How to get the GitHub Student Developer Pack without a student ID

With the GitHub Student Developer Pack, you can advance your career while also gaining free access to the best developer tools in the industry (the Pack). The Pack is open to any student 13 years or older enrolled in a degree-granting programme, and we are dedicated to assisting every student—no matter where you are on your academic journey.

The majority of students apply for the Pack using their school email address. Students whose schools do not provide email addresses, on the other hand, can apply for the Pack using their dated student ID. But what if you want to apply but your school doesn't give out student email addresses or IDs? We don't want you to miss out, so alternative documentation is acceptable as long as it reflects your current student status.

What documentation is required to join the GitHub Student Developer Pack?

We want to make it as easy as possible for students from all over the world to apply for and go through the GitHub Student Developer Pack application process, while also honouring our commitment to sponsors to protect it from those who may take advantage of student offers.

The better we design the Pack for students, the more we must be vigilant against potential fraud. The current value of the Pack's collective offers is more than $12,000 per student. That's a great deal for students, but it also makes for an appealing target for bad actors.

Who is eligible for the GitHub Student Developer Pack?

The Pack is available to any student 13 years of age or older enrolled in any degree-granting programme that is not restricted by the institution's accreditation, regardless of location.

What proof do I need to submit for academic verification?

Submitting a school-issued email address is prefered because we can approve applicants using those domains faster once we verify that the domain is associated with a qualifying institution and that the school's email policies prohibit non-student use of those emails.

If your school does not provide email, or if we do not believe your school's email is sufficient to demonstrate your current academic status, we will request another form of proof. This could be a dated student ID, a current registration document, a time-stamped screenshot of your school portal, a letter on school letterhead confirming you are currently enrolled, etc.

How to apply for the GitHub Student Developer Pack

1. Visit GitHub Education and click Get benefits in the top-right corner.
2. Under “Which best describes your academic status?”, select Student.
   
3. Then, complete one of the following:

If you have a school-issued email, select (or add it).
Please note that email addresses must be verified and any addresses with plus signs (“+”) are not eligible.

If you don’t have a school-issued email, follow the prompts to fill out additional information.You’re still eligible even if you only have a personal Gmail address, as long as you can provide alternative documentation to verify your current student status.

4.  You may be prompted for more information. When prompted, upload an image that demonstrates your academic status or confirms your enrollment.

5.  Enter your school’s name, share how you will use GitHub, and click Submit. We try to review and process applications within two weeks of submission.

I added my school-issued email, but I don’t see it.

Did you remember to double-check it? Unverified email addresses will not be displayed. Once verified, refresh the application page to see your email.

Email addresses with plus signs are not accepted as an anti-fraud measure.

I tried my school-issued email, but I’m still being asked for additional proof.

GitHub requires that school-issued email be provided exclusively to currently-registered students—not to everyone who has applied to the school or retained by alumni of the school—in order to qualify as the sole form of academic verification. We also keep an eye on trends in academic domain usage in order to identify potentially compromised domains.

Upload another form of supporting documentation if your student email cannot be used as the sole form of proof.

My school does not provide student emails or IDs. What can I submit to prove that I’m a student?

GitHub will consider any documentation you provide as long as it demonstrates current enrolment. If we are unable to accept your uploaded proof on the first try, you will receive an email asking you to provide additional information.

How long will it take for my application to be reviewed?

It could take as little as a few minutes if your school email is trusted. If we have concerns about your school's domain, we will contact you to request additional documentation of your current student status.

Uploaded proof necessitates additional scrutiny, which may necessitate more time. We make every effort to review all applications within two weeks of their submission. When we receive a large number of applications, such as at the start of a new semester, the application process may take a little longer.

My application wasn’t accepted. What should I do?

Before we can approve your application, you may be required to provide additional documentation. A common issue is that the uploaded proof was not properly dated, or the photo was too blurry. Whatever the reason, we'll do our best to provide context so that your next application has a better chance of success.

We consider all of the evidence you provide us collectively. This means that if you apply again, we will consider the additional documentation to be part of the proof you provided in your first attempt.

If you don't understand why your application was denied, please contact us for personal assistance.