged from the interviews: the challenges of international students, their benefits and, support services offered to them in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 pandemic. The challenges include educational, economic, technical, social, health, and religious challenges. The benefits include educational, economic, technical, social, and religious benefits. The various support services offered to international students include support from universities, community charitable institutions, and individuals. Finally, implications of the findings and directions for future research are provided.

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