About

We are a consortium of 14 International Houses that are financially and organizationally independent, non-profit institutions which span four continents and are united by one mission:

To provide students of different nationalities and diverse cultures with the opportunity to live and learn together in a community of mutual respect, understanding, and international friendship.

This mission is achieved by daily interaction among our resident members through programs, facilities, and community life designed to foster diversity of thought and experience.  This dynamic flow of ideas elevates our communities as places where students and scholars from around the world are able to share discoveries, approaches, and various points of view. Through such experiences, I-House residents learn about other cultures; at the same time, they also learn to transcend cultures and to appreciate their common humanity.  It is this shared experience that prepares our students to meet the challenges of a global world.

For over a century, we have attracted the best and brightest students and scholars from around the world to live together in a community and learn from one another.  International Houses Worldwide alumni are equipped to think creatively and critically and have made contributions to a broad range of fields and to the larger society. As they shape our world, International House alumni share a common pride in an extraordinary tradition of community, excellence, and global leadership.  From Nobel laureates, business and education leaders, CEOs, prime ministers, princes and ambassadors, literary and film agents, winemakers, and history-makers, International House alumni carry forth the tradition of using their experience to make a substantial difference in the world wherever their life journeys take them.

I took advantage of the International House mentor program and had lunch with the great Shelby Cullom Davis, who introduced me to the world of finance.  He said, “Young man, I think you ought to go into finance. And, that one piece of advice redirected my career. So, I owe all of that to International House.

James Gorman’87, Chairman and CEO, Morgan Stanley (I-House New York alumnus.)

The role and mission of International Houses Worldwide are more important than ever before. In order to have the greatest possible impact on the international marketplace of ideas, students and scholars must be engaged with ideas and divergent approaches from around the world.  I-House encourages them to do that, while also enabling them to contribute significantly to the intellectual and cultural fabric of the academic communities where they are located.

Today, the 14 members of IHWW accommodate some 9,500 residents annually from more than 125 countries.  There are nearly 350,000 individuals who are able to claim alumni status at one or more of our organizational members and many of them give back to the movement through their annual financial and other voluntary contributions.  This giving results in more than 800 scholarships offered annually which serve to promote the academic, economic, and geographic diversity of our member houses.

Learn more on our I-House Characteristics page.