Free Access to GitHub Copilot for Students

Are you a student searching for ways to enhance your coding skills? Look no further than GitHub Copilot! This AI-powered coding companion suggests code in your editor, making your coding process faster and more efficient. And the best part? As a verified student, you can access GitHub Copilot for free. In this article, we will guide you through the steps to obtain free access to GitHub Copilot as a student and show you how to set it up in your preferred editor. With GitHub Copilot at your fingertips, you’ll be able to elevate your coding skills to new heights and achieve more on your coding journey.

Table of Contents

What is GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is a cloud-based artificial intelligence tool developed by GitHub and OpenAI. It provides developers with autocomplete-style suggestions while writing code. By using GitHub Copilot, you can receive suggestions from an AI pair programmer as you write code. It can provide code suggestions based on the code you start writing or the natural language comments you use to describe the desired operation.

GitHub Copilot can be used with various integrated development environments (IDEs) including Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Neovim, and JetBrains. It is suitable for developers coding in Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, and Go. Individual developers can access this tool by subscribing and paying for it.

GitHub Copilot utilizes machine learning models to provide code suggestions in the editor. It speeds up the coding process, generates code snippets, and offers suggestions for multi-line functions and test code. With GitHub Copilot, developers can write code more quickly, efficiently, and with higher quality.

In summary, GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer tool that helps developers improve efficiency and code quality by providing autocomplete-style code completion and suggestions while writing code.

GitHub Copilot offers the following features:

  • Code Generation: When encountering programming problems described in natural language, Copilot can generate solution code. By describing the problem or requirement, Copilot can automatically generate the corresponding code snippets.
  • Code Translation: Copilot can describe input code in English and translate it into specific programming language code. This enables developers to use natural language for programming and transform it into executable code.
  • Autocompletion: Copilot provides autocompletion functionality, converting code comments into runnable code, autocompleting code blocks and repetitive code snippets, as well as completing entire methods and functions.
  • Accuracy: According to GitHub reports, Copilot’s autocompletion feature is accurate approximately half of the time. For example, for Python function headers, Copilot achieves a 43% accuracy rate in automatically completing the remaining function body code on the first attempt, which increases to 57% after ten attempts.
  • Efficiency Improvement: Copilot’s features assist programmers in navigating unfamiliar coding frameworks and languages, reducing the time spent on reading documentation. This improves development efficiency, allowing developers to code more quickly.

How to Get GitHub Copilot for Free as a Student

1.Establish a GitHub Account:

If you haven’t done so already, go to the GitHub homepage and click on “Sign up” at the top right corner of the screen. Follow the instructions to make an account.

2.Apply for the GitHub Student Developer Pack:

You need to prove your status as a student to access GitHub Copilot for free. Visit the GitHub Education site and click on “Get benefits”. Proceed with the verification process for your student status.

3.Access the Student Benefit:

After you’ve confirmed your student status, go to the GitHub Student Developer Pack page. Find the GitHub Copilot section and click the “Get student benefit” button.

4.Login or Register with GitHub:

 If you’re not signed into GitHub, you’ll be asked to do so. If you don’t have a GitHub account yet, follow the instructions to create one

5.Input Your School Email:

The final step is to input your school email address, the one you used for the GitHub Student Developer Pack registration.

Installing GitHub Copilot On Neovim, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, and Visual Studio Code

To install GitHub Copilot on Neovim, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, or Visual Studio Code, follow these steps:

Neovim:

  1. Launch Neovim.
  2. To install the nvim-copilot plugin, type: Plug ‘https://github.com/ms-jpq/nvim-copilot
  3. Reopen Neovim.
  4. Activate GitHub Copilot by pressing Ctrl+Space.

JetBrains IDEs:

  1. Open the JetBrains IDE.
  2. Access “Preferences” or “Settings.”
  3. Go to “Plugins.”
  4. Search for and install “GitHub Copilot.”
  5. Restart the IDE.
  6. The GitHub Copilot can be activated using Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P.

Visual Studio:

  1. Launch Visual Studio.
  2. Visit “Extensions” > “Manage Extensions.”
  3. Search for and install “GitHub Copilot.”
  4. Reboot Visual Studio.
  5. You can activate GitHub Copilot using Ctrl+. or Ctrl+Shift+Space.

Visual Studio Code:

  1. Open Visual Studio Code.
  2. Search for “GitHub Copilot” in “Extensions.”
  3. Install it.
  4. Restart Visual Studio Code.
  5. Simply start typing code and let GitHub Copilot suggest code snippets.

Remember, GitHub Copilot is a great tool that suggests code snippets to expedite your coding process. However, always scrutinize its suggestions to ensure they are appropriate for your project.

How to verify student status?

Verifying student status for free access to GitHub Copilot primarily involves signing up and validating the GitHub Student Developer Pack.

Firstly, you will need to establish an account on GitHub’s website, if you don’t already have one. From there, you’ll venture to the GitHub Education site to register for the GitHub Student Developer Pack. This pack is a collection of free services and tools designed for students, GitHub Copilot being one of them.

During the registration process for the GitHub Student Developer Pack, you will be required to prove your valid student status. This typically involves submitting a school-issued email address or another form of official, dated proof of enrollment. The GitHub team will review the documentation you submit and confirm your student status after verification.

Once your status is verified, you’re ready to start using GitHub Copilot for free. You’ll connect your GitHub account to Copilot and start incorporating it into your coding workflow according to the relevant guidelines.

It’s worth noting that the GitHub Student Developer Pack is open to students aged 13 and over who are enrolled in a degree or diploma-granting course of study. This means it’s not only an excellent resource for university and graduate students but high school students as well. GitHub Copilot is a powerful tool that can effectively boost coding efficiency for both beginners and experienced developers alike.

Conclusion:

GitHub Copilot offers students a valuable opportunity to enhance their coding abilities at no cost. As a powerful assistant, GitHub Copilot leverages AI technology to provide real-time suggestions and support while writing code. Students can write code more efficiently and continuously improve their programming skills through collaboration with Copilot. Whether you are at the early stages of learning programming or pursuing more advanced projects, GitHub Copilot can offer assistance and guidance. So, don’t hesitate, take advantage of the free access to GitHub Copilot and embark on your learning journey to explore the fascinating world of coding!

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