Why can't GitHub use SheerID instead of requiring a college email?

[RudraNarapogu]

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I have a question regarding GitHub Student Developer Pack verification.

Not every college provides students with an official college email address. Some institutions simply don't issue student@college.edu accounts, even though the students are officially enrolled.

If a student can verify their enrollment through SheerID, why should having a college email be necessary?

SheerID can provide an independent way to verify student status without relying on whether a college has an email system.

For example, students could verify using:

• SheerID enrollment verification
• Bonafide/enrollment certificates
• Current semester documents
• Official university records

This would make the process more accessible to students whose colleges don't provide institutional email addresses.

If SheerID can verify that someone is a legitimate student, could GitHub consider allowing it as an alternative to college-email verification?

Are other students facing the same issue?

[dev-apox]

Hi, if you're stuck in this situation, here is what you can do:

• Use manual document upload: Look for the option during the application to upload an alternative document, like an official enrollment certificate or student ID.

-Contact support directly: If the system blocks you, open a ticket with GitHub Support, explain that your school doesn't provide email addresses, and attach your enrollment proof. Support agents usually approve these manually.

Integrating something like SheerID would make this so much easier, but for now, going through manual support is the main workaround.