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Thriving in a new country
When choosing a graduate program, international students often weigh factors beyond academics: community, cultural support, and the resources available to help them thrive in a new country. At Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, international students pursuing the early-career Master of Public Policy (MPP) or mid-career Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) programs find a welcoming and robust support system anchored by the Duke International Student Center (DISC). We asked DISC to share insights into how Duke supports its vibrant international student population — a group representing more than 140 countries and over 5,000 students across all academic programs.
What is DISC and What Do They Do?
The Duke International Student Center is dedicated to serving the international community through advising, advocacy, education, and cultural programming. While they don’t handle immigration or visa paperwork (that’s the role of Duke Visa Services), DISC takes care of nearly everything else:
Core Services for International Students
- One-on-one advising (virtual or in-person)
- Help with essentials like Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses and state IDs, housing and transportation, peer mentorship (incoming students are paired with current international students), pre-arrival newsletters and resource guides,rReferrals and connections to other Duke offices for specialized support
DISC maintains offices at Smith Warehouse and the Bryan Center (just steps from Sanford), offering both scheduled appointments and drop-in hours.
Events and Programming
DISC ensures international students don’t just adjust to life at Duke — they thrive. With monthly events and seasonal celebrations, DISC offers something for everyone like:
- Friendsgiving – A celebration of American Thanksgiving with a community dinner
- Lunar New Year Gala – A colorful and cultural event in the spring
- International Women's Breakfast – Honoring women from across the globe
- Family Weekend Tailgate – Welcoming students' families into the Duke community
- Trivia Nights, Speed Friending, and Happy Hours – Fun and low-pressure ways to meet peers
Events are often student-driven. Through Global Engagement Microgrants, students can receive funding to organize their own cultural or social events — a unique way to bring their heritage to the broader campus community.
university-wide Collaborations
DISC also collaborates widely with Duke units such as:
- The Career Center
- Center for Muslim Life
- Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity
- Duke Wellness
- Sanford's student services team
This ensures holistic support across personal, academic, and professional dimensions of student life.
Support for Families and Spouses
For international students who come to Duke with spouses or children, DISC extends its services to the entire household. Family-centered programming includes:
- Cooking clubs (featuring food from students' home countries)
- Cultural celebrations and family-friendly events
- Connection groups for spouses to meet and build community
FAQs
DISC does not require a formal orientation but offers a “Welcome Series” of events during the summer and early fall to help students get oriented to Duke, Durham, and DISC itself. These are optional but highly recommended.
Yes. While DISC doesn’t file taxes on behalf of students, it provides guidance during tax season (January–April), and even a limited number of federal tax codes to assist financially. Questions can be directed to disc-taxhelp@duke.edu.
Absolutely. DISC encourages cross-cultural friendships and learning, and all students are welcome at their events, regardless of nationality.
Both the Master of Public Policy and Master of International Development Policy programs attract a global cohort of students committed to impact-driven leadership. DISC enhances that experience by making sure international students can focus on learning and growth.
For students adjusting to life in the U.S., DISC provides a supportive community, cultural celebration, and practical resources that make Duke feel like home.
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The Sanford Africa Policy student group sharing the Ethiopian coffee ceremony for Black History Month.
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Students celebrating Holi, the Hindu festival that marks the arrival of Spring and victory of good over evil.
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Key Takeaways
- DISC serves as a central hub for international students’ success and well-being at Duke.
- Services range from housing and ID help to community-building and cultural events.
- There are robust opportunities for connection, mentorship, and leadership for students in Sanford’s MPP and MIDP programs.
- DISC's support extends to families and encourages collaboration across the broader Duke community.
Q&A with Current Students
Mitch Moste, Assistant Director of MPP Admissions:
Support is deep and personal. We go beyond introductions with employers to actively advocate for students, tailoring support based on individual visa situations, and connecting students to meaningful opportunities—both domestic and international. We offer students as many opportunities as possible for employment because we know the more opportunities we can give you, and the more connections we can make for you, the better the outcome will be. We are committed to giving as much of our time, resources, and expertise as we can on your behalf, for as long as it takes to get you the support you need.
Vivien La Torre, MIDP (Peru):
It is true that it’s a hard time to be looking for internships and jobs, but there are still job opportunities with foundations, private institutions, or in consulting. Once you’re here, you basically receive an email every day with opportunities and networking events.
Ana Gaby, MPP (Mexico):
It’s a hard time. There’s no way around it, but there is a lot of support from community. It’s our peers, and it’s also the people working in Sanford, whether it’s professors, the career services people, someone in the MIDP or MPP program—there are always people willing to help and have a conversation, so that makes it easier going through this very unstable time. There are lots of opportunities, but you have to be willing to be very diligent about it. Career Services has a person specifically devoted to international students, and he’s doing an amazing job. I meet with him about once a week probably and that’s okay because they’re really there to support you.
Juan Pablo, MPP/MBA (Columbia):
Duke provides such a great platform for you to create community around what is important to you. If you are a low-income, first-generation student, they have a community for that. If you are a Christian or Muslim, they have a group specifically for each belief, or if you are into dancing or sports—there’s for sure a group for you. Duke creates plenty of opportunities to get outside of the Sanford bubble, and having a community outside gives you a different perspective, which is nice. I have used all of those resources and it’s been a nice experience for me.
Ana Gaby, MPP:
I’ve found that there are plenty of opportunities to engage with Durham outside of Duke through volunteering because there’s a group at Duke for anything and everything you could ever possibly wish for. For example, I volunteer as a Spanish interpreter at a clinic, so I’ve met a lot of people that way. There are lots of things to do, and people at Duke will connect you with them because many people are local—they’ve lived here a long time, or they went to undergrad here and they came back, so they know the area.
Juan Pablo, MPP/MBA:
Since I am engaged in so many things outside of Duke, having a car has made a huge difference. Uber is always an option, and people are nice and will offer rides, but a car makes things a bit easier.
Ana Gaby, MPP:
There are also housing options where you need a car less. On East Campus, you can walk to a lot of places, and Duke provides public transportation over there, so that can simplify things. You might think West Campus is better because that’s where Sanford is, but since you can walk to grocery stores and other places from East Campus, that might be a better option. People also bike a lot.
Ana Gaby, MPP:
There are events every single day. There will be more events than you could possibly go to. The ones I enjoy the most are those that take me outside Sanford because you spend so much time here. For example, I really like the Duke Annex activities which are based in art. You do ceramics and screen printing and spoken poetry—but there are a lot of other things you can engage with. As for DISC, they just had a French film festival a couple weeks ago, they had an African coffee making ceremony out here on the lawn—there are just so many things. Whatever you’re looking for, you will find it.
Vivien La Torre, MIDP:
In the MIDP program, my cohort is just internationals, so we basically go around as a family and that actually makes living here easier. We have all these different ages, so you will get a broad range of experiences to learn from beyond just the syllabus. You’ll say “Hey, we have the same problem in our country, how can we solve it?” and that’s one of the things I’m taking a lot from this semester.
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