Transfer GitHub Student Pack to New Account

[sarausal]

Hi everyone,

I am a student and had previously applied for the GitHub Student Developer Pack using my university email.
However, I lost access to my old GitHub account because I was unable to pass the two-factor authentication step, and therefore I can no longer use that account.

I have now created a new GitHub account and linked my university email to it. But when I try to reapply for the Student Pack, I receive the message that this email has already been accepted.

Could you please help me transfer the Student Pack eligibility from my old, inaccessible account to my new account? I am happy to provide any verification of my student status if required.

Thanks for your help.

[samus-aran]

Hi @sarausal

We would recommend you reach out to the Support team as they are the only ones that can answer and resolve. So please do contact Account or billing issues Support and they will explain the details of this message. 👍

[sarausal]

Thank you for your response. I had initially trouble contacting Support directly, but I was able to submit a request successfully now.
Appreciate your help!

[KaranParmarr]

hi @sarausal

1. GitHub does not allow the automated transfer of student benefits between accounts, especially if the original account is locked by 2FA.
3. You must first remove the university email from your old account; if you cannot log in, you must wait for the old verification to expire (usually after 6 months to 1 year).
5. Try applying on your new account by selecting "I do not have a school-issued email" and uploading a photo of your physical Student ID instead of using the flagged email.
7. If the system blocks the new application, you must contact GitHub Support to request they "unlink" your academic identity from the inaccessible username.
9. Emphasize in your ticket that you have lost 2FA access and provide a photo of your ID to prove you are the same person associated with that university domain.

[neha-bytedev]

Hey! I've seen this issue come up a few times in the community, and the good news is — it's totally fixable. Here's what I'd suggest:

Step 1: Try recovering your old account first
Before anything else, try GitHub's account recovery options. Go to GitHub.com → Sign in → "Forgot password" and use your university email. If 2FA is the blocker, GitHub has a recovery process using your saved recovery codes. Check if you ever saved those (sometimes they're in your Downloads folder or a notes app).

Step 2: If account recovery isn't possible, contact GitHub Support directly
Head over to https://support.github.com and submit a ticket explaining:

• You lost access to your old account due to 2FA issues
• Your university email is already linked to that old account
• You need the Student Pack eligibility transferred to your new account

[ninjacode911]

The Problem

• You had the Student Developer Pack on your old account
• You lost 2FA access and can't log into that old account anymore
• You created a new account and linked your university email
• But GitHub says the email has already been accepted — it's still tied to the old account's Student Pack approval

Important Reality Check

GitHub does not support automated transfers of Student Developer Pack benefits between accounts. This requires manual intervention from GitHub
Support. There's no self-service option for this.

Step-by-Step Fix

1 — Try recovering your old account first (before doing anything else)

This is the simplest path if it works:

• Go to https://github.com/login → click "Forgot password?" → enter your university email
• If 2FA is the blocker, check if you have your recovery codes saved somewhere — Downloads folder, notes app, password manager, email (GitHub
  sends them when you first enable 2FA)
• If you set up 2FA with an authenticator app and still have the phone, check if the TOTP entry is still there
• If you used SMS-based 2FA and still have the same phone number, try that

If any of these work, you can just log back into your old account and keep using the Student Pack there. No transfer needed.

2 — If recovery is impossible, contact GitHub Support

Go to: https://support.github.com/contact

Select: Account & Security or Billing

In your message, include:

▎ "I lost access to my old GitHub account [old-username] because I can no longer pass two-factor authentication. I do not have my recovery codes.

▎ I have created a new account [new-username] and linked my university email, but the Student Developer Pack application says the email has
already been accepted (on the old account).

▎ I am requesting one of the following:
▎ 1. Help recovering my old account, OR
▎ 2. Unlinking my university email from the old account so I can apply fresh on my new account

▎ I am happy to provide verification of my identity and student status. My university email is [your-email]."

Attach proof of identity and student status — student ID, enrollment letter, etc.

3 — Alternative while waiting for Support

If you need Copilot or other Student Pack benefits urgently and Support is taking time:

• Try applying on the new account using "I don't have a school-issued email" and upload your student ID instead
• This bypasses the email check entirely and goes through document-based verification
• It may or may not work depending on whether GitHub's system blocks the application at the email level or the verification level

4 — Preventing this in the future

Once you get access sorted out:

• Save your 2FA recovery codes in a safe place (password manager, printed copy, secure cloud storage)
• Add a backup email to your GitHub account
• Set up multiple 2FA methods if possible (authenticator app + phone number)
• Consider using a password manager that supports TOTP codes (like Bitwarden or 1Password) so your 2FA isn't tied to a single device

What To Expect

• GitHub Support typically responds within a few business days
• They will likely ask you to verify your identity (student ID, matching name, etc.)
• They may either help you recover the old account or unlink the email so you can reapply on the new one
• They won't "transfer" the pack directly — they'll reset things so you can apply fresh

The Bottom Line

You can't do this yourself. GitHub Support is the only path. Submit a clear, specific ticket explaining the 2FA lockout and asking them to unlink
your email from the inaccessible account. In the meantime, try document-based verification as a workaround.