📌 Must-Read: Education Community Essential Guide – Updated Monthly! (🎃 October Edition)

[samus-aran]

Welcome to the GitHub Education Community!

Whether you’re a student, teacher, or lifelong learner, this post is your go-to guide for everything happening in the Education community. Check this resource monthly for key resources, important discussions, and the latest events to explore. For Frequently Asked Questions see these resources:

• Student Developer Pack Application + Copilot Pro FAQs 🎒✨ – Get help for verification before posting!
• Educators & GitHub Classroom FAQs 🍎🧑‍🏫 – Tips for educators getting verified and using GitHub Classroom

Note

Stay in the loop! 🔔 Subscribe now to get notified the moment we drop the next update in this discussion!

🔑 Key Discussions & Announcements (October Edition)

Stay up to date with the latest community discussions and important updates.

🎓 Big News: The GitHub Foundations Certification Offer is Back!

The GitHub Foundations Certification student offer has officially returned, and it’s your chance to earn a recognized credential that proves your GitHub skills. With GitHub Learn now live and the exam platform moving to Microsoft Learn, the voucher process has been updated - so make sure you know how it works.

Visit the pinned discussion to check eligibility, claim your voucher, and see what to expect on exam day. Don’t miss this window to level up your profile and get certified.

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🎮 Level Up with Wilco Quests on GitHub Learn

Ready to code like you’re in a game? Wilco Quests on GitHub Learn are free for a limited time and place you in realistic software scenarios such as debugging issues, improving CI/CD pipelines, and handling on-call challenges within the GitHub tools you already use. The games are organized into categories so you can choose quests that match your skill level and interests while earning XP and Wilcoins along the way.

Set a goal to complete a few quests this week and share your favorite moments or lessons learned in the community. Which quest will you start with? ⚔️

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🌍 Hacktoberfest Spotlight: Build for Digital Public Good

Have you heard of a digital public good? These are open source tools, data sets, AI models, and resources that help advance global goals like health, education, and climate action. Contributing to them means your code can make a real-world impact.

Hacktoberfest is here! Use For Good First Issue to find beginner-friendly tasks in social-impact and digital public goods projects. Browse issues, pick something that inspires you, and make your first pull request while helping move meaningful work forward.

💡 Explore projects that align with causes you care about and start building for good this Hacktoberfest.

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🧭 The Developer Role Is Changing - Here’s How to Stay Ahead

Our article The Developer Role Is Evolving: Here’s How to Stay Ahead looks at how AI is reshaping what it means to be a developer and how you can grow alongside it. It shares short tutorials and practical ways to use AI for coding, reviews, and problem-solving.

💡 Tip: Don’t just learn AI skills in isolation-show your work. Every repo, contribution, or badge you post shows that you’re learning and adapting to the AI era.

Share one AI-powered project or experiment you’re working on this month in the community and see how others are exploring these tools too.

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🛡️ October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month - Level Up Your Skills

October is all about cybersecurity, and GitHub is celebrating with new stories, spotlights, and challenges for curious developers. In Kicking Off Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2025, you can meet security researchers, learn how they uncover real vulnerabilities, and see how their work helps keep open source safe.

If you want to try it yourself, check out the CodeQL Zero to Hero repository from GitHub Security Lab. It walks you through learning CodeQL from scratch, the same tool professionals use to detect and fix security issues in code.

💡 Explore the repo, follow the tutorials, and start building your cybersecurity skills.

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🤖 Building Bots? Learn from the “Ballad of the CI Bot”

If you’re interested in creating your own GitHub bot or app, 10 Golden Rules for GitHub APIs: The Ballad of the CI Bot is a great place to start. It shares insights and advice gathered from real developers who’ve built bots and learned from experience.

You’ll find helpful reminders on things like handling tokens safely, using webhooks, and keeping your bot’s permissions tight. It’s more of a checklist of lessons to keep in mind than a step-by-step tutorial, perfect for avoiding common pitfalls before you write your first line of code.

May your logs be green, and your API calls always return 200. 🟢👍- @nikhil-thampi

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🗓️ Upcoming Events & Opportunities (October Edition)

🚀Celebrate Hacktoberfest - Contribute, Learn, and Share Your Story

Hacktoberfest 2025 is here and it’s the perfect time to dive into open source, grow your skills, and connect with developers around the world. Check out upcoming hackathons, workshops, and meetups through Major League Hacking’s Hacktoberfest Events to join the global celebration.

If you’re new to contributing, the beginner resources page has everything you need to get started, from setting up your first repository to finding beginner-friendly issues to work on.

You can also share your experience through the Hacktoberfest Writing Challenge hosted by DEV. Write about how you discovered Hacktoberfest, what projects you’ve contributed to, or how open source has helped you grow as a developer.

Students, we’d love to hear your stories too. Post about your Hacktoberfest journey in the community and inspire others to start theirs.

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🌟 Community Spotlight – Shoutout to Our Contributors! (October Edition)

Each month, we shine a spotlight on community members who make a real difference by helping others, sharing thoughtful advice, and sparking meaningful discussions. This month, we’re celebrating

🏆 @davevad93, @irfan-sec, @VictorMoni, @AmirhosseinHonardoust, and @KrishnaSaxena108 for their continued support and encouragement in the Education category.

These members have been instrumental in guiding students through the verification process and reassuring others that their benefits will arrive soon. Their kindness and patience help keep the community welcoming and supportive for everyone.

💖 The GitHub Community team is truly grateful for your contributions and dedication. Thank you for helping others and making this community stronger.

👏 Want to be featured next month? Keep engaging, sharing your insights, and supporting fellow members.

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🔖 Subscribe to this discussion and never miss out!

On the right sidebar of the discussion page, locate the "Notifications" section. Click on the "Subscribe" button to start receiving notifications for updates to this discussion. Every month we'll post a comment so you know when the latest edition is ready 🔔

[samus-aran]

Hey folks! Felt this needed a separate shout out 🎉

Share Your Feedback on the GitHub Community! 🚀

We want to hear from you! Take our quick 5-minute survey, open from March 10-24, 2025 to help us improve the GitHub Community. Your input helps us understand what’s working, what could be better, and how you like to participate.
Take the survey now and make your voice heard! 🎉

[ricardofpacheco]

Why is it that instead of just uploading documentation, a photograph is required for account verification? I submit the document issued by the university and always receive the same feedback that it can't read it, even though I could send the original and not rely on my phone's camera. It's contradictory that such a flawed process exists in a leading technology company.

[MatrixGen]

this is real fact , you could not send or upload documents , it is flustrating

[tollmanleader]

Hi everyone, I'm a beginner and I applied for the educational benefits for another account yesterday. However, the account was subsequently blocked, with the reason being a violation of the terms of service, according to GitHub support. I can confirm that I am a regular user and not a bot or fraudster. As a result, I am using this account to leave a comment here. Could anyone assist me or provide a resolution? Thank you so much!

[tux-86]

There is no way send proof of education status. In this case, a camera photo is not a viable solution. Official university documents are issued as digitally signed PDFs to ensure their authenticity. A photo of a screen or a printout is not a valid document because it lacks the embedded digital signature required for verification.

[tollmanleader]

Hi, my friend. How should I contact the support team to request that my account be reinstated?
Yesterday, when I reached out to support, it seemed that they were not willing to lift the suspension on my account, which was quite discouraging. However, after thinking it over today, I would still like to try again and see if there is any possibility of recovering my account.
I can provide additional information if needed. Would that be helpful?

[samus-aran]

🚀 New Update Alert – April Edition is Here!

Hey everyone! The April update just dropped and it's packed with great discussions from the community and links to some exciting upcoming Hackathons! 🎉
Don’t miss out — check it out here and join the conversation. See ya there! 👋

[gftvlie]

come on, good

[SAMUMASTER22]

NO

[imDarshanGK]

Thanks @samus-aran! 😊 I'm glad to be part of this community and looking forward to contributing more. Excited for the upcoming events and discussions! 🚀

[aeratory678]

Hiya, @samus-aran .waiting for an monthly update to may edition

[Stephlovesone]

I think that has been out for a while now

[Astro757]

as i am a psy artss and science college student in the section while applying i get only the psy engineering college and my application is declined what can i do

[FaustineEmmanuel]

Hi! Don’t worry this happens to many students and it’s usually fixable.

GitHub Education verifies students based on the institution name and proof you submit. Since your college appears mainly as an Engineering College, and you’re studying in Arts & Science, the system may not recognize your enrollment correctly, which can lead to a declined application.

Here are a few things you can try:

1. Reapply using the closest matching college name
   If your Arts & Science college is part of the same institution as the Engineering college (or uses the same official name/domain), it’s okay to select that option.

2. Upload clear proof of enrollment
   Make sure the document shows your name, college name, and current academic year. A bonafide certificate, enrollment letter, or a valid student ID usually works well.

3. Use your official college email if you have one
   If your college provides an .edu or official domain email, verifying with that can help.

4. Contact GitHub Education support
   If the college listing seems incorrect, you can reach out to GitHub Education and explain that you’re an Arts & Science student. They’re usually helpful with manual reviews.

Help link: https://education.github.com/help

You’re not alone in this many students have had the same issue and got approved after reapplying. Good luck, and hope it works out soon!

[michaelcraige]

Something is very wrong with your statement- are you imply that only some schools have preferential access and student and professors from other schools have to prove even more who they are???? Dr. Michael W. Craige Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

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________________________________ From: Faustine ***@***.***> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2026 6:10:55 AM To: community/community ***@***.***> Cc: Michael Craige ***@***.***>; Mention ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [community/community] 📌 Must-Read: Education Community Essential Guide – Updated Monthly! (🎃 October Edition) (Discussion #152919) Hi! Don’t worry this happens to many students and it’s usually fixable. GitHub Education verifies students based on the institution name and proof you submit. Since your college appears mainly as an Engineering College, and you’re studying in Arts & Science, the system may not recognize your enrollment correctly, which can lead to a declined application. Here are a few things you can try: 1. Reapply using the closest matching college name If your Arts & Science college is part of the same institution as the Engineering college (or uses the same official name/domain), it’s okay to select that option. 2. Upload clear proof of enrollment Make sure the document shows your name, college name, and current academic year. A bonafide certificate, enrollment letter, or a valid student ID usually works well. 3. Use your official college email if you have one If your college provides an .edu or official domain email, verifying with that can help. 4. Contact GitHub Education support If the college listing seems incorrect, you can reach out to GitHub Education and explain that you’re an Arts & Science student. They’re usually helpful with manual reviews. Help link: https://education.github.com/help You’re not alone in this many students have had the same issue and got approved after reapplying. Good luck, and hope it works out soon! — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#152919 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ADAAQRPXH57YCVOBAYMVYS34G5YT7AVCNFSM6AAAAABYG5JSC2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNJQGU3DMNA>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[michaelcraige]

Faustine, I done all you suggested 3 times and the results the same. You may need a human in this process. Can I suggest that you personally take a look at the rejecting applications yourself instead of sharing basic if then else suggestions. You are only compounding the problems instead of directing resolving or tacking the root cause. Dr. Michael W. Craige Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

…

________________________________ From: Faustine ***@***.***> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2026 6:16:35 AM To: community/community ***@***.***> Cc: Michael Craige ***@***.***>; Mention ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [community/community] 📌 Must-Read: Education Community Essential Guide – Updated Monthly! (🎃 October Edition) (Discussion #152919) Hi Michael (and Farshid), you’re definitely not alone many students and faculty face this, and it’s understandably frustrating. The denial usually isn’t about eligibility or pushing paid plans, but verification failing (for example: unclear photos, documents not legible, or issues with the upload process). If the camera upload forces multiple documents into one unclear image, that alone can cause rejection. A few suggestions: 1. Try uploading a clear, single PDF (original + English translation on separate pages, if possible) 2. Make sure text, dates, and stamps are fully readable If you’ve been denied multiple times, it’s best to contact GitHub Education support directly and ask for a manual review: https://education.github.com/help They don’t always explain rejections well, but support can usually clarify what’s missing. best wishes — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#152919 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ADAAQRLYEEFQNKRDEV443OT4G5ZJHAVCNFSM6AAAAABYG5JSC2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNJQGU3TCMA>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[a-rebel-lion]

I do agree with Dr. Craige. We have done what was asked and double-checked more than once, each time. And we are adults with the sensibility to try and try again, before even calling support for help. Here at the support platform, you are telling us to repeat the steps again. The very same steps that gave errors. How many more hoops and loops will Github put us through? How much more of our time do you intend to waste away? With best regards, Bryan Chen Singapore Management University [cid:79b396a1-6e23-4081-af49-fad6bee2ee9a]

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________________________________ From: Michael Craige ***@***.***> Sent: Thursday, 15 January 2026 19:21 To: community/community ***@***.***> Cc: Bryan CHEN ***@***.***>; Manual ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [community/community] 📌 Must-Read: Education Community Essential Guide – Updated Monthly! (🎃 October Edition) (Discussion #152919) Faustine, I done all you suggested 3 times and the results the same. You may need a human in this process. Can I suggest that you personally take a look at the rejecting applications yourself instead of sharing basic if then else suggestions. You are only compounding the problems instead of directing resolving or tacking the root cause. Dr. Michael W. Craige Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

________________________________ From: Faustine ***@***.***> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2026 6:16:35 AM To: community/community ***@***.***> Cc: Michael Craige ***@***.***>; Mention ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [community/community] 📌 Must-Read: Education Community Essential Guide – Updated Monthly! (🎃 October Edition) (Discussion #152919) Hi Michael (and Farshid), you’re definitely not alone many students and faculty face this, and it’s understandably frustrating. The denial usually isn’t about eligibility or pushing paid plans, but verification failing (for example: unclear photos, documents not legible, or issues with the upload process). If the camera upload forces multiple documents into one unclear image, that alone can cause rejection. A few suggestions: 1. Try uploading a clear, single PDF (original + English translation on separate pages, if possible) 2. Make sure text, dates, and stamps are fully readable If you’ve been denied multiple times, it’s best to contact GitHub Education support directly and ask for a manual review: https://education.github.com/help They don’t always explain rejections well, but support can usually clarify what’s missing. best wishes — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#152919 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ADAAQRLYEEFQNKRDEV443OT4G5ZJHAVCNFSM6AAAAABYG5JSC2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNJQGU3TCMA>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***> — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#152919 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/B4YNZ7NKVCKGJZM6GY7Y4BT4G5Z4FAVCNFSM6AAAAABYG5JSC2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNJQGU3TKNA>. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[a-rebel-lion]

Valid Student ID - checked Valid Letter of Enrollment by Registrar Dean of Students - checked All done. All failed. You're running out of options. With best regards, Bryan Chen Singapore Management University [cid:4736fad0-0389-4578-81d3-dbf8ecfa3e69]

…

________________________________ From: Faustine ***@***.***> Sent: Thursday, 15 January 2026 19:14 To: community/community ***@***.***> Cc: Bryan CHEN ***@***.***>; Manual ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [community/community] 📌 Must-Read: Education Community Essential Guide – Updated Monthly! (🎃 October Edition) (Discussion #152919) Sorry you’re dealing with this repeated rejections are really frustrating. Applications aren’t denied because of nationality; it’s usually due to verification issues like unclear or outdated documents, missing school stamps, non-English documents (without translation), or unrecognized school email domains. Try reapplying with a recent, official enrollment certificate, add an English translation if needed, or verify using your official school email. After multiple rejections, it really helps to contact GitHub Education support for a manual review: https://education.github.com/help Hope it gets resolved soon — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#152919 (reply in thread)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/B4YNZ7ILV5TR2IG67I7H5LT4G5ZC3AVCNFSM6AAAAABYG5JSC2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNJQGU3DSMI>. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[Astro757]

i uploaded id first it had been rejected by github
next you guys told me to UPLOADE MY BONAFIDE FROM MY CLG I GOT FEW DAYS AGO BUT IT IS SAID TO BE REJECTED
WHY
how to i directly contact them via voicall

[christophernate496-gif]

This is a great discussion on best practices and community support — focusing on clear solutions really helps everyone involved. For students who are balancing coding and documentation tasks, having easy access to study materials and notes can be a real time-saver. this Tool can help students find academic resources and document examples when official sources aren’t enough.

[Astro757]

github help link is page not found error

[a-rebel-lion]

Have tried and Github even rejected a genuine official letter from my University Registrar / Provost. Every feedback comes back the same that says try again. That is after 3 weeks. With best regards, Bryan Chen Candidate | IP Master of Digital Economy Singapore Management University [cid:329a5dca-d3b5-4411-a170-e01b56d82bec]

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________________________________ From: Arun Kumar S ***@***.***> Sent: Saturday, 24 January 2026 11:41 To: community/community ***@***.***> Cc: Bryan CHEN ***@***.***>; Manual ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [community/community] 📌 Must-Read: Education Community Essential Guide – Updated Monthly! (🎃 October Edition) (Discussion #152919) I UPLOADED MY BONAFIDE FROM MY CLG I GOT FEW DAYS AGO BUT IT IS SAID TO BE REJECTED WHY how to i directly contact them — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#152919 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/B4YNZ7MUNQUOVFVYWSAUIXD4ILSW3AVCNFSM6AAAAABYG5JSC2VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTKNJYHAYDAOA>. You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[kingma-sbw]

@samus-aran Where you able to address the problem with assignments in Github classroom? That would be some good news

[abjamal]

Hi, I just joined, need a welcome

[coolg123]

Earlier I really used to Love Github but now since Automated Bots came its become frustrated even though docs and all is correct and visible still they are continuously rejecting it without even getting into acceptance 🥺.

[Abdumajidov2005]

nice

[kingma-sbw]

I don´t see classroom.github.com mentionend. Was it secretly killed by Github?

[JohnMikko27]

I also had this problem. I tried multiple different ways, but only this one worked:

When it's showing the camera to take a picture, I literally wrote the current date and my name in pencil on my student transcript and centered that on the camera. And I got approved. LOL.

That being said, I am currently a student. It's just that their AI is not good