Completely unable to get approved for Github Education

[AliceFord]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

What I've done

• Set my billing information to include my full name
• Ensured my account name is exactly as it appears on my student ID
• Tried applying with dated transcript
• Tried applying with dated internal website screenshot
• Tried applying with university card

Outcomes

• I've been rejected every single time. The last 2 times have been rejected with no reason:

Question

What do I do?

[asametduran]

Hi AliceFord,

Getting rejected without a specific reason usually comes down to automated validation checks (metadata, location, or formatting) rather than the document itself. Here are the most common causes and how to fix them:

Camera vs. File Upload:

GitHub's automated verification heavily prioritizes taking a live photo of your physical document using your webcam/phone camera rather than uploading an image or PDF. If you have the option, use your camera.

Location & Network Check:

Ensure location access is enabled in your browser when prompted.

Turn off any VPN or proxy. Your IP location must match the geographic location of your degree-granting institution. If you are on campus Wi-Fi, that works best.

Document Clarity & Details:

The document must clearly show your full name (matching your GitHub billing profile), the school name, and a current/future date (e.g., current semester dates, valid academic year, or expected graduation date).

Avoid glare, blurry edges, or cropping out document headers.

School Email vs. Account Settings:

Make sure your verified .edu (or school-issued) email address is selected in the application dropdown, not just attached as a secondary email on your account.

Cooldown Period:

Since you applied multiple times within minutes, the system may auto-reject submissions due to rate-limiting/spam flags. Wait at least 24–48 hours before submitting again.

If all fails and you are using official, dated enrollment verification, you can open a ticket via GitHub Education Support for a manual review.

[AliceFord]

Hi Samet,
Regarding your response:

• Camera vs. File Upload: I used my webcam every time.
• Location & Network Check: I am on on-campus wifi, with no VPN.
• Document Clarity & Details: The document is clear enough and shows all the requested details.
• School Email vs. Account Settings: My .ox.ac.uk is verified and selected
• Cooldown Period: This has been going on for a number of days now
• Open a ticket: I am hit with the following - what do you suggest?

[asametduran]

Thanks for following up with the specific details. Since GitHub has completely disabled ticket submissions and manual reviews for student applications, the only way forward is resolving whatever hidden flag is triggering the automated rejection.

Given that you are at Oxford (.ox.ac.uk), here are the exact nuances that often cause silent automated rejections:

1. Document Format: Switch to a Printed Enrolment Certificate

• ID / Bodleian Cards often fail OCR: The automated system struggles with plastic cards due to reflective glare, micro-print, and lack of explicit academic session dates (e.g., "Current Academic Year: 2026/2027").
• Use an Enrolment Certificate: Download your official Student Enrolment Certificate / Verification Letter from Oxford's Student Self Service portal.
• Print it physically: Print the letter on paper and present the physical sheet to your webcam. Standard black-and-white typed text on A4 paper with the university header and current date achieves a significantly higher OCR pass rate than cards or screens.

2. Verify Exact Name Formatting Across All Fields

Ensure your name matches character-by-character across:

• GitHub Profile Name (Settings > Public profile > Name)
• GitHub Billing Information (Settings > Billing and plans > Payment information)
• The name printed on the document (including middle names or initials exactly as Oxford records them).

3. Eduroam / Network Routing Flags

• Oxford's campus Wi-Fi (such as Eduroam) occasionally routes traffic through central JANET proxies, which can report geolocation discrepancies or trigger proxy flags.
• Check whether your browser prompt for precise location is granted, or test submitting from a local mobile data connection (within Oxford) with GPS enabled if campus Wi-Fi routing continues to fail.

Print the official enrolment verification letter, ensure your camera has even front-lighting without glare, and submit it again during standard UK daytime hours.

[AliceFord]

Hi - thanks, it seems this has worked. How frustrating that there's no manual ops queue and we're forced to do weird workarounds like this! Anyway, thanks for your help 😄

[asametduran]

Glad to hear it finally went through! 😄

The fully automated system can be a real headache to deal with, especially when it gives zero feedback on what failed. Enjoy the GitHub Student Developer Pack benefits and best of luck with your studies at Oxford!

[samus-aran]

Hi @AliceFord

We've shared this with the internal team. We'll let you know if we have any updates.

[hackChinmay]

hi