Application AI is unable to verify my status

[GospelBG]

Hi everyone,

Hi, Education Community.
I'm trying to apply to the Education Program. The first time I tried I got denied without any reason.
I've provided as proof a scholarship letter from the government. It clearly shows my name, my school, a date (school year had already started then) and it also states my school year. It should meet the requirements to prove I'm a student.

I've just been denied for the 3rd time. My denial includes the following reasons:

1. My institution is supposedly inelegible and perhaps not a diploma granting course
   My school is not found in the institution search bar. I attend a public school that does grant degrees and diplomas. In fact, nearby public institutions (with the same courses, also government funded just like mine) are in the list, but not not the one I attend to (I have also checked, and it meets the program's requirements perfectly). Even my academic email address (which where I live is the same for all public schools and uses a government-owned domain) suggests some public schools from my area just as the one I attend to.

2. My last name does not match with my billing profile
   It does match. My name is the exact same as the one in the provided document and my legal ID.

3. My document does not include a date demonstrating academic affiliation
   The document was signed on a date inside the current school year, and clearly shows both the name of the school I attend to and my current school year. I think this shows clearly that I'm currently affiliated with my school.

4. My first name does not match my billing profile
   Once again, I'm pretty sure it does.

5. I should complete my GitHub profile with my full name as appears in the provided document
   I did this last week, before trying to apply 2 more times. My GitHub name matches the one in the document, as well as the one on my billing profile.

I think the AI perhaps is having a hard time trying to process the OCR or something similar (although the picture provided is perfectly readable). I also can't request a manual revision as they are not performed anymore, and my only option is to start a discussion with the community. It does not seem to be any way to request a human to double check the AI's decision.

I've tried to apply using a computer and my phone, taking the picture of a screen and the printed document and using different variations of my school's name. None of that worked.

Has anyone ran into the same issue? I really need a way to have a human from GitHub to help me out, as the AI is unable to do so.

[NielsCoopmans]

Hi there,

I ran into a very similar issue when applying. In my case, the problem wasn’t the document itself but how the system was validating the institution and matching my name. Even small differences (like middle names, accents, abbreviations, or formatting) can trigger automatic rejection.

A few things that helped me:

Making sure my GitHub profile name, billing name, and document name matched 100% character by character (including accents and order).

Uploading a PDF export instead of a photo, if possible.

Using an official enrollment certificate (explicitly stating “currently enrolled” + date) rather than a scholarship letter.

If your institution truly isn’t in the search bar, that may be the core issue — the system sometimes only approves schools already in their database. In that case, try contacting GitHub Education Support directly through the Education portal help form, even if manual reviews are limited. Some users have reported success after submitting a ticket under account/billing support instead of reapplying repeatedly.

[GospelBG]

Hi! Thanks for your comments. I am already using the same exact name as it appears on my documents, I've even put my name all in capital letters to match the document.

Also, I am not presented the option to upload a PDF file while applying. That would make the process so easier, but seems that GitHub only allows to take a photo with your phone (which gets really pixelated once it's taken, I hope that's just a visual bug from the website). My scholarship letter is the best fit of what they require you to send. If I were to request an enrollment certificate or a transcript I would need to pay a fee to get that done, which I would rather not to, if possible.

Lastly, I cannot contact GitHub Support because even if you choose "My application was rejected" as a reason, it doesn't let you fill out the form or open the ticket, it opens a popup that says they're not doing any manual reviews and you should open a discussion here. If I used another topic the ticket would probably get closed instantly. My school is not on the search bar but according to the text below it there shouldn't be any problem with that.

[berniejmulvey]

Still trying to deal with this as well. No way to contact github support. Presumptious of them to think that we all have photographable stuff that's dated. Even my health insurance card is digital-only!

[GospelBG]

Not only that. You cannot even upload a PDF file (which would be easier for the AI to scan). If the AI does not work well and denies every request there is no way to appeal it and have a human take a look (at least that I know of). You can only try your luck again and hope to get it approved eventually.

I really hope someone from GitHub sees this and helps us out.