Sub Saharan African students in Gaziantep: Economic and cultural challenges

In this globalized world, the internationalization of higher educational institutions became a trend. Countries around the world —mostly developed countries— recruiting a high number of international students in their highly qualified educational institutions. The trend attracts many talented students who want to pursue their education in the international arena. Scholarships, student exchange programs, internships, and fellowships have been playing a role in the internationalization of universities around the world. To be a part of this phenomenon and acquire quality education, students started striving for better opportunities. International students' movement in recent times has increased with the emergence of technologies facilitating the accessibility of opportunities offered by higher educational institutions. The study focuses particularly on the Sub Saharan African students in Gaziantep — one of the biggest cities in Turkey. Even though the recruitment of international students in Turkey started decades ago to recruit students, primarily from Turkic Republics, the country became one of the top international students' destinations in recent times. As a part of international students, Sub Saharan African students share a certain number in this educational movement. This study stress on assessing and understanding the living condition of Sub Saharan African students in Gaziantep. The study explains the push and pull factors for Sub Saharan African students' migration to Turkey, the cultural adaptation process, and the challenges they face as African students in a different environment. For this research, semi-structured deep interview data collection method was applied. Twenty-one students were selected purposely and took part in the interview. The study found out the cultural and economic challenges, which the students encounter in Gaziantep during their stay. Language, cultural adaptation, shortage of finance, stereotypes and negative attitudes were discovered as the most important challenges for the Sub-Saharan African students. Keywords: Acculturation, Cross-cultural adaptation, Ethnocentrism, Stereotype, Discrimination