International students often suffer from intense psychological and emotional stress as they acclimate themselves to new academic and cultural environments. This study explored the role of informal communal networks in managing acculturative stress among Ghanaians and Nigerian students in their first year of graduate academic work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). Using qualitative data from in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, the study observed that peer-based community networks is an important coping resource in the early stages of cultural change (translocation). Even with institutional resources available to them, most students said they prefer the emotional security, cultural familiarity, and helpful support their fellow African community provide. This informal networks were a buffer against anxiety and a way to preserve self-identity. These findings underscored the significance of culturally based support networks as a primary strategy for coping with emotional and intellectual challenges, as espoused by the Social Identity Theory and the Stress and Coping Theory. The study calls for a more integrative approach that recognizes and leverages informal community structures into university wellness initiatives alongside a gap between institutional support models provided by institutions and culturally specific coping strategies. Therefore, the study recommend the development of an inclusive and adaptable supportive networks for international African students which will contribute to cross-cultural education and efficient education experience for the whole university community.