The purpose of this study is to investigate the competence-structure of international student advisers in order to determine the elements that impact on their performance. Questionnaires were sent out to 400 international student advisers at national, public and private universities having more than 50 international students in Japan. The survey was conducted from July 18th to August 31st 2006. 169 advisers responded to the questionnaires. Factor analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were adopted in order to determine elements which influence the performance of each international student adviser. From the categories "skill", "knowledge", "experience" and "attitude", nine factors were found through factor analysis. These nine factors were added to the attributes of the international student advisers in order to carry out multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed three positive and significant elements which contribute to the performance of advisers: "years advising", "understanding ability" and "the knowledge of international student background". It was further revealed that advisers who have elements of "experience of working abroad" and "problem-solving experience" tend to have low self-evaluation.