Can't use Copilot Student while having the benefit.

[tamerzt7]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Copilot in GitHub

Body

1. I have education benefits
2. I was previously on Copilot Student, then I upgraded to Pro
3. I canceled Pro today, after the April 20 changes
4. I unintentionally activated Copilot Free
5. I'm requesting restoration of Copilot Student access, not a new signup

I'm currently locked into Copilot Free, with no means whatsoever to get back to Copilot Student in settings. I had Copilot Pro from a Pro subscription, which I cancelled today. After that, I had a bug that confused me and thought I wasn't in Copilot Student. I did not see Plan mode available for some reason, although I did see Claude Sonnet's model available. I went to settings to try to check if I had Copilot Student, then I clicked on Start using Copilot Free button and it put me in Copilot Free, of which now I lost access to all Claude models and I have the 50 requests limit and all those limitations. Despite having student benefits still active, there is no way for me to get Copilot Student back, I try to use the links that should grant it to me from the github student website, but it just shows me the overview for my Free subscription, and I think this might have to do with the fact that currently plan upgrades are disabled. I request to either allow students to upgrade back to Copilot Student if they are in Copilot Free or to restore the plan for me individually, any of the two.

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[trueMNOX]

Hey

I ran into the exact same situation and managed to get it resolved. The issue is tied to a recent policy change on April 20, 2026, where GitHub temporarily paused new activations of Copilot Student. Because you canceled Pro and clicked "Free" after that date, the system mistakenly flagged your account as a new sign-up and removed the Student option entirely.

The solution is to contact GitHub Support directly. Self-service won't fix this.

Here is the exact template I used to get it fixed in under 48 hours:

Subject: Manual Restoration Needed: Copilot Student Stuck on Free Plan

Hello Support,

My GitHub Education is Active. I previously had Copilot Pro, canceled it, and accidentally clicked "Start using Copilot Free." I am now locked out of Copilot Student.

I am aware of the April 20 policy change, but I am not a new sign-up. My student eligibility predates this change. Could you please manually revert my account from Copilot Free to Copilot Student on the backend?

Thank you.

Go to GitHub Support and submit a ticket with that text. They have to flip a switch manually on their end. Hope this helps!

[ggondim]

I didn't even clicked the "Sign Up Free" button and I'm stuck on free plan even after student verification before April 20th.

Hi @tamerzt7,

This community is managed by GitHub employees, but it is not a support forum. The only place to go for answers to account-specific questions like this one is opening a ticket on our Support page.

This is a public forum, and the community is unable to assist with nor escalate your ticket, but we can assure you it is in the right place. It will be answered in the order it was received based on our team's resources and the amount of tickets ahead of yours.

As no other Community Discussions team members will be able to provide additional help with account related questions I am going to close this discussion. We appreciate your understanding!