This multiple case study sought to explore the process of acculturation on stress levels, coping strategies, and social identity choices of six international undergraduate students from Venezuela studying at a Midwestern U.S. university.This study analyzed the personal experiences of three CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Each year, thousands of individuals migrate from a source or home country to a host country for a variety of different reasons such as political instability, high unemployment rates, family reunification, or, in the case of international students, the opportunity to study abroad at an institute of higher education.Globalization and a demand for an exceptional education have expanded the number of students pursuing higher education abroad (McLachlan & Justice, 2009) and the United States is the most sought-after host country for international students.For the past 50 years, more international students have studied in the U.S. than any other host country destination (Institute of International Education, 2012).A record high of approximately 723,277 international students enrolled in institutions of higher education in the U.S. during the 2010/11 academic year, which is a 32% increase since 2000/01 (IIE, 2012).The majority of the current literature and research surrounding international students within the U.S. context tends to focus on those who journey from countries of East and South Asia since this group makes up nearly one-half of the international student population within the U.S. (IIE, 2012).However, research reflective of this population tends to overlook an intriguing increase of international students from Central and South America.From 2010/11 to 2011/12, six South American countries (Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela) experienced a rise in student sojourners seeking an education within U.S. universities, with Venezuela being the country to have the most significant increase of 14.4% (IIE, 2012).Beyond the current rise of the Venezuelan international student population within the U.S., data strongly suggest that more Venezuelan students will be studying abroad in the U.S. in the near future; therefore, this international population is notable and warrants further research.For instance, Venezuela was one of only five countries out of the top 25 places of origin to have an over 10% increase in international students studying in the U.S. from 2009/10 to 2010/11 (IIE, 2012).This growing outrush of university students from Venezuela (Margolis, 2009) to the U.S. may be attributed to various Venezuelan sociopolitical reforms and policy changes; thus, these should be considered when studying the aforementioned expansion of international students from Venezuela in the U.S. In addition, a significant amount of literature claims that acculturation is a process that is inevitable for international students as they study abroad.As international students learn to adapt to life in the U.S., they experience the phenomenon of acculturation, or various social and cultural changes which result from continuous cross-cultural contact between two distinct cultural groups (Berry, Poortinga, Breugelmans, Chasiotis, & Sam, 2011).When international students sojourn to the U.S., they are faced with the difficulty of adjusting to a new sociocultural environment (customs, behaviors, language and values) and, therefore, may experience acculturative stress related to the process of adapting to the new environment (Berry, 2005).Thus, these rising numbers of Venezuelan international students may face challenges and stresses as they adjust to the cultural, social, and linguistic norms of mainstream U.S. society.It is also imperative to note that as international students experience acculturative stress, they also utilize various methods in order to deal with these challenges.The most prominent methods include learning the host language/cultural norms and forming social networks with either co-nationals or host nationals in order to feel a sense of belonging through these social connections (Li, Fox & Almarza, 2007;McLachlan & Justice, 2009).International students aspire to become part of at least one social group within the host country in order to establish secure bonds and a feeling of belonging within that group by utilizing certain social norms/behaviors in differing social contexts.It is this perceived sense of belonging to a social group that allows international students to experience decreased levels of acculturative stress.