Already verified student (since Feb 2026) stuck on Copilot Free due to activation pause

[javidanjavadov]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Benefit Activation/Waiting

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding my GitHub Copilot access under the Student Developer Pack.

My academic benefits were successfully verified and approved back on February 15, 2026, and my student coupon is active until February 15, 2028. Therefore, I am not a brand-new applicant to the GitHub Education program.

However, when I check my settings, my account is currently placed on the standard, metered "Copilot Free" plan (showing 0% of inline suggestions used) instead of the dedicated student tier. I do see the banner warning that "New activations of Copilot Student plans are currently paused."

Since my student status was already fully verified months ago, is falling back to the standard "Free" tier the expected behavior simply because I didn't explicitly activate the Copilot feature before the pause went into effect? Additionally, once the sign-up pause is eventually lifted, will my account automatically transition to the full student benefits, or will I need to manually re-apply or trigger something?

Thank you in advance for the guidance!

[chater-marzougui]

I've been a student for the last 3 years and i'm facing the same issue now, copilot free is too limited it literally finished 200 credits in 3 prompts (didn't even finish the 3rd) waiting for answers

[javidanjavadov]

Totally agree. Copilot is the main reason most of us apply for the Student Pack anyway. Restricting verified students to a 'Free' tier that runs out in a few prompts completely defeats the purpose of the program. I hope GitHub fixes this soon.

[HarolTorrado73]

Por lo que describes, parece que tu verificación como estudiante sigue siendo válida, pero el beneficio de Copilot Student nunca llegó a activarse antes de que GitHub pausara temporalmente las nuevas activaciones.

Si ese es el caso, GitHub probablemente está diferenciando entre:

1. Estudiantes que ya tenían Copilot Student activado antes de la pausa.
2. Estudiantes que ya estaban verificados, pero que nunca activaron el beneficio.

Según el mensaje que ves, parece que tu cuenta pertenece al segundo grupo, por lo que actualmente permanece en Copilot Free aunque tu estado de estudiante siga siendo válido hasta 2028.

No creo que necesites volver a solicitar el GitHub Student Developer Pack, ya que tu verificación sigue aprobada. La verdadera duda es si los estudiantes que fueron verificados antes de la pausa serán migrados automáticamente cuando GitHub vuelva a habilitar las activaciones.

Sería útil que alguien del equipo de GitHub Education pudiera aclarar:

• Si los estudiantes verificados antes de la pausa serán activados automáticamente.
• Si será necesario realizar algún paso manual.
• Si usar Copilot Free mientras tanto afecta de alguna forma la elegibilidad para los beneficios estudiantiles.

Es posible que otros estudiantes verificados estén enfrentando exactamente la misma situación.

[javidanjavadov]

Hello.My discussion, question is in English, I think you have to reply in English also. :/

[itsjamesscott]

I was wondering about this as well, so thanks for bringing it up. The distinction between an already verified Student Developer Pack account and a new Copilot Student activation isn't very clear, especially with the current pause on new activations.

Based on what you've described, it would be helpful if GitHub could clarify whether previously verified students will be automatically upgraded once the pause is lifted or if some manual action will be required. Hopefully someone from the GitHub team can confirm the expected behavior, as I imagine other students are in the same situation.

[iwilsonjames]

Hi Scott! That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out as well. The messaging makes it seem like there are two separate stages—student verification and Copilot Student activation—but it doesn't explain what happens if your education benefits were approved before the activation pause.

An official clarification would definitely help avoid confusion. It would be useful to know whether verified students will be upgraded automatically once activations for app cine resume or if we'll need to manually claim the benefit again. Hopefully someone from the GitHub team can shed some light on how this process is supposed to work.

[imorganwilson]

I think that's the part that's confusing most people. Student verification and Copilot Student activation appear to be treated as separate processes, but GitHub hasn't clearly explained how previously verified students are affected by the current activation pause. A brief clarification from the team on whether existing verified accounts will automatically receive the benefit once activations resume—or whether users will need to manually enable it—would clear up a lot of uncertainty. Has anyone with an already approved Student Developer Pack received an update or seen their account switch over automatically?

[ikateblue]

I have experienced this before. From what I've seen, GitHub seems to be treating new Copilot Student activations separately from student verification itself. If your Student Developer Pack is already active but Copilot wasn't enabled before the pause, it would make sense that your account temporarily falls back to the standard Free plan until student activations resume. Hopefully, once the pause is lifted, eligible accounts can simply activate the student benefit without going through the verification process again. Has anyone here been in the same situation and later received the Student plan automatically, or did you have to manually trigger the activation?

[imikevsmith]

You're not the only one seeing this. It seems the Student Developer Pack verification and Copilot Student activation are being handled separately, so verified users who hadn't activated Copilot before the pause may temporarily remain on the Free plan. Hopefully GitHub will clarify whether eligible accounts will be upgraded automatically once activations resume.