With increasing globalisation and internationalisation, student mobility, and a need for income generation, most universities in the UK and other parts of the world now seek to attract greater numbers of international students. Non-traditional approaches to teaching and learning delivery have been incorporated into modern medical education curricula. These pose additional challenges to the international medical students compared to their home student counterparts. Evidence suggests that international medical students underperform compared with home students, with odds of failure about 2.5 times higher. It has been proposed that far more guidance and support are required, but little attention has been given to the students' specific academic support challenges. This paper explores ways to address the academic support needs of this group of students.