Australian universities are sites of growing cultural diversity, with
large numbers of international students joining domestic students, many
of whom come from migrant backgrounds. The literature indicates that the
opportunities this creates for cross-cultural mixing and intercultural
learning are often not embraced. This paper reports results of a study
of orientations to cross-cultural interaction and learning among first
year students, focussing on the relationship between such orientations
and cultural self-identification. The findings indicate some ambivalence
among the students, including a widespread general positivity towards
the idea of cross-cultural interaction, but reticence to make personal
efforts to take up these opportunities. Cultural self-identification was
related to students’ openness to diversity. Students who identified as
Australian tended to be less interested in engaging across cultures,
whereas those with culturally different (migrant), and more complex
‘Australian + other’ identifications, appeared more open. Implications
for studies of cross-cultural mixing, and for higher education
institutions, are discussed.