GitHub Copilot Agent Not Working in VS Code (New User – Education Account)

[husseinbux133-cmyk]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Redeem Benefits/Offers

Hi everyone,

I’m new to GitHub Copilot and I’m currently trying to use it in VS Code (Agent mode). I have a GitHub Education account, but Copilot is not working and I see a message saying that new plan sign-ups are temporarily paused.

I’m not sure if this is related to the current pause or if I’m missing something in the setup. Could someone please explain:

Is this affecting new users or education accounts?
Is there any way to fix it or enable Copilot right now?
Or is it just temporarily unavailable?

I would really appreciate any help. Thank you!

[henderson-01]

Hi @husseinbux133-cmyk,

Welcome to the GitHub Community! You aren't missing any setup steps—what you are seeing is the result of a recent system-wide freeze by GitHub.

Here is exactly what is happening with your account:

Who is Affected?

Both new users and education accounts. On April 20, 2026, GitHub officially paused all new sign-ups for Copilot Pro, Pro+, and specifically the Copilot Student plan. Even with a fully verified GitHub Education account, the system currently blocks new Copilot activations.

Why is it Unavailable?

It is a temporary pause. The recent rollout of resource-intensive AI features (like Agent mode in VS Code) significantly strained GitHub's infrastructure. To prevent service degradation for existing users, they froze new sign-ups to manage server capacity. There is currently no official date for when Student plan sign-ups will resume.

Can You Fix or Enable It Right Now?

Unfortunately, no. There is no workaround to force the Student plan activation right now, and attempting to re-verify your student status will not bypass the block.

Your current alternative: GitHub's Copilot Free tier is the only plan still accepting new individual sign-ups. You can activate this free plan to receive a monthly allowance of AI credits and inline suggestions while you wait for the Student tier to reopen.

I hope this clears things up—your account is perfectly fine; you are just caught in the current sign-up freeze along with thousands of other students!

[tanvishinde017]

Hi @husseinbux133-cmyk,

Yes, this is most likely related to the current temporary pause on new GitHub Copilot plan sign-ups.

Based on recent announcements, GitHub has temporarily paused new enrollments for Copilot plans while they complete the rollout of the new usage-based billing system. This can also affect users with GitHub Education benefits if Copilot wasn't already activated before the pause.

A few things you can check:

1. Verify that your GitHub Education benefits are active:

   • https://education.github.com/benefits

2. Check your Copilot status:

   • Settings → Billing and plans → Copilot

3. In VS Code, make sure:

   • You're signed into the correct GitHub account.
   • The GitHub Copilot extension is installed and enabled.
   • You sign out and sign back in if necessary.

If your Education benefits are active but Copilot has never been provisioned, there may not currently be a workaround, and you may need to wait until GitHub re-enables new Copilot sign-ups.

Hopefully, GitHub will reopen enrollments in the coming weeks as mentioned in their recent announcements.

I hope this helps!