Current ABU student blocked by required university email verification

[tsani-ai]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

Hi everyone,

I am currently enrolled in an MBA programme at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Nigeria, through the Distance Learning Centre, and I am trying to apply for the GitHub Student Developer Pack.

GitHub correctly identifies Ahmadu Bello University during my application, but it requires applicants from ABU to use a university-issued email address with the abu.edu.ng domain.

I have since confirmed that Ahmadu Bello University Distance Learning Centre does not provide abu.edu.ng academic email accounts to its Distance Learning students. Therefore, I am unable to complete the required university-email verification because this email service is not provided to students in my programme.

I am currently enrolled in the MBA programme and can provide official current enrollment evidence from the ABU Distance Learning Centre, including my student portal profile, current registered courses, and my 2025/2026 examination verification slip showing my MBA programme and scheduled examinations.

GitHub's Student Developer Pack documentation indicates that students whose institutions do not provide academic email addresses can demonstrate current enrollment through official documentation. Could my application please be enabled for document-based verification, or could you advise me on the appropriate way to submit this documentation?

Thank you for any guidance.

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[JEETJM]

If ABU Distance Learning Centre does not issue abu.edu.ng email addresses to students in your programme, then document-based verification seems like the appropriate route.

I would recommend contacting GitHub Education Support directly and explaining that the required academic email is not available to Distance Learning students. Include your current enrollment evidence, preferably an official document showing your name, university, programme, and current academic period.

You can also mention that the university is already correctly identified by GitHub, but the email requirement prevents you from completing verification.

Hopefully GitHub Education Support can manually review the documentation or provide an alternative verification method.