International graduate students are regarded as highly educated global human resources who are necessary for many organizations to survive the global competition. Even though it is regarded that being married is a key factor influencing international mobility, there is little research on differences in intentions to remain abroad between the single and the married. The purpose of this study was to examine how international graduate students’ intentions to remain in the USA after graduation differ by marital status. Using a multi-group path model analysis, the hypothesized model was individually tested by marital status, and relationships between the variables were compared. Data from a self-report survey (n = 451) provided that single students’ relationships and married students’ relationships differed. There was a negative significant relationship between home country family ties and intention to remain for single students. The relationship between satisfaction with the university and intention to remain was positively significant only for single students. There was a positive significant indirect relationship between social support and intentions to remain for single students. The significance of this study can be found in the contributions to research and practices in recruiting and retaining international graduates. © 2014, Taylor & Francis.

International students intention to remain abroad International mobility Marital status Social relationships

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