Verification does not read my document correctly

[nickgollins]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

The verifier will not read my supporting document correctly. It keeps telling me that my name is not there, despite the fact that it is, and it matches exactly my name on my github account. On about 50% of verification attempts it also tells me that the affiliation name is not there, but again, it is. How do I resolve this?

[github-actions[bot]]

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[Princy-2007-Cody]

It looks like you're experiencing a very frustrating issue with the GitHub Education automated verification system. It uses an automated OCR (Optical Character Recognition) reader that can be notoriously finicky about document layouts and text clarity.

Here are the most effective ways to get around this issue and ensure the verifier reads your document correctly:

1. Fix the Presentation of the Document
   Clear Contrast and Lighting: If you are taking a photo of a physical document with your camera, ensure there are no shadows or glares reflecting off the paper. Use strong, even lighting.

Go Digital (If Possible): If your school provides an official digital PDF (like a transcript or enrollment letter), take a high-resolution, full-screen screenshot of it rather than taking a photo of a monitor screen.

Do Not Crop Too Closely: Make sure all four corners of the document are visible in the image. The OCR system sometimes rejects documents if it looks like edges or critical context are cut off.

2. Match Your Profile Exactly
   Billing / Public Name: Double-check that the name on your school document matches the Name field in your public GitHub profile settings (Settings > Public profile > Name). If your document uses a middle name or an initial that your GitHub account doesn't have, temporarily change your GitHub profile name to match the document exactly during the verification process.

School Name Match: Ensure the school name you selected from GitHub's dropdown menu perfectly matches the text written on your document.

3. Translate if Necessary
   If your document is not in English, the automated verifier may fail to read the affiliation or your name correctly. If this applies to you, upload the original document but include an English translation side-by-side or clearly visible in the same image.

4. The "Last Resort" Manual Bypass
   If you attempt it a few more times with cleaner images and it still fails, the automated system should eventually present you with an option to upload a file for manual review by a human representative, or a link to contact GitHub Education Support directly.

Because you've already hit a 50% failure rate on multiple elements, trying to capture a perfectly flat, high-contrast screenshot of the digital document (or a perfectly lit photo) is your best immediate bet before waiting on manual support.

[Princy-2007-Cody]

That makes total sense, and it is completely understandable why you're skeptical about printing out side-by-side pages for an automated system. Since the live camera requirement restricts you from using a high-quality digital file, here is how you can address these specific roadblocks:

1. Dealing with the "Use your device camera" Restriction
   The system forces you to use a live camera to prevent users from uploading forged or edited documents. Since you have to take a physical photo of a printed page:

The Monitor Trick: Instead of printing it out (which can degrade text quality), open the original digital French PDF on a laptop/desktop monitor. Maximize the window, turn your screen brightness up, and use your phone or webcam to take a picture of the monitor screen.

Avoid glare: Tilt your camera or screen slightly so the monitor's refresh lines or room reflections don't blur out your name or your school's name.

2. Handling the French Document & Translation
   The OCR engine strongly prefers English, which explains why it keeps failing to find your name and affiliation in the French text. You do not need to print out a full separate translation page. Instead:

Temporary Profile Change: Since the document is in French, check if your school's name has an official French spelling and an English translation. Ensure the school name you selected in the GitHub application dropdown matches exactly what is written on the document itself.

The Digital Overlay (If using a monitor): Before taking a photo of your monitor, you can use a browser extension (like Google Lens or a translation tool) to translate the webpage/PDF text into English on-screen, then snap the photo of the translated text.

3. Forcing the Manual Review Option
   GitHub's system can be incredibly stubborn about when it offers the manual bypass. To force the system to give you a manual review or a support ticket link:

Try a different device: If you are applying on your phone, try applying via a laptop webcam (or vice versa). Changing the device or the network sometimes triggers a reset in the verification flow.

Open a direct ticket: If you've tried repeatedly and the interface is stuck in a loop without offering a manual upload, bypass the automated page entirely and open a manual ticket directly at the GitHub Education Support Portal. Explain that the OCR cannot read your French document and the live camera requirement prevents clean digital captures. Human agents handle these language and technical exceptions regularly.