Differential Peer Effects of International Roommates on College Outcomes: Evidence from Students of Disadvantaged Backgrounds

With higher education’s increasing emphasis on diversity and inclusion, this study examines potential academic effects from intercultural roommate pairings between international and domestic students. Using institutional data of over 7,000 students spanning 15 years at a US liberal arts college serving low-income students, we apply quasi-experimental methods to estimate impacts on academic performance, college persistence, and global outlook. Results show positive effects on first-year GPA for domestic students paired with international roommates, even as these effects persist but diminish in magnitude through the four years. A significant increase in second-year retention is also observed for these students. However, no significant graduation effect and only a small positive effect on global outlook are found. For international students, having domestic roommates had no significant effects on any of the outcome measures. Taken together, this study points to the individual as well as the organizational benefits of intercultural diversity through a low-cost, integrative roommate assignment intervention.