Faculty application repeatedly rejected due to Korean name-order mismatch

[chobass1]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Verification Help & Guidance

Hi everyone,

I am applying for GitHub Education as a Faculty member in South Korea.

My legal name is:

• First/Given name: SEONG IL
• Last/Family name: CHO

My official university Certificate of Employment displays my name in the Korean name order as:
CHO SEONG IL

My GitHub billing information was originally set correctly as:

• First name: SEONG IL
• Last name: CHO

My GitHub public profile name is:
CHO SEONG IL

However, my Faculty application was repeatedly rejected because the system said that my first name and last name did not match my academic affiliation document.

I then tried reversing the billing fields to match the visual order shown on the certificate:

• First name: CHO
• Last name: SEONG IL

but the application was still rejected.

I also logged out and logged back in after updating the information, as instructed.

This appears to be an automated verification issue related to Korean family-name-first ordering.

Could someone please advise how Korean Faculty applicants should format their first and last names for GitHub Education verification, or whether this issue can be manually reviewed?

GitHub username: @chobass1
Application type: Faculty
Country: South Korea

Thank you.

[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. ⭐

[chobass1]

Thank you.

To clarify, this is not only general product feedback. This issue is currently preventing me from completing GitHub Education Faculty verification.

My legal name fields are correctly structured as:

• First/Given name: SEONG IL
• Last/Family name: CHO

However, my official Korean university document displays the name in family-name-first order:
CHO SEONG IL

I would appreciate specific guidance on the correct name format for GitHub Education verification, or whether this case can be reviewed manually.

Thank you.

[JEETJM]

This looks like a legitimate name-order mismatch rather than an eligibility issue.

Since your legal first/given name is SEONG IL and your family name is CHO, I would avoid repeatedly reversing the fields, as that could create an additional mismatch with your legal identity.

I recommend keeping your GitHub account/billing name in the legally correct format and contacting GitHub Education Support for a manual review. In your request, clearly explain that the university certificate uses the Korean family-name-first format (CHO SEONG IL) while your legal name fields are SEONG IL / CHO.

If possible, provide the official Certificate of Employment along with any other document that clearly establishes the same identity. This should give the Education team enough information to distinguish a name-order difference from an actual name mismatch.

Hopefully they can manually verify the application.