I need help with my Student Application not being approved

[CBSCBM]

Hi everyone,

I tried to reach out to support and got sent here.
My student applications have gotten rejected because I wasn't close enough to my school or something. I'm not currently on campus because its summer, but I'm within walking distance of my school(less then 10 minutes). Unfortunately my ISP (T-Mobile) is cellular network based, this means that my IP doesn't properly show my location. I explained this in the application along with proof of my real location, and it was immediately rejected. Apparently there are no human reviews of these applications and you aren't allowed to ask support about it, so I don't even know why they have you explain. If anyone can provide any help or knows of a better place to ask, that would be great!

Update: I managed to get access to a computer at my school a day before the only person I would be able to convince to let me in left to Canada for a vacation. The application was approved in seconds and my benefits just got activated. I still think its dumb that they literally ask you to explain why your not near your school and don't even bother to consider your answer. Its also stupid that they don't allow you to contact support about it at all.

[VHMIzq]

Hi man, same here, im from Mexico City and my application was rejected not by the location but the name. I set it exactly as it is on my school id but its rejected. I think its because a bot that compares names with the picture... I hope you can find a solution for your issue.

[Leorev01]

Since you're 10 minutes from campus why not try and go to the campus and use one of their devices or connect to the campus wifi and reapply there.
Hopefully this helps

[CBSCBM]

Yeah, I was thinking I might need to do that. Luckily I know a staff member who I could probably convince to let me. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Leorev01]

Hopefully they let you, good luck

[bytecodesky]

i am trying to renew my github education pack since it expired but i can't, i don't get the option enabled but to make a new request...how do i solve it?

[Leorev01]

You can’t renew the GitHub Education Pack directly. If it expired, you need to reapply by submitting a new application with current proof of your student status. Go to https://github.com/settings/education/benefits and follow the steps to start a new request.

[bytecodesky]

@Leorev01 I know, but the “Start an application” button is disabled, that's why I can't make a new application, and I'm not the only one with this problem.

[Leorev01]

@Leorev01 I know, but the “Start an application” button is disabled, that's why I can't make a new application, and I'm not the only one with this problem.

Have you tried contacting GitHub support?

[AdityaS-2010]

I keep getting rejected after I reapply for the Github education pack and I'm getting emails saying to make sure my account's name matches with the one on my ID that I'm using to prove I go to a school.

I've done all this and I still got rejected so I'm not sure what's wrong.

[bytecodesky]

How could you reapply? I can't activate the button.

[AdityaS-2010]

Go to your settings and billing, and then go to education benefits

[bytecodesky]

@AdityaS-2010 I know that, I mean I can't click on it, it's disabled, and I'm not the only one with this problem...and my package has already expired.

[AdityaS-2010]

I think it's because you have a some coupon applied already but I'm not sure since I don't have that issue.

[Leorev01]

I keep getting rejected after I reapply for the Github education pack and I'm getting emails saying to make sure my account's name matches with the one on my ID that I'm using to prove I go to a school.

I've done all this and I still got rejected so I'm not sure what's wrong.

Try to add payment details to your account before reapplying if you haven't done that already, I was getting rejected constantly until I added payment details

[PRIYAtechky]

It seems the issue is caused by IP-based location checks rather than your actual proximity to campus. GitHub Student Developer Pack applications rely heavily on automated verification, which can fail if your ISP doesn't reflect your true location.

💡 Tips / Workarounds:

1. Try submitting the application from a school network or computer on campus (as you eventually did).
2. Avoid cellular networks or VPNs that may misrepresent your location.
3. Include proof of enrollment and your physical proximity in the application, but know that automated systems may not consider it.
4. If immediate approval is critical, try accessing the school network briefly to submit the application.

✅ Lesson Learned: Automated verification systems can be rigid, so using a network that clearly reflects your campus location is the most reliable way to get approved.