Name mismatch issue for student verification - Multiple first names (ENI Madagascar)

[Zomahefa]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

Hello GitHub Education Team,

My application for the Student Developer Pack keeps getting rejected automatically due to a name mismatch issue.

My full legal name on my official student card is RANAIVO Hary Manana Zo Mahefa (School: École Nationale d'Informatique - ENI Fianarantsoa).

My card lists multiple first names (Hary Manana Zo Mahefa) and last name (RANAIVO). The automated OCR scanner seems unable to match the long sequence of first names with my billing details, flagging it as a nickname/variation.

All my details (location in Fianarantsoa, academic year 2025-2026, and billing info) are fully updated and accurate. Could a human staff member please review and manually approve my academic affiliation?

Thank you very much!

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[Anlele1701]

I have the same problem, did you verify succesfully?

[Zomahefa]

Hi

Not fully resolved yet! The automated system is still triggering the name mismatch rejection because of how my multiple first names are formatted.

[JuanitoTamboong]

Hey there, I totally understand how frustrating this is because I went through the exact same thing. After several rejections, here's what finally worked for me. First, I made sure my GitHub profile name matched my student ID exactly, and I also updated my billing information since the system apparently checks that too. The biggest game-changer was using an official enrollment letter from my university instead of just my student ID, because the system needs to verify that you're currently enrolled, not just that you were a student at some point. After updating everything, I logged out, cleared my cache, and reapplied. When it still got rejected, I opened a ticket with GitHub Support, explained that my name has special characters which might be confusing their automated system, and politely asked for a manual review. They got back to me within a couple of days and approved my application. So don't lose hope, it's definitely fixable, just make sure your documents are solid and don't hesitate to reach out to support for help. Let me know if you need any clarification on any of these steps.

[Zomahefa]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for taking the time to share your experience and detailed steps!

I actually double-checked, and my profile name and billing details match my ID word-for-word, and my current document clearly proves active enrollment for 2025–2026. The main issue seems to be how the automated OCR handles multiple first names ("Hary Manana Zo Mahefa"), as it keeps triggering the exact same name mismatch error despite everything being updated.

That said, I'm definitely going to try your suggestion of using a different official document (like a formal enrollment letter/certificate from my university) to see if the scanner parses it better. If that fails, I’ll submit a direct support ticket asking for a human review as you suggested.

Thanks again for the solid advice and encouragement, I really appreciate it!