International Houses Worldwide

Our Global Community

International Houses Worldwide is a consortium of 15 International Houses that are separate, independent, nonprofit 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 can all share discoveries, approaches, and points of view. Through this experience, our 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 across the globe. International Houses Worldwide alumni are equipped with the skills to think critically and creatively and have made many contributions to a broad range of fields and society. As they shape our world, International House alumni share pride in an extraordinary tradition of community, excellence, and global leadership. From Nobel laureates and business and education leaders, CEOs and attorneys general, literary and film giants, winemakers, and history-makers, International House alumni carry on the tradition of using their experience to make a difference in the world.

“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 it truly redirected my career. So I owe all of that to International House.”
—James Gorman ’87, Chairman and CEO, Morgan Stanley
(International House New York alumnus)

The role and mission of International Houses Worldwide are more important than ever: to make their greatest possible impact in the international marketplace of ideas, students and scholars must be engaged with ideas and approaches from around the world. I-House helps them do that, while also contributing to the intellectual and cultural fabric of the communities in which we are located.

International Houses Worldwide

To learn more about IHWW, visit ihouseworldwide.org or download the International Houses Worldwide Brochure.

International House of Japan Announces 70th Anniversary Celebration

International House of Japan was founded on August 27, 1952. Its origins date back to an encounter between John D. Rockefeller III and Shigeharu Matsumoto at the third conference of the Institute of Pacific Relations held in Kyoto in 1929. Having experienced diverse cultures and peoples, they recognized the importance of the cultural dimension within international affairs, which tended to be viewed primarily in political and economic terms. They worked together for the rest of their lives, dedicated to the promotion of international understanding through cultural exchange and to the rebuilding of postwar US-Japan cultural relations.

Newly Discovered Video of 1955 I-House Japan Opening Ceremony

The opening to the public of the International House of Japan 68 years ago on June 11, 1955, was marked by a ceremony held in the annex lecture hall. See newly discovered footage.

International House Berkeley Celebrates 90 Years

International House Berkeley Celebrates 90 Years of Cultivating Peace Through Understanding.

Read the 2020 Spring Newsletter here. 

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The University of Chicago
International House
1414 East 59th Street

Chicago, Illinois 60637-2997
773.753.2274

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