Clarification on Transitioning from Paid GitHub Copilot Pro to Student Developer Pack Subscription

[ahmad-naghavi-ozu]

Hi everyone,

I initially subscribed to GitHub Copilot Pro as a paid user. Recently, I discovered that the GitHub Student Developer Pack includes access to GitHub Copilot for free for students and other academicians. I applied for the pack with a valid certificate from my university, and my application was approved just an hour ago.

Currently, I appear to have access to the Pro version under the GitHub Education subscription. However, I am uncertain if my previous paid subscription still incurs charges. To address this, I canceled my original subscription (which included a one-month free trial) that was linked to my debit card.

I’m now questioning whether this cancellation was the correct course of action. My free trial is still active, and I’m unsure what will happen when it ends. Will the GitHub Education benefits, including free Copilot access, automatically take over once the trial concludes? Or is there something additional I need to do to ensure a seamless transition?

Your guidance on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Ahmad

[Himavanthkumar]

Hi Ahmad, canceling your original paid GitHub Copilot Pro subscription was the right move to prevent any unwanted charges. Since your GitHub Student Developer Pack, which includes free Copilot access, has been approved, GitHub should automatically apply these education benefits once your free trial ends.

[ahmad-naghavi-ozu]

Thank you so much for your comment, @Himavanthkumar!

I noticed in the Billing Summary of my account (as shown in the attached screenshot) that there is a GitHub Coupon for $4.00 off/month, which expires on Jan 09, 2027. The discount seems to apply specifically to GitHub Pro.

I’m a bit confused, though! Is it possible that this discount got applied to my account because I purchased a GitHub Copilot Pro subscription prior to applying for the GitHub Education Developer Pack? Or could this be something entirely different?

Additionally, I’m unsure what will happen when my one-month free trial ends on Jan 28, 2025. Will there be any changes to my subscription or billing?

However! After doing some research, I came across the following explanation:

• GitHub Pro: Offers enhanced features for repository management and collaboration.
• GitHub Copilot Pro: An AI-powered tool for writing and optimizing code directly in your development environment.

If this distinction is accurate, I’m assuming that my GitHub Education Pack covers Copilot Pro, and I don’t need to worry about the cancellation of my initial subscription.

Could anyone confirm if this assumption is correct or provide further clarification? Thanks in advance for your help! 😊

[bryantguang]

Hi @ahmad-naghavi-ozu .
I have exactly the same problem like you that I wanted to clarify. I had copilot pro free trial previously and just applied to github education packed. I got approved and got the email notifying my benefits is ready. I did exactly the same as what you did, I canceled my previous copilot pro subscriptiong, and would like to know if the student benefit of copilot pro will be applied automatically once my previous free trial finished. Can you update me on your situation?