Cannot open a ticket. My students have mostly been accepted into Github Education but no good AI available

[sgoodale-collab]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Redeem Benefits/Offers

Hi everyone,

I am an instructor and owner of an organization within my schools enterprise.
Our school is a GitHub registered school
I have instructor Copilot Pro
Students were accepted but grandfathering broke after April 20th.

Almost all of my students are approved as students via GitHub education and have received the email saying they are in. But when we open VS CODE and log in using our GitHub credentials the only AI available is the very restricted free version. I've also added about 10 students to have "access to Copilot" within my organization but in VS CODE the message in the AI selector is "contact you administrator".

• If students are approved as students why can't they access the Copilot AI?
• How can we turn on registered student access to Copilot?
• How can I file a ticket?

So many questions but this intensive two week class is already half over and we need help and a solution, asap.

[apase95]

1. Why can't approved students access the Copilot AI?

• From what i understand, the Student Developer Pack is linked to a Github Organization/Enterprise. If the Organization's Copilot setting are not fully configured, VS Code blocks our access.

2. How might we fix it?

• Resetting in the Organization's Copilot (Allow "Suggestions matching public code")
• Verify your Github account status (Avatar -> Try enterprise -> Free or Pro)
• Refresh VS Code session (VS Code -> Account icon -> Sign out Github account -> Restart VS Code -> Sign In Github account)

How can we file a ticket?

• Github Support -> Contact Support -> Github Copilot/Education -> Dropdown your problem

[asaddevx]

Hey @sgoodale-collab , A two-week class half over with no Copilot is stressful.

The real problem

After April 20, GitHub paused new student Copilot sign-ups. Even approved students are stuck in a gray area — verified but not activated. This is not your fault.

What @apase95 said is partially correct, but here is the real fix:

Step 1 — Check your Organization Copilot settings

Go to your organization → Settings → Copilot → Make sure "Allow suggestions matching public code" is ON. Also check that students are added to the Copilot access list.

Step 2 — Students must claim Copilot from Education page, NOT organization

Students need to go here after approval:
https://education.github.com/benefits

Click "Claim offer" under GitHub Copilot Pro. Not from your organization settings.

Step 3 — File a ticket (yes, you can)

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

Select "I am an educator having trouble with Copilot for my students"

Tell them: "My students are Education approved but cannot access Copilot in VS Code. They see 'contact your administrator' or free tier only. Class ends soon. Please escalate."

Bottom line

This is a known post-April 20 issue. Support is the only real fix. Open that ticket today. Tell them your class ends soon.

Good luck. I hope they sort it fast.

[sgoodale-collab]

Thanks for the help and suggestions! - I filed a ticket and got this answer immediately from their AI; long story short, tough luck kids, it's the Pause...

This is not a service outage
The current GitHub incident affects SSH Git operations only. It has no impact on Copilot plans, model access, or VS Code AI selection.
Status page for reference: https://stspg.io/x8fvngz3t6ck (opens in a new tab)

Why your students only see the free AI tier
Copilot Student activation is paused

Since April 20, 2026, new Copilot Student, Pro, and Pro+ activations are paused.
Students can be approved for GitHub Education but still not receive Copilot Student benefits.
Result: students default to Copilot Free (limited models only).
Docs:
https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/copilot/how-tos/copilot-on-github/set-up-copilot/enable-copilot/set-up-for-students (opens in a new tab)

Your Copilot Pro (teacher) does not extend to students

Instructor Pro is individual-only.
It does not upgrade org members or students.
“Contact your administrator” in VS Code

This means the org does not have active Copilot Business or Enterprise seats assigned.
Simply toggling “access to Copilot” without purchased seats will not work.
Docs:
https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/copilot/how-tos/administer-copilot/manage-for-organization/manage-access/grant-access (opens in a new tab)

What will work right now
✅ Enable Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise at the school’s enterprise level and assign seats to students.
This is the only way to give students strong AI models in VS Code during the pause.

❌ There is no grandfathering, override, or manual enablement for Copilot Student right now.

ME: meaning the seats have to be paid for individually, correct? short answer please if possible

Message 6 of 6 from Copilot received at 10:53:55 AM Short answer: yes. To give students full Copilot access right now, Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise seats must be paid for and assigned per user. A few clarifying points: - This is not related to the current GitHub service disruption (that only affects SSH Git operations): https://stspg.io/x8fvngz3t6ck - Student Education approval does not grant Copilot access during the pause - Org toggles alone don’t work without paid seats If this didn’t help, I’m here to help! Could you confirm whether your enterprise already has Copilot Business or Enterprise enabled?
Message fromCopilot
Message was sentthis minute
Short answer: yes.

To give students full Copilot access right now, Copilot Business or Copilot Enterprise seats must be paid for and assigned per user.

A few clarifying points:

This is not related to the current GitHub service disruption (that only affects SSH Git operations): https://stspg.io/x8fvngz3t6ck (opens in a new tab)
Student Education approval does not grant Copilot access during the pause
Org toggles alone don’t work without paid seats