Student Application Denied - Can't Read Greek Document

[KaloudasDev]

Hi everyone,

Hello GitHub Education Community,

My student application has been denied three times, and I believe the system cannot process my school document because it's not in English.

My Situation:

• I attend a European public high school that does not provide academic emails.
• The document clearly shows my full name and school name in my native language.
• My GitHub profile name has been updated to exactly match the name on my document.
• The document I submitted was an official Certificate of Enrollment issued directly by my school's administration office.

The Problem:

Each denial states my document "does not appear to contain your school name" and claims name mismatches, despite both being clearly visible in the document. The issue appears to be that the verification system cannot read non-Latin characters.

I've followed all guidelines:

• High-quality document image
• Exact name matching in my GitHub profile
• Used document verification (since no academic email exists)

According to GitHub's policy:

"If your official document is not in English then you may photograph the original next to an English translation."

My Question:

Would adding an English translation alongside my original document resolve this?
Has anyone with non-English documentation found a working solution?

I would greatly appreciate any guidance from the community or GitHub staff on how to verify with non-English documentation.

Thank you for your help.

---

[davevad93]

Hi @KaloudasDev,

I recommend you translate your academic proof from Greek to English and then fill in your billing information and your GitHub profile with your translated full name exactly as it appears on your academic transcript. The automated system is unable to correctly read languages that don't use the Latin alphabet. Then log out and log back into GitHub before reapplying, because the application system gets stuck in a loop even after the required information has been updated.

My Question:
Would adding an English translation alongside my original document resolve this?
Has anyone with non-English documentation found a working solution?

Yes, for further reference, take a look at this discussion, as this user solved it by doing this: #164204

[KaloudasDev]

@davevad93 You're right! I just realized I submitted one application right before seeing your message about the billing info, so that attempt probably failed because my billing details weren't updated yet.

I'm now waiting for that decision, and if it gets rejected (which makes sense since the billing info was missing), I'll do one final attempt following ALL your steps:

1. Billing info updated
2. Profile name matching
3. Logout/login before applying
4. Using only the printed English translation as proof (no Greek text)

Quick question: Is using just the English translation document acceptable, or should I include the Greek original alongside it?

[davevad93]

Hey @KaloudasDev, include also the original transcript in Greek. 👍

[KaloudasDev]

@davevad93 Perfect! In my next application I'll include both the original Greek document and the English translation side-by-side. Thank you so much for all your help and patience! I'll keep you updated on how it goes. Really appreciate your guidance! 🙏

[davevad93]

No problem, @KaloudasDev, glad to help. I'm going to bed now, so I'll respond to any updates tomorrow! 👍

[KaloudasDev]

Good night my friend, thanks again and again!

[KaloudasDev]

@davevad93 After 3 days of pending status, my application was finally rejected, again! Here's the exact rejection message I received:

"Unfortunately, we were unable to verify your academic affiliation based on the information you submitted..."

Despite following every single step you recommended, including the billing information update, English translation, and 3-day wait, it seems GitHub's system fundamentally cannot process Greek educational documents, even with perfect documentation.

I wanted to thank you sincerely for all your time and help. You went above and beyond to assist me. Unless you have any final insight.

[KaloudasDev]

@davevad93 Thank you for not giving up on me. I'll try from a different device as you suggest (from a phone with data).

One final clarification: Should I upload only the English translation as proof, or both the Greek original and English translation side-by-side in the same image?

To confirm I've done everything correctly:

• Billing Information: Updated with my real name and my school's address.
• Profile Name: Set to my real name in capital letters.
• Username: Still KaloudasDev (I haven't changed my username)

Should I change my username to match my real name, or is keeping KaloudasDev acceptable?

I want to make sure I get this 100% right for this final attempt. Thank you for all your patience! 🙏

[davevad93]

Hey @KaloudasDev, submit both the Greek original and English translation side-by-side in the same image. Your username is fine as it is, don't need to change it, but I don't see your full real name in your profile, add it.

[KaloudasDev]

is everythink okay from the images?

[davevad93]

Yes @KaloudasDev, everything is correct and should be approved. Now log out/log in or switch to another device and try again.

[KaloudasDev]

@davevad93 I just submitted what will be my final attempt, following all your guidance exactly:

• Used a different device (mobile phone with data)
• Billing Information: My real full name + school's address
• Profile Name: My real full name
• Username: Kept my pseudonym
• Documents: Uploaded both Greek original and English translation side-by-side

Important note about school emails:
My school doesn't provide individual emails to either teachers or students.
For the teacher email field, I used the school's general contact email as you suggested.

I've done absolutely everything possible. Now I wait.