What are the actual requirements for applying to the GitHub Campus Program?

[prof-emm]

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Question

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Hi everyone,

I'm trying to register my school for the GitHub Campus Program. We are a technical high school (polytechnic) in the Dominican Republic, with an official .edu.do domain, and we provide technical degrees to our graduates. From what I understand, we meet the basic requirements, but my application was rejected.

I contacted GitHub Support to understand why. First, they told me our school needed a more established online presence, so I provided news articles about our school, official MINERD records confirming our status as an educational institution, and references to the laws and regulations governing our technical education system. Apparently, that wasn't enough. Now they refuse to provide any further details, saying it's necessary to "protect the integrity of the GitHub Campus Program".

They keep going in circles without explaining what they actually expect from us. What does "an established online presence" even mean in this context? The whole communication has been painfully ambiguous, and the corporate language doesn't make things any easier, especially as a non-native English speaker.

They said that we can apply again, but without any guarantee of being accepted. But how can we do that if we don’t know what we need to improve?

At this point, I can't help wondering whether being a public school from Latin America is somehow working against us, rather than our application being evaluated against clear, reasonable requirements.

My questions:

• What does GitHub actually look for when evaluating institutions for the Campus Program?
• Does anyone know of technical high schools or public schools outside the US that have been accepted?
• What kind of online presence or documentation did your institution provide?

One more thing:
Individual accounts aren't a suitable alternative for us. Our students are minors, and student data protection regulations in our country have become stricter. We need an institutional solution that allows us to manage student access and permissions properly.

[8KOHAN]

I think one important distinction is that having official educational status and meeting the Campus Program's eligibility requirements may not be sufficient on their own. GitHub may also need to verify the institution's identity, educational activities, and relationship with the domain used in the application.

For a technical high school, I would try to make that information easy to verify from a single official page. For example:

• An official description of the institution and the technical degrees it awards.
• A list of educational programs and information about the student population.
• Links to government education records and relevant accreditation or authorization documents.
• Contact details for the administration using the school's official domain.
• Public information about the institution's history and current educational activities.

Since you have already provided government records and news articles, I would ask GitHub Support whether there is a specific eligibility requirement your institution does not meet, rather than submitting the same evidence again. You could also ask whether they can clarify what types of institutions qualify in your country.

I wouldn't assume that the rejection is related to your location or being a public school without further evidence. Unfortunately, if GitHub does not disclose the specific reason, it may be difficult to determine what needs to change before reapplying.

Regarding student data protection, I agree that individual accounts are not necessarily an adequate institutional solution. It may be worth asking GitHub Education specifically about the available organization-management options and the requirements for schools serving minors.

Official reference:
https://education.github.com/pack

I hope you get a clearer explanation from the GitHub Education team. The documentation requirements should be understandable enough for an institution to know what evidence it needs to provide.