Study Finds International Graduate Students’ Experiences with the Rental Housing Market at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Included Racial and Accent-Based Discrimination When Searching for Housing

By NLIHC Research Team 

Recent research published in Geoforum, “You Did Not Sound Black on the Phone”: Radicalized Othering and Housing Discrimination Among International Graduate Students,” explores experiences of prejudice and discrimination during the search for rental housing among international graduate students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). Study participants reported difficulty when seeking out new housing opportunities stemming from their status or characteristics as international students, including race, accent, gender, and exclusionary tenant screening requirements. 

To understand UTK international graduate students’ experiences and knowledge of the U.S. rental housing market, the study utilized a mixed methods approach, including focus group discussions and a survey of current or recent students. The focus groups utilized in the study were conducted between September and November 2022 for 45 minutes to one-hour long sessions, while the surveys were conducted anonymously using the web-based platform Qualtrics. Findings from the focus groups and surveys were coded to extract general reflections from these data collection methods. The authors utilized feminist and grounded theory sources to analyze data from the focus groups, including to extract common themes and identify links between responses, while also giving consideration to the thoughts and feelings of participants.  

The authors conducted four focus groups with a total of 16 participants. The countries represented included Nigeria, France, Greece, India, Ghana, Nepal, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, and Zimbabwe. Participants indicated the types of discrimination they had encountered in their housing searches, with color or race, accent, religion, and gender commonly reported. For example, one focus group participant shared that, “Landlords did not even give me the option to choose whether or not I did not want to share housing with different gender; they just assumed that once I was a female, I wanted an all-female place, and so when I applied, they would say oh we are looking for only male tenants.” Among the 334 current or recent UTK international graduate students who completed the survey, 80% indicated that they had experienced prejudice during their housing search. According to the study, prejudice occurred based on characteristics such as color, race, and accent. 

Participants also encountered institutional barriers to housing due to having no Social Security Number (SSN) or limited to no U.S.-based credit history, both of which can take considerable time and effort to acquire. Landlords often use SSNs to run credit or rental history checks on prospective renters to determine whether they are “fit” to rent an available unit and may turn away applicants whom they are unable to screen. One focus group participant shared, “I just came to the country, I don't have a credit card or SSN, and you don't have a family that can be very difficult for international students trying to get an apartment here. When we arrived, we got no help from the university to find accommodation. We either have to arrange to stay with people (colleagues we barely know) or stay at hotels until our lease starts.” Another student described how a landlord ultimately turned them down three weeks after they were already approved for a unit, attributing the turn of events to their lack of credit history. Some participants shared that their landlords openly admitted to drastically increasing the security deposit for their unit because of their status as an international student. 

The authors identified limitations to the study, as well as areas where reforms are needed to protect international students during the housing search. First, the study notes that the usage of descriptive statistics made it difficult to draw generalizations about the data. Additionally, the authors posit that the results of the study may be affected by self-selection bias in which those who had experienced housing challenges were more likely to participate in the study. They note that further research is needed to identify areas in which the enforcement of fair housing laws may be falling short and contributing to discrimination against international students. 

The authors also share recommendations to protect international graduate students against housing discrimination. They note that universities can play an important role in supporting international students through their housing search, including helping students navigate the housing market, providing housing assistance funds that can supplement students’ security deposit requirements, ensuring students know their rights and can identify discrimination before or as it happens, and can create community partnerships like “preferred landlord programs” through which universities can encourage landlords to adopt nondiscriminatory leasing practices. 

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