Study Experience of Indian Students and Inter-Racial Relations at the University of Kwazulu-Natal

Indian students occupy a prominent space in South African higher educational institutions and form part of a diverse student population. This is the result of a multiracial, democratic society; the imperatives of cross border migration; and globalization trends in higher education. This paper discusses the ‘pull and push’ factors that motivated Indian students to study at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The paper then examines inter-racial relations in terms of academic and social relationships among Indian students and other student populations at UKZN within the framework of the Allport social contact theory. Research methods for the study include focus groups and qualitative methods. Primary data was gathered through oral interviews from ten undergraduate Indian students at the Department of Tourism at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The primary findings of the study are that Indian students prefer to gather together with their fellow Indian classmates