GitHub Education application stuck in pending review for 11+ days

[Abdouagu]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Benefit Activation/Waiting

Hi everyone,

Hello,

I submitted my GitHub Education Student application on May 5, 2026.

My application has been pending review for more than 11 days, while GitHub mentions that reviews usually take 3–4 days.

My dashboard still shows:
"Your application has been received and is currently pending review."

I applied using official academic documents because I do not have a university email address.

This is currently blocking access to education benefits such as JetBrains student licenses.

Has anyone experienced this or can a moderator help?

Thank you.

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[udaycodespace]

Hey @Abdouagu,

11 days is way past the normal 3-4 day window. Something's stuck in the queue.

Why it's taking long:

When you apply without a university email (using docs instead), your application goes to manual review. That queue moves slower than auto-verified emails. Add in weekend delays and it can stretch.

What to do:

Open a support ticket at https://support.github.com with:

• Your GitHub username
• Submission date (May 5, 2026)
• Screenshot of "pending review" status
• List of docs you submitted
• Simple message: "Application stuck in pending review for 11+ days. Normal wait is 3-4 days. Can someone check my case?"

Don't wait. GitHub support can manually check your application status and push it through if it's actually stuck (vs just slow).

While you wait:

If you need JetBrains access urgently, some of their student program alternatives don't require GitHub Education approval. But get that ticket in first—support usually responds in 24-48 hours.

The docs path is legit, it just takes longer. But 11 days is past reasonable. Get support involved.

[changwook06]

Hi! This can happen when the application needs manual review, especially if you applied with documents instead of a school-issued email.

A few things I’d check:

1. Make sure the uploaded document clearly shows your full name, school name, and a current enrollment date.
2. Check the email address tied to your GitHub account, including spam/promotions, in case GitHub Education asked for more info.
3. Avoid submitting duplicate applications while one is pending, since that can sometimes slow review down.
4. If it stays pending much longer, contact GitHub Education/support directly from the Education portal rather than waiting for a moderator here, since community members cannot inspect application status.

GitHub’s docs say documents like a current school ID, class schedule, transcript, or enrollment verification letter are acceptable proof of student status: https://docs.github.com/en/education/about-github-education/github-education-for-students/apply-to-github-education-as-a-student

Hope this gets resolved soon.