GitHub Education application repeatedly rejected due to Indian naming convention (initial instead of full surname)

[Deepnitha03]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

Hi everyone,

I'm a student from India applying for GitHub Education.

My application is being automatically rejected with the message saying that my academic affiliation document must contain my last name exactly as it appears in my GitHub billing information.

The issue is that my college follows the common Indian naming convention of using an initial instead of a full surname. My student ID and college records show my name as Deepnitha N, while my GitHub billing information uses my full legal surname.

My student ID clearly shows:

Current student
B.E. Computer Science and Engineering
Batch: 2025–2029

I have already:

Enabled two-factor authentication
Completed my billing information
Submitted my student ID using my device camera

Despite this, my application is rejected almost immediately.

Has anyone else with a similar naming convention faced this issue? Is there another document (such as a bonafide certificate) that GitHub accepts, or is there another way to verify my student status?

Thank you for any advice.

[github-actions[bot]]

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[RAAJK20Pro]

This is a fairly common issue in countries where academic records use initials instead of the full surname.

If possible, try submitting a document that shows both your full legal name and your enrollment status (such as a bonafide certificate or an official letter from your institution). That usually gives the verification system more information to match your identity.

If every official document uses the initial format, mention that clearly in your application, as it's part of the standard naming convention in your institution.