<p>Chinese students participating in programs taught in Chinese offered by Thai universities are at risk of experiencing culture shock because of their lack of familiarity with Thailand’s language and culture, which can adversely affect their life satisfaction. This study investigated the associations between conational peer support, culture shock, and life satisfaction among such students. Elements of acculturation theory were used to examine whether conational (i.e., from the same country) peer support mitigates the effect of culture shock on outcomes such as life satisfaction and whether this mediating effect differentially affects male and female students. A total of 613 students from three private universities in Bangkok completed questionnaires involving a conational peer support scale, a culture shock scale, and a life satisfaction scale. Structural equation modeling in AMOS 21.0 was used to determine the validity of these scales, the mediating role of culture shock, and the influence of gender on the aforementioned mediating effect. The findings revealed that culture shock partially mediated the association between conational peer support and student life satisfaction. Furthermore, culture shock partially mediated the association between conational peer support and life satisfaction for female students but not for male students. Therefore, the Thai government should allocate funding to universities offering programs in Chinese to support bilingual staff training, offer mental health resources, and develop peer support systems. In turn, administrators of these universities should provide peer support services for female Chinese students and acculturative stress management classes for male Chinese students to mitigate the effects of culture shock on their life satisfaction.</p>