GitHub Education Faculty Application Rejected Despite Documentation

[youdin]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

I've been rejected for a GitHub education application a couple times. I included an image of my official university appointment letter, which includes my role as professor. The reason for rejection states that the school name is not on the document, but it is, both in the letter head and the text of the letter. There appears to be no way to protest a or get manual review of an incorrect evaluation. The letter was a picture of a a screen as that's what I have available. Could that be the problem? I'm also not on campus and it asks for a reason for that, but working from home is very common, so I don't see why that would be an automatic rejection. Any advice from those who faced similar issues is welcome. This is very frustrating since my position as a professor is well documented on official university websites.

[diedw3st]

Hi, I'm a university professor and have been rejected multiple times despite submitting my official appointment letter, which clearly shows both my name, role, and institution name in the letterhead and body text.
A few things I suspect may be causing the issue:

My document was submitted as a photo of a screen rather than a direct PDF — could this cause OCR misreading?
I selected "not on campus" and noted I work from home — is this an automatic disqualifier?

My faculty profile is publicly listed on my university's official website. Is there any way to request a manual review rather than going through the automated system again? I'd appreciate any guidance.

[youdin]

Sounds like we're having the same issue. I'll try from campus and report back if it helps.

[Priyanshu-byte-coder]

Yes, the issue is very likely due to the quality and format of the document you uploaded. GitHub Education verification relies heavily on clearly readable proof that shows:

• Your full name
• Your role (Professor / Faculty)
• The official institution name
• An official document format

A photo of a screen often causes problems because:

• The text may not be clear enough for automated verification systems
• Glare, blur, or low resolution can hide important details
• The institution letterhead may not be detected properly
• It may look less official compared to a direct PDF or scanned document

To improve the chances of approval, try the following:

1. Upload a direct PDF of the appointment letter instead of a photo of a screen.
2. If a PDF is not available, take a clear photo of a printed copy in good lighting.
3. Ensure the university name and your title are clearly visible and readable.
4. Avoid cropping too tightly; include the full document with letterhead.
5. If possible, also provide a link to your faculty profile page on the university website as supporting evidence.
6. In the application form, briefly explain that you are working remotely but remain an active faculty member.

Working remotely should not automatically cause rejection, but GitHub needs clear proof of your current academic affiliation.

Many applicants have reported success after re-uploading a higher-quality document or a direct PDF instead of a screen photo.

[youdin]

Thanks for the reply. I wish there was an option to upload a pdf. All I see is the option to take photos with the computer's webcam (I just attempted to upload a screenshot). If I try to drag a file into this window, it doesn't upload, it simply opens the file in the browser window (leaving GitHub website). If you or anyone knows of a way to upload files instead of taking webcam images, that would be helpful to me, and to others I imagine.

[youdin]

I'll add that "taking a good photo in clear lighting" is challenging with a webcam!