Making friends studying abroad sounds easy until you arrive for a master’s degree and realise how little time there is. Your program may last a year or two, half your classmates already have jobs or partners, and the thesis clock starts almost as soon as the welcome events end. The good news is that friendships at this stage come less from luck than from a few deliberate habits repeated in the right places.

This guide is for international master’s students in the UK, the US, Europe and other English-speaking destinations. It covers the first 90 days, where to meet people on and off campus, how to meet new people safely, how to handle splitting the bill across cultures, what to do if you feel lonely, and how to keep your dissertation moving while you settle in.

Will you make friends studying abroad?

Almost certainly, but making friends studying abroad follows a curve, so expect the first weeks to feel uneven. The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) describes culture shock in five stages: a honeymoon phase where differences feel exciting, a distress phase where they can leave you “confused, isolated or inadequate”, then reintegration, autonomy and finally independence, when differences and similarities are valued. Many students meet the loneliest stretch a few weeks in, just after the welcome events stop.

UKCISA’s advice is reassuring and practical: simply understanding that this is a normal experience may in itself be helpful, and culture shock is “entirely normal, usually unavoidable and not a sign that you have made a mistake”. Its guidance on facing culture shock also recommends making friends with other international students, who will understand what you are feeling, and with local students so you can learn about each other’s culture.

If you are still choosing where to study, social life is worth weighing alongside fees and rankings. Our studying abroad guide for the UK, US, EU, Australia and Canada compares destinations, and our ranking of the best cities for international students looks at cost, safety and student mix.

Why making friends studying abroad is harder on a master’s

Undergraduate life is built for friendship: shared halls, a first year with few consequences, and three or four years to find your people. A master’s compresses everything. Knowing why it feels harder helps you plan around it instead of blaming yourself.

1. Shorter programs. Many taught master’s degrees last one or two years, so the window for casual, slow-burning friendships is small. Tip: treat the first semester as the main social season and front-load your effort there.
2. Mixed life stages. Your cohort may include recent graduates, mid-career professionals and parents. Tip: suggest daytime and weekend activities, such as lunch after a seminar or a weekend walk, that suit people with different schedules.
3. Programs designed for undergraduates. Some welcome schemes target first-year undergraduates. At the University of Glasgow, for example, the new students matched through the International Student Buddying Scheme are undergraduates, and the scheme runs in the first semester (Glasgow International Student Buddying Scheme). Tip: ask your department and students’ union what exists specifically for postgraduates.
4. Work and money pressure. Part-time jobs, high rent and visa rules on working hours all eat into social time. Tip: build friendships into things you already do, such as cooking, studying or exercising.
5. The dissertation. Research is often solitary, especially in the final months. Tip: make friends with people in your own program early, because they become your study group and support network later.

Your first 90 days: a week-by-week approach

The first three months decide most of your social year. The table below is an illustrative schedule, not a rule; the point is to move from saying yes to everything, to choosing a few recurring activities, to hosting something yourself.

If you want a tighter structure for the first month, this four-week plan to make friends abroad breaks the process into weekly actions you can tick off. Whatever schedule you use, the key habit is repetition: seeing the same faces every week is what turns small talk into friendship.

Where to meet people on and off campus

Most universities already run more social infrastructure than new students notice, and making friends studying abroad is far easier once you use it. The trick is to go beyond the welcome fair and use the places where people meet repeatedly.

1. Your international student office. It handles visas, but it also runs orientation and events. The University of Illinois’s International Student and Scholar Services, for example, lists a fall international graduate student orientation and states that its engagement opportunities are open to all members of the Illinois community, including both domestic and international students (Illinois ISSS ways to get involved). Tip: join the office’s mailing list in week one.
2. Students’ union clubs and societies. In the UK, the students’ union runs most clubs. Leeds University Union, for instance, says it runs more than 300 groups for sport, music, gaming, volunteering and more, and UKCISA notes that societies bring together students from different courses and countries with a shared interest. Tip: choose one society linked to a hobby from home and one that is completely new.
3. Buddy schemes. The University of Leeds Buddy Scheme will match you with another student who shares your interests and study level (Leeds activities to help you settle in). In continental Europe, local sections of the Erasmus Student Network often run buddy programmes; ESN Luzern’s is open to all international students, including students from non-European countries, although it is organised around exchange semesters (ESN Luzern buddy programme). Tip: if a scheme seems aimed at exchange students, ask whether full-degree master’s students can join.
4. Your department. Research seminars, reading groups, graduate student associations and departmental socials put you next to people who share your subject. Tip: stay for the coffee after a seminar; that is where conversations start.
5. Sports, music and volunteering. UKCISA suggests being prepared to take the first step and finding activities that give you a common interest with local students, such as sports, music or volunteering, and notes that regular exercise can be a way of meeting people too. Tip: recreational leagues and running clubs welcome beginners.
6. Faith and cultural communities. UKCISA points out that many university chaplaincies welcome students of all faiths for pastoral or social activities, and national societies often celebrate occasions from home. Tip: use them for comfort, then branch out from there.
7. Language exchanges. Tandem sessions pair you with someone who wants to learn your language while you practise theirs. Tip: they are ideal for meeting local students rather than only other internationals.
8. Local meetups. Hiking groups, board-game cafés, book clubs and maker spaces connect you with people outside the university bubble. Walking in on your own is the hardest part, and these tips for going to a meetup alone include scripts for opening conversations and a simple checklist.

How to meet new people safely

Most people you meet abroad will be exactly who they say they are, but a new country makes it harder to read signals. A few habits keep you safe without making you guarded.

• Start in public, in daylight. Make first meetings with people from apps or online groups a coffee, a walk or a campus event rather than a private address.
• Tell someone your plan. Share where you are going and with whom, especially in your first weeks before you know the city well.
• Arrange your own transport. Know how you will get home before you go, and keep your phone charged.
• Prefer university-linked groups at first. Societies, departmental events and official buddy schemes have organisers you can contact if something goes wrong.
• Protect documents and money. Never hand over your passport, visa paperwork or bank details to someone you have just met, and be wary of anyone who asks you to move money or pay a deposit on their behalf.
• Trust your instincts. If a situation feels wrong, leave. Your international office and campus security can advise you about local risks and support.

Money etiquette: splitting the bill across cultures

Money is an underrated part of making friends studying abroad: few things make a new friendship awkward faster than an unspoken assumption about who pays. In some cultures one person treats and the other returns the favour next time; in others, everyone pays exactly for what they ordered; elsewhere the bill is divided equally regardless of who ate what. None of these is wrong, but mixing them at one table can leave someone feeling taken advantage of.

For a clear explanation of the terms and of how habits differ, this guide to going Dutch and bill customs around the world is a useful primer before your first group meal.

1. Ask early and lightly. “Shall we split it evenly or pay for our own?” settles it before the bill arrives.
2. Agree on a payment app. Cohorts often settle shared costs through a single app, which avoids anyone chasing small debts.
3. Be honest about your budget. Saying “I’m on a tight student budget this month” is normal and helps others suggest cheaper options.
4. Suggest low-cost activities. Potluck dinners, cooking nights, picnics, park walks and study sessions build friendships without straining anyone’s finances.
5. Keep it reciprocal. If someone treats you, return the gesture in a way that fits your budget, such as cooking a meal from home.

If you are still budgeting for your degree, our master’s degree UK guide to costs and funding sets out the main costs to plan for.

Struggling to make friends? What to do about loneliness

If making friends studying abroad is taking longer than you hoped, you are far from alone, and it says nothing about your worth. Loneliness is a signal to change something, not a verdict. The NHS Every Mind Matters guidance suggests practical steps: regular chats with friends and family, being part of a group or club, talking more openly about how loneliness affects you, and thinking about people you know who might be feeling lonely and connecting with them (NHS advice on loneliness).

That last point matters on a master’s: if you feel isolated, others in your cohort probably do too, and an invitation from you may be exactly what they were hoping for. If you prefer a structured approach, this weekly action plan for coping with loneliness turns the advice into small, scheduled steps.

• Keep home close, but not too close. Regular calls home help, but spending every evening on them can stop you building a life where you are.
• Find one person to talk to. UKCISA’s advice is to find someone who will listen uncritically and with understanding, rather than isolating yourself.
• Use professional support. Your international student adviser, personal tutor and university counseling service all see homesick and lonely students every term. If low mood lasts for weeks or affects your sleep, appetite or studies, contact them or a doctor.
• In an emergency, contact local emergency services or a crisis line in your host country; your university’s wellbeing pages usually list the right numbers.

Keeping your thesis on track while you settle in

The irony of a master’s abroad is that the dissertation deadline is fixed while settling in takes time. Making friends studying abroad and finishing a dissertation on time are not competing goals if you make three decisions early.

1. Put the thesis on the calendar in month one. Map the dissertation milestones as soon as you know your deadlines; our guide to building a thesis timeline with a Gantt chart shows how. Seeing the plan lets you say yes to weekend trips without guilt.
2. Make your study group social. A weekly writing session with classmates, followed by lunch, counts twice: progress on the thesis and time with friends.
3. Work on academic English early if it is your second language. Conversations with friends build fluency, but thesis writing has its own patterns. Our list of English mistakes international students make in a thesis helps you fix the most common ones before they reach your supervisor.

Keeping the structure of your dissertation in one place also reduces the background worry that eats into social time. Tesify helps you structure and organize your thesis chapter by chapter, so you can see at a glance what is done and what comes next.

FAQ