my university no longer provides an email address for students

[efimov-m]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

Hello. I can’t submit an application for GitHub Education because my university no longer provides an email address for students. I can verify my studies in any other way, but how do I do that?

[lucaasporto]

Hey! GitHub actually has an official guide that explains what to do if your university doesn’t provide a student email or ID.

GitHub’s guide on applying without a student ID

According to the guide, you can apply using your personal email and provide alternative documentation proving that you’re currently enrolled. They mention several options, such as:

A current student registration/enrollment document
A current transcript
A dated student ID
A time-stamped screenshot of your university’s student portal
A letter on official university letterhead confirming that you’re currently enrolled

So, if your university doesn’t provide student emails, you should still be able to apply. Just select Student, follow the application process, and upload one of these documents when GitHub asks for proof of your academic status.

[efimov-m]

It still asks for school-issued email

[lucaasporto]

"a contact email if you do not have one"

[paul-saac]

Ngl, GitHub's whole "enter your school email" thing feels like it was designed by someone who's never met a student outside a US university. Not everyone gets a fancy .edu inbox some schools just don't do that and it's kind of annoying that the form acts like this is a niche edge case instead of, like, a totally normal situation.
But here's the good news: it's not actually a dead end, it just looks like one. Somewhere in the application there's a tiny "I don't have a school email" option, and once you click that, the whole thing switches to "just show me you're a student" mode instead. Way less scary than it seems.