Getting rejected in education plan despite id card apply

[Donaldo-Crish]

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

My surname is my inital and thats how its always been but github billing doesn't accept letters as surname and i think that might be the reason for the rejection and i added the front and back of my id card for both face name and enrollment date verification but i got this result
" The image you used appears to be edited. Manipulated images may not be used. Please try a different image.
Please ensure that your academic affiliation document contains your last name exactly as it appears in your GitHub billing information. If you have only a single legal name, enter it in both the first and last name fields of your GitHub billing information.
Please use your device camera to submit academic affiliation documents."

Could someone please help me

[HamiParsa]

Hi there,

This is a frustrating situation, but don't worry – it's fixable. Here's what's happening and what you can do:

1. The surname issue

GitHub's billing system requires both first and last names. Since your surname is a single letter (e.g., "A."), the system rejects it because it expects at least 2–3 characters.

Solution: Enter your single-letter surname twice – for example, if your name is "John A.", enter:

First name: John

Last name: A A (just repeat the letter)

This satisfies the system while still being technically accurate.

2. The "edited image" error

GitHub's verification system uses AI to detect any manipulation (cropping, resizing, filters, screenshots, etc.). Even saving a photo from your gallery and re-uploading it can trigger this.

Solution:

Take a fresh photo directly with your device's camera – do NOT use a scanned copy, screenshot, or any image from your gallery.

Make sure the photo is well-lit and all corners of your ID are visible.

Do NOT crop, rotate, or edit the image in any way before uploading.

Upload it directly from your phone's camera app or use GitHub's mobile app to take the photo in real-time.

3. The name mismatch issue

GitHub explicitly says: "Your academic affiliation document must contain your last name exactly as it appears in your GitHub billing information."

So if your ID shows your surname as "A." but you entered "A A" in billing, make sure your ID actually displays that. If your ID only shows a single letter, you may need to contact GitHub Support and explain that your legal surname is a single character.

4. If nothing works – contact GitHub Support directly

Go to: https://support.github.com/contact

Choose "Billing" → "Verification issues" and explain:

Your legal surname is a single letter (which is valid in your country)

You've tried multiple photos but keep getting the "edited" error

Ask them to manually verify your documents

They can override the automated system in cases like this.

Quick checklist for your next attempt:

Billing name: First = YourName, Last = A A (repeat the letter)

Take a brand new photo with your camera (no edits, no cropping)

Make sure the ID shows your full name clearly

Upload the raw, unedited file

Let us know if you're still stuck – happy to help further! 🙌

[Donaldo-Crish]

Thanks for the reply , So the thing is I do not have the academic year dates on the front of my id card the time period is on the back so i took a pic of the both and merged and uploaded the image but it said the edited image error and then i just left a small space in the surname and put my initial and then uploaded a screenshot of my college portal with my details but now this rejection notification popped up "We were unfortunately not able to verify your academic status. Please address the following issues and apply again.
Please use your device camera to submit academic affiliation documents."
and also it seems like the manual verification isn't being provided anymore..

[Anupa095]

Hi,

Based on the message you received, there are likely two separate issues:

1. Last name mismatch: If you legally have only one name or your surname is just an initial, GitHub recommends entering your legal name in both the First Name and Last Name fields in your billing information. This ensures it matches the name on your academic document.

2. Document verification: The message indicates that the uploaded image appears to have been edited. Even if you only cropped or enhanced the image, the verification system may reject it. Try taking a new photo directly with your device's camera in good lighting, making sure the entire document is visible and unedited.

If you've already followed these steps and your application is still being rejected, I recommend contacting GitHub Education Support and explaining that your legal surname is an initial. They can manually review your case and advise you on the correct way to enter your name.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your verification!

[Donaldo-Crish]

thanks for the reply , I already tried entering my name in both fields but that totally doesn't work , and since my academic year info isn't on the front of my id card i took a photo on both the front and back and merged them and uploaded it but yeah its getting flagged as edited and they aren't doing the manual verification anymore...

[chowdhary19]

@Donaldo-Crish The merged front-and-back image is almost certainly why it was flagged as edited. Do not merge, crop, screenshot, resize, or modify the images.

Since the enrollment date is only on the back of your ID, the best option is to use one different document that shows both your name and a current date on the same page, such as:

• a current class schedule
• an academic transcript
• an official enrollment-verification letter

GitHub officially accepts these documents:
https://docs.github.com/en/education/about-github-education/github-education-for-students/apply-to-github-education-as-a-student

During the application, photograph the document directly when GitHub opens the device camera. Do not upload a portal screenshot or an image saved in your gallery.

For the name issue, do not enter A A or add spaces simply to bypass the form, because that will not exactly match your document. Enter your legal name as accurately as the form permits. GitHub’s instruction to repeat a name in both fields applies to someone with one legal name, not necessarily someone whose surname is a single initial.

If the form cannot accept your legal surname, contact GitHub Education Support and explain that limitation clearly:

https://support.github.com/contact/education

You can send:

Hi GitHub Education Support,

My legal surname is a single initial, and the application form does not appear to accept it correctly. My student ID shows my name on the front and my current academic-year dates on the back, but combining the two photographs caused the evidence to be flagged as edited.

I have also tried submitting an unedited camera image, but the application still asks me to use my device camera.

GitHub username:
Institution:
Legal name as shown on my academic records:

Could you please advise how I should enter my surname and which single document I should submit to verify both my name and current enrollment?

Thank you.

GitHub’s troubleshooting guidance says to contact Education Support after trying the recommended steps and include what you attempted and where the process failed:
https://docs.github.com/en/education/about-github-education/github-education-for-students/solving-problems-with-your-github-education-access

Do not post your ID, legal name, email address, or student documents publicly in this Discussion.

[Donaldo-Crish]

Thank you for the help , man I just used opera and took a direct photo of my fee receipt and got approved 😭

[chowdhary19]

BROOOO 😭😭😭 We really wrote a whole PhD thesis on GitHub verification just for Opera to walk in like: "have you tried... working?" 💀💀 Congrats man 😂 Enjoy the Student Pack, you've earned it after surviving the final boss.