How to Make Friends on Study Abroad

If you want to study away from home but are unsure how to make friends abroad, we can help. In many ways, making international friends while studying abroad is actually easier! Here are five ways to meet new friends during study abroad who you’ll keep in touch with long after your program is over.

1. Go to orientation

Student orientation, or the freshers’ fair, is an event hosted by your study abroad university that is not only intended to give you some helpful information about your new home, but will also help you meet new friends. In an environment where every international student is new to the program, school, and most likely the country, everyone is in the same boat. As you wonder how to make friends abroad, know that everyone else is thinking the same!

Orientation is a great place for making international friends for this reason especially. No one knows anyone quite yet, so everyone will appreciate a friendly greeting from a fellow international student. Though the event may be optional, attending orientation anyway will give you a chance to meet new friends before they’ve settled into a friend group.

Once you find some people that you’re interested in getting to know further, suggest learning the local language together, exploring the new city, or maybe hanging out at a local café or on the campus lawn. They’ve just arrived as well, so it’s unlikely that they have plans. If they do, maybe they’ll invite you along!

The most important thing is that you are open to the new opportunities of study abroad and international friendship straight away, so even if you’re still feeling a bit jet-lagged- make sure you don’t miss student orientation events!

2. Make sure you have a functioning mobile phone ASAP

In some countries, getting a SIM card can be a hassle that involves paperwork. In others, it’s merely a matter of finding a convenience store that sells them. Do some early research on how to find what you’ll need to get in touch with new friends. 

As you consider how to make friends abroad, remember that it’s crucial to be more straightforward than usual with making international friends - especially if you don’t speak the same first language. Ask for their number once you feel like they might make a great study abroad buddy for you, and follow up on anything that you might have discussed during your first meeting.

Could you recommend to them a useful phone app that might help them adjust to student life in a new country? Maybe one of you mentioned that you enjoy studying with friends outside when the weather is nice? Send them a message and plan an outing!

As you start making international friends, make sure you don’t miss out on spontaneous adventures. Plan to get your cell phone sorted out before you attend events like orientation so that you're prepared to follow up with your new connections. 

3. Join some student clubs

Every university worth its salt will have some active student clubs for you to join. Whether it’s based on sports, hobbies, or a mutual love of getting discounts at local pubs, there will be plenty of opportunities to make new friends. As you learn how to make friends abroad, you’ll also realize that in order to increase your chances of making local friends, it’s a good idea to join clubs that aren’t predominantly international students.

Making international friends has become easier than ever with sites like MeetUp and Girls Gone International. These groups and many others like them bring together all international people living in a city away from home and will give you a wider spectrum of international friendship outside of student life. You can choose to join events created by other people- such as hiking trips, creative activities, or even pub nights, and you can even create your own! 

Language tables are also a common way to meet people and exchange languages while living abroad. Search for language tables or exchanges in your city to find others who want to share their language or perhaps learn another language with native speakers. These groups would likely appreciate it if you could teach them some of your own mother tongue. 

If you are feeling a bit homesick, there also may be Facebook groups for people from your home country who have moved to your new study abroad country. While activities like studying with friends may be reserved for your classmates, it may be nice to organize events outside of school, such as a dinner with others from your country, to make you feel more at home!

4. Get a roommate or roommates

If you’re still unsure about how to make friends abroad, getting some roommates might be an easy solution. Roommates, whether in a dorm or shared apartment, are a great way to easily meet new friends, save money, and find yourself surrounded by social activities.

As you get to know your roommates, you can plan some weekly rituals to make everyone feel at home, such as having dinners together every Sunday. You can also plan to host cultural events like international potlucks, where everyone brings a dish from their home country to share with others. You’ll get the opportunity to hang out with your roommates’ friends and your roommates’ friends’ friends, and sooner or later you’ll find that you have no problems making international friends at all!

International friendship, especially in a living situation, can go beyond what you might expect from friendships in your own country. If you’re thinking about making international friends to last a lifetime, roommates are a great choice that will likely feel more like family than friends in the end!

5. Organize plans to explore your new country

As you learn how to make friends abroad, remember to use your new surroundings as a way to strengthen your new international friendship. It’s important to enjoy your new study abroad country as much as you can. So, organize some day trips to sightsee, explore the local cuisine, and experience the nightlife - and invite your new friends along!

Also invite your local friends to hang out, as they might be able to steer you in the direction of local restaurants that they’ve heard about, art exhibits they’ve been wanting to see, or even historic landmarks they’ve never visited. For many local people, tourist activities are left to their own holidays abroad, so you’ll find that they'll often join you as you explore their home city. 

In general, think of making friends as a worthwhile investment of your time and energy. If you’re active and make an effort to connect with others - whether it’s just studying with friends or organizing a trip together, your investment will pay off with solid friendships that will last a lifetime!