Following the conceptualisation of a third space of internationalisation at a distance (IaD) in this study, we aim to explore how international students at the largest university in Europe, the Open University, might consider their own identities and perspectives. At present over 5000+ international students study at a distance at the Open University, whereby many are based in the UK. At the same time, hundreds of international students do not live in the UK and might be classified as IaD students. Whether or not there are any meaningful similarities or differences in lived experiences between these two groups of international students has thus far received limited empirical attention. Using a mixed-methods study of previously validated instruments, we explored the lived experiences of 266 students (72 IaD, 49 IA, 115 IaH, and 30 UK students living overseas), followed by eight interviews. Our quantitative analyses suggest limited empirical support for the IaD framework, while the qualitative lived experiences of students do provide some unique narratives of IaD students.