GitHub Education application rejected due to campus network routing — Tsinghua University network is routed outside the GFW, causing false VPN detection

[Kemuda]

Hi everyone,

I'm a student at Tsinghua University in China, and I've applied for GitHub Education benefits four times — all of which were rejected. The rejection message suggests that my location or VPN usage may be the issue, but I am not using any VPN.

Here's the unique situation I'm facing:

Tsinghua University operates a special campus network that routes traffic through international links by default. This means the campus network itself is effectively "outside the Great Firewall" (GFW). As a result, when I connect to the campus network, I cannot access GitHub at all — the connection is blocked or fails.

This creates a catch-22:

• Without a VPN, I use the campus network → GitHub is inaccessible.
• • To access GitHub (and therefore to apply for GitHub Education), I must disconnect from the campus network or use a different network.
    When I submit my application, I'm doing so from a network that allows GitHub access — but GitHub Education's system may be flagging this as suspicious (e.g., detecting it as a VPN or proxy), even though it is simply a regular residential/mobile network in China.

I have applied four times and been rejected each time. I'm a legitimate student at Tsinghua University and would very much appreciate guidance on how to get my application approved given these unusual network circumstances.

Could the GitHub Education team please review my case or advise on the best way to proceed? Are there alternative verification steps I can take, or a way to manually review my application?

Thank you!

[AnandPandey]

Hey @Kemuda,

This is a genuinely tricky situation, but you're not alone — several students from Chinese universities face the same catch-22. Here's practical advice to get your application approved:

Why you're being rejected:
GitHub Education's system checks your network during the application to verify your location matches your school. When you apply from a residential/mobile network (because campus blocks GitHub), the system sees an IP that doesn't match Tsinghua's campus range — and flags it as a potential VPN or proxy, even though it isn't one.

What to do:

1. Strengthen your document proof
Since your network situation is unusual, make your documents undeniable. Submit all of these together:

• A current student ID card (with name + school clearly visible)
• An official enrollment certificate or transcript with a current date
• Your school email (@tsinghua.edu.cn) — make sure it's set as your primary/verified email on GitHub before applying

2. Use your school email as GitHub's primary email
This is critical. Go to GitHub Settings > Emails and make sure your @tsinghua.edu.cn email is verified and set as primary. This alone significantly boosts approval chances as it directly proves academic affiliation.

3. Complete your GitHub profile
Before reapplying, make sure your GitHub profile has:

• Your real full name (matching your documents)
• Your school listed in the bio
• Some activity/repositories (not a brand new empty account)

4. Apply from a consistent network
Each time you apply, try to use the same network (e.g., always your mobile data). Switching networks between attempts looks more suspicious to automated systems.

5. Contact GitHub Education directly
Since you've been rejected 4 times due to a network issue outside your control, this qualifies for manual review. Email them at:
education@github.com

In your email, explain exactly what you explained here — that Tsinghua's campus network routes outside the GFW making GitHub inaccessible on campus, and that you're forced to apply from a residential/mobile network. Be clear, polite, and attach your student documents.

The key point to communicate to GitHub: This is an infrastructure limitation of your university's network, not VPN usage. Manual review is your best path forward given the automated system's limitations in this specific case.

Good luck — you have a legitimate case and it should get resolved!