نبذة مختصرة : Support for international students has become a key agenda for many higher education institutions worldwide. However, the perspectives of administrative staff, one of the key actors in the provision of support, remain under-researched. To address this gap, this study explores the perspectives of international office professionals at Swedish universities, with a focus on how these professionals view international students and how they perceive the provision of support accordingly. Specifically, the study examines two categories of institutions—new universities and large comprehensive universities—to offer a comparative analysis of support approaches in different settings. The findings demonstrated that international students are generally seen as autonomous and independent individuals across institutions. However, the practical emphasis of support reflects a careful balance between trusting students to be independent and offering necessary assistance to support their adjustments. Furthermore, differences in support approach in each university category were identified, with new universities tending to adopt a more humanistic approach while large comprehensive universities exhibited a more instrumental approach. By uncovering these aspects, the study contributes to understanding student support for international students from an administrative perspective, questioning the prevailing approach of providing support solely in alignment with students’ expected needs. It also offers implications for future research and practical recommendations to improve institutional practices and policies, aiming to ensure that international students receive meaningful and effective support in alignment with the more ethical internationalization of higher education.
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