Purpose: The purpose of this ontologically qualitative research study was to: (1) explore student narratives regarding their educational experiences in at-home internationalization programs; (2) provide an in-depth narrative analysis of student learning challenges and achievements; and (3) add valuable research-based knowledge of student-described experiences for use by program administrators. Design/methodology/approach: Participants were selected with a form of four-stage non-proportional stratified sampling. 29 participants were interviewed using a basic demographic questionnaire and an episodic interview protocol. Data were analyzed in QSR NVivo software through open, axial, and selective coding stages under the framework of grounded theory. Findings: The findings focus on student-identified links between the challenges they encountered and their achievements. In addition, student performance level and gender were associated with the challenges and achievements reported by students. In understanding the results, the student-learning concepts found in the learned optimism, growth mindset, grit and expectancy theory approaches provide potentially fruitful insights. Originality/value: The findings of this research have instructive implications for program administrators regarding how student challenges can be strategically chosen and shaped to generate specific, positive student achievements.