GitHub Student Access Guide

Students looking to enhance their coding skills will agree - gaining access to developer tools and resources can be challenging when starting out.

Luckily, GitHub offers an extensive Student Developer Pack providing free access to industry-standard development tools and training resources.

In this guide, we'll walk through everything you need to know to secure GitHub student benefits, from eligibility criteria to activating perks like GitHub Copilot, Pages, and Classroom.

Introduction to GitHub Education Benefits for Students

GitHub offers a range of exclusive benefits and resources for students to help them enhance their coding skills and build their professional profiles. The GitHub Student Developer Pack provides free access to developer tools, cloud services, and more.

To be eligible, students must have an active university enrollment and verify their academic status with GitHub. The verification process is simple and outlined later in this guide.

Once verified, students can access the GitHub Student Developer Pack and unlock benefits like:

Free cloud hosting services up to a set usage limit
Discounted access to productivity tools and software
Free access to developer tools and learning platforms
GitHub swag and promo offers

In addition to the Student Developer Pack, GitHub Education also offers valuable coding resources specifically for students:

GitHub Classroom helps educators distribute code assignments and provide feedback right within GitHub.
The Campus Experts program allows students to gain experience as technical leaders in their community.
GitHub Education Community connects students with mentors and like-minded peers.

This guide will cover the eligibility criteria, application process, and tips on fully utilizing GitHub student benefits and resources to level up coding skills.

Exploring the GitHub Student Developer Pack

The GitHub Student Developer Pack offers free access to various paid developer services and tools for learning, building, and testing applications. Services include:

GitHub Pro - Get unlimited private repositories and GitHub Actions minutes
AWS Educate - Access AWS cloud computing services with a $100 credit
Repl.it - Cloud IDE for coding and collaboration
Namecheap - Free one-year .me domain registration
GitKraken - Premium Git GUI client for streamlined workflows

The combined value of these exclusive student offers is over $200. The services renew annually as long as you maintain student status.

This allows students to boost their skills using professional-grade tools without financial limitations holding them back.

Eligibility Criteria for GitHub Student Discount

To qualify for the GitHub Student Developer Pack, you must:

Be currently enrolled in a degree or diploma granting course of study
Have a valid school-issued email address
Upload proof of current student status

Documentation for proof of enrollment includes a student ID card, transcript, acceptance letter, or enrollment verification letter.

GitHub will verify submitted documents within 1 business day. Access to student benefits remains active as long as you maintain your academic status.

Applying for GitHub Student Benefits

Follow these steps to unlock the GitHub Student Developer Pack:

Sign up for a GitHub account if you don't already have one
Navigate to the GitHub Student Developer Pack website
Click "Get the Pack" and select "I'm a student"
Enter your information and upload proof of enrollment
Check your email for verification status

Once approved, the individual services and discounts will automatically become available when you sign in to GitHub.

You can start benefiting right away by spinning up cloud resources, downloading developer tools, and more based on your learning needs.

Leveraging the GitHub Education Community

In addition to the Student Developer Pack, GitHub Education offers exclusive coding resources for students:

GitHub Classroom - Distribute and grade coding assignments in a streamlined workflow
Campus Experts - Develop leadership and technical skills as a campus ambassador
Education Community - Connect with mentors and peers in the GitHub forum

These initiatives help students sharpen their skills beyond the classroom through real-world coding collaboration.

The GitHub Global Campus also offers tailored training content for students to become proficient in areas like cloud computing, DevOps, and data analytics.

Optimizing Your GitHub Personal Account for Education

As a student, you can optimize your GitHub account and settings to get the most out of the platform for your learning and career goals:

Craft a complete GitHub profile highlighting your coding projects
Set up a professional README on your repositories
Enable GitHub Pages to host web apps
Share your work by publishing packages
Participate in open source with issues and PRs
Use GitHub Actions for advanced workflows
Track your work with visual project boards

With a polished GitHub presence, students can showcase their work to future employers or graduate programs after course completion.

Overall, the GitHub Student Developer Pack and Education Community provide an immense set of resources for enrolled students to unlock their coding potential.

Is GitHub free for students?

GitHub offers a free Student Developer Pack that provides students with useful developer tools and services. To be eligible, you need to:

Have a GitHub account
Be enrolled in a degree or diploma granting course of study
Verify your student status

Once verified, students get access to various benefits, including:

Free access to GitHub Pro (usually $7/month)
Unlimited private repositories
Free .me domains from Namecheap for a year
Credit towards web hosting services
Discounts on developer tools and more

To get started, head over to the GitHub Student Developer Pack page and click on the "Get the Pack" button. You'll need to verify your student status, after which you can start enjoying all the free tools and services.

The Student Developer Pack unlocks powerful features that can level up your coding skills. With free unlimited private repos, you can experiment more freely and store school projects securely. GitHub Pro also lets you add unlimited collaborators to repos so you can work better in teams.

Overall, the GitHub Student Developer Pack grants free access to professional developer tools to help students learn real-world skills. It's a great way to get hands-on practice using the same tools that developers use while collaborating with classmates.

Is GitHub copilot still free for students?

GitHub Copilot can be an incredibly helpful tool for students looking to improve their coding skills. Here is a quick guide on how students can access GitHub Copilot for free:

Get GitHub Student Developer Pack

The easiest way for students to get access to GitHub Copilot for free is by signing up for the GitHub Student Developer Pack. Here are the steps:

Go to education.github.com and click "Get benefits"
Verify your student status with your school email or other documentation
Once verified, you will get access to the GitHub Student Developer Pack
The Pack includes access to GitHub Copilot for free

So by verifying your student status, you can start using GitHub Copilot at no cost.

Use Your Personal Account

Students can also access GitHub Copilot for free through their personal GitHub accounts. The steps are:

Make sure you have a verified student status on your GitHub profile
Go to your GitHub user settings
Under "GitHub Copilot" settings, enable GitHub Copilot
Copilot will now be available in your personal account IDE for free

So GitHub Copilot does continue to be free for students through either the Student Developer Pack or personal accounts. This makes it very accessible for students looking to write better code.

Is GitHub student pack worth it?

The GitHub Student Developer Pack provides a wide range of benefits for students looking to advance their development skills and build their careers. Here's a quick overview of why it's worth signing up:

Access to Pro Developer Tools

The pack gives you free access to professional developer tools and services including:

GitHub Pro account features like unlimited private repositories
AWS credit for cloud computing services
Domain name registration and web hosting from Namecheap

Having hands-on access to real tools used by professional developers is extremely valuable for learning.

Build Your Portfolio

With a GitHub Pro account, you can host unlimited public code repositories. This makes GitHub a great platform to showcase your projects to potential employers.

Learn New Skills

In addition to GitHub services, the pack includes free access to developer training courses, tools for learning coding skills, and more:

Udemy online courses on topics like machine learning and web development
Azure cloud computing credit to build applications
Productivity tools like Atom text editor

Overall, the GitHub Student Developer Pack provides tremendous value. The free access to professional tools and training can give students a significant head start in building career-ready development skills.

What are the requirements for GitHub for students?

To gain access to GitHub's education benefits and resources for students, you must meet the following requirements:

Have an active student status

You must be currently enrolled in a degree or diploma granting course at:

A high school
Secondary school
College
University
Homeschool
Or a similar educational institution

Have a verifiable school email address

You need an active school email address that ends in .edu. This verifies your student status.

If your school does not provide an .edu email, you can upload documents that prove your enrollment instead.

Create a GitHub personal account

You need to create your own GitHub account to access student benefits. Education access is granted on a per-user basis.

With these 3 requirements met, you can unlock GitHub Student Developer Pack and other exclusive tools to boost your coding skills. The process is quick and easy.

Securing Access to the GitHub Student Developer Pack

Confirming Your Academic Email for GitHub Pro Student

To confirm your eligibility for GitHub Pro Student, you'll need to verify an active academic email address. This is typically an email issued by your university that ends in .edu.

To verify your academic email:

Sign into your GitHub account or create a new account if you don't already have one.
Go to your account settings and select "GitHub Pro Student" under education benefits.
Follow the prompts to enter your academic email address. GitHub will send a verification code.
Check your academic email inbox for the verification code and enter it on GitHub to confirm your student status.

Once verified, you'll have access to GitHub Pro Student benefits including unlimited private repositories.

Alternative Documentation for GitHub Student Pack Eligibility

If you don't have an active academic email address, you can provide alternative documentation to confirm your student status:

Enrollment certificate from your university registrar or student portal.
Transcript that shows the current academic term and your enrollment status.
Student ID card that indicates your enrollment period.
Tuition or enrollment receipt that confirms your active registration.

Submit a scanned copy or photo of one of these documents in place of the academic email verification. Make sure sensitive information like financial data is redacted first.

Activating Your GitHub Student Pack Benefits

After securing access to GitHub Pro Student or providing alternative eligibility documentation, visit the Student Developer Pack page to start activating your benefits.

You'll be able to claim special offers like free services, resources, and tools from GitHub partners to help you learn new skills and build your career. Offers include free .me domains from Namecheap and $100 in Azure credits from Microsoft.

Check back often as new student benefits and offers are added all the time.

Continuing GitHub Education Benefits Post-Graduation

Once you graduate, your GitHub Student benefits will expire after 6 months. However, you can extend your Pro Student access for an additional 6 months if you apply for the GitHub Campus Experts program.

Campus Experts act as student evangelists on campus, organizing tech events and representing GitHub. If accepted into the program, you'll get to keep your Pro Student benefits.

You can also renew Pro Student access by enrolling in a bootcamp, hackathon, or another program that makes you eligible again. Some benefits like Azure credits may still work years after graduating.

Maximizing GitHub Student Tools and Resources

GitHub offers a robust set of native tools and third-party integrations tailored to improve student developer workflows and coding skills. Let's explore some of the key offerings.

Enhancing Code Quality with GitHub Copilot for Students

GitHub Copilot provides AI-powered code suggestions directly within your editor while you code. As a student, you get access to this cutting-edge tool for free.

To enable GitHub Copilot:

Install the Copilot extension in your code editor of choice like Visual Studio Code.
Connect your student GitHub account.
Start coding and observe how Copilot suggests relevant code snippets and entire functions based on context.

With continuous feedback, Copilot will learn your coding style and preferences to provide smarter recommendations over time. This allows students to code faster while improving code quality.

Creating a Professional Portfolio with GitHub Pages

GitHub Pages offers free and fast static web hosting to showcase your projects. As a student, you can create an online portfolio to highlight your coding work including:

Class assignments
Personal projects
Code samples
Resumes

The benefits over traditional portfolios include:

Custom domains
Built-in version control
SEO optimization
Easy collaboration
Developer-friendly workflows

Overall, GitHub Pages streamlines building a professional web presence to share with employers and collaborators.

Integrating GitHub with Third-Party Developer Tools

In addition to GitHub's native offerings, students get exclusive access to developer tools through the GitHub Student Developer Pack.

For example, you can connect GitHub to:

AWS Educate for cloud credits to host full-stack student apps.
Replit for coding, hosting, and collaborating on projects in the cloud IDE.

These integrations enable complete end-to-end workflows for students to code, host, and deploy applications while learning new skills.

Joining the Global Campus for Students

The GitHub Global Campus connects students around the world interested in coding and open source. As a member, you can:

Get coding help from mentors and experts
Attend online events like hackathons
Contribute to documentation translation
Apply for more exclusive GitHub student programs

Joining Global Campus allows you to level up your skills, give back to the community, and unlock special perks and opportunities.

Applying to GitHub Global Campus as a Student

GitHub Global Campus is a program that provides additional resources and opportunities for students interested in growing their skills and connecting with the GitHub community.

Understanding the GitHub Campus Program

The GitHub Campus Program offers several benefits for students, including:

Access to the GitHub Student Developer Pack - This includes free services, tools, and more to help students learn new skills.
Connecting with the GitHub Education community - Students can network and collaborate with peers and mentors.
Participating in GitHub Campus Experts - Students can become campus ambassadors to grow tech communities at their school.
Using GitHub Classroom and Community Exchange - Features to help facilitate technical coursework and foster knowledge sharing.

Overall, the program aims to empower students to keep learning, collaborating, and developing their skills as they prepare for careers in tech.

How to Apply to GitHub Global Campus

Applying to GitHub Global Campus is simple:

Create a free personal GitHub account if you don't already have one.
Verify your student status to unlock access to GitHub Student benefits.
Join the GitHub Education community to connect with other students.
Browse open applications and apply to participate in the GitHub Campus Experts program if interested.

Once these steps are complete, you'll have full access to GitHub Global Campus resources and opportunities as a student.

Engaging with the GitHub Campus Experts Program

The GitHub Campus Experts program allows students to take on leadership roles in growing technical communities at their university. As a campus expert, responsibilities may include:

Organizing hackathons, tech talks, skill-building workshops, and other events.
Maintaining campus social media channels and discussion forums.
Helping onboard new student developers by providing mentorship and guidance.
Reporting back to GitHub about community health, growth opportunities, etc.

Campus experts gain valuable leadership experience and are able to deeply engage with technical communities on campus.

Accessing GitHub Classroom and Community Exchange

GitHub Classroom makes it simple for students to participate in technical coursework on GitHub. Features like automated repository creation and starter code help streamline assignments.

The GitHub Community Exchange allows students to browse technical posts from the community or ask questions themselves. It's a great knowledge sharing platform for developer students.

These tools help reinforce skills and encourage collaboration as students grow into professional developers.

Conclusion: Embracing the Full Spectrum of GitHub Student Access

GitHub offers a robust set of tools and resources for students to advance their coding skills. Here's a recap of the key benefits:

The GitHub Student Developer Pack provides free access to developer tools and services. This allows students to experiment with new technologies for their coding projects.
GitHub Education provides additional benefits like free private repositories, GitHub Partners offers, and access to the GitHub Education community. Teachers and schools can use GitHub Classroom.
Students can join the GitHub Campus Experts and GitHub Campus Advisor programs to develop technical and professional skills while building their network.
GitHub Global Campus allows students to collaborate on projects, participate in hackathons, and connect with professionals from tech companies.

With this spectrum of learning resources, students can level up their skills dramatically. They can build an impressive portfolio to showcase their work and abilities to future employers. GitHub facilitates this journey by removing barriers to entry and connecting students with a global community.

By fully utilizing these GitHub student benefits, you can enrich your coding abilities in a big way. The programs offer structured learning while the tools empower you to experiment freely. Together, they provide diverse opportunities to help advance your developer skills and career.

Categories