Unable to verify university (COMSATS University Islamabad) for Azure for Students via GitHub Student Developer Pack

(SP25-ELC-045) M SHAHWAR 20 Reputation points
2026-07-05T16:59:42.14+00:00

I am trying to activate the Azure for Students offer through my verified GitHub Student Developer Pack. My university, COMSATS University Islamabad (Pakistan), does not appear in the automated verification system, and I received an "Unable to confirm your University ID" error.

My details:

  • Name: Muhammad Shahwar
  • School email: ******@isbstudent.comsats.edu.pk
  • Country: Pakistan
  • University: COMSATS University Islamabad I already have an approved GitHub Student Developer Pack tied to this same school email, which confirms my student status. Could you please manually review my eligibility, or let me know what additional documentation (student ID, enrollment letter) I can provide?
Azure | Azure Training
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Answer accepted by question author
Nathan Roberts (SN) 13,616 Reputation points Student Ambassador Volunteer Moderator
2026-07-05T18:46:45.1266667+00:00

Hey there, (SP25-ELC-045) M SHAHWAR

My university, COMSATS University Islamabad (Pakistan), does not appear in the automated verification system, and I received an "Unable to confirm your University ID" error.

The error “Unable to confirm your University ID” usually means that your institution isn’t listed in Microsoft’s database of Qualified Academic Institutions. This database is used to verify eligibility for Azure for Students and other academic offers. For a university to appear in this system, it must have an active Microsoft Education agreement. If COMSATS University Islamabad isn’t recognised, it likely means they haven’t enrolled in Microsoft’s academic licensing programme.

  • I recommend contacting your university’s IT department and asking whether they:
  • have a Microsoft Education licence, or
  • have applied to be recognised as a Qualified Academic Institution.

If they need more information about eligibility and the verification process, they can refer to Microsoft’s guidance here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/commerce/subscriptions/verify-academic-eligibility?view=o365-worldwide

If you do not have any luck with this, please create a pay-as-you-go subscription here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/purchase-options/azure-account

Once you create a pay-as-you-go, you can create a support request to the Azure billing team through the help and support blade here: https://portal.azure.com/#blade/Microsoft_Azure_Support/HelpAndSupportBlade

You will be able to explain the situation with them and explore any options that may be available to you.

I am trying to activate the Azure for Students offer through my verified GitHub Student Developer Pack

GitHub’s Student Developer Pack and Azure for Students are two completely separate offers, each with its own verification process. A lot of people assume that being verified through GitHub automatically qualifies them for Azure for Students, but that isn’t the case. The GitHub pack simply provides a link to the Azure for Students signup page, it doesn’t grant eligibility. You still need to complete the Azure for Students signup workflow here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/free/students

Azure for Students uses Microsoft’s academic verification system, which checks your institution against Microsoft’s database of qualified academic institutions. This process doesn’t take GitHub verification into account. Whereas GitHub allows you to manually upload your university documents/ID to verify you are a student.

Hope this helps,
Nathan

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