URGENT: Systematic Academic Verification Failure

Hi Mohamed,

Thanks for the detailed write-up and for attaching the screenshots that really helps narrow things down.

Based on what you've described (the "Unable to confirm your University ID" error on the Azure portal side, and the "Please contact your IT department to give a license" prompt from Office 365), this is almost certainly a domain-level recognition issue — meaning Innovation University's domain hasn't yet been verified and registered as a Microsoft Qualified Academic Institution (MQAI). Until that's done, individual students won't be able to complete the academic verification flow, regardless of how valid their student credentials are.

Here's the breakdown of what's happening and how to fix it:

Root Cause

Microsoft's student verification system (powered by SheerID) checks whether your university's email domain is in Microsoft's database of verified educational institutions. If the university hasn't gone through the academic eligibility process on their end, the verification will fail every time — even for perfectly eligible students.

What the University IT Team Needs to Do (Priority Action)

This is the most important step, and it needs to happen at the institutional level, not the student level:

1. Start the Microsoft 365 Education free trial using an admin/faculty email at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/education/products/office
2. Complete the Academic Eligibility Verification wizard in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. This registers the university's domain in Microsoft's verified institution database. In most cases approval is instant, but some institutions require a manual review that can take up to 10 business days.
3. Check verification status anytime via: Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Home → Billing card (Status will show as: Approved / Pending / Declined / Add your domain)

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/commerce/subscriptions/verify-academic-eligibility?view=o365-worldwide

What You (the Student) Can Try in the Meantime

While waiting on the IT team, a few things worth trying:

• Use an InPrivate/Incognito browser window and make sure you're fully signed out of any personal or work Microsoft accounts before starting the Azure for Students signup. Mixed account sessions are a common culprit.
• Retry the verification at: https://azure.microsoft.com/free/students/ — use your personal Microsoft account to sign in, then enter your university email when prompted for verification.
• Check the SheerID manual review option if the automated check fails, look for a "Verify another way" or "Upload documents" link on the verification page. You can submit your student ID card or enrollment letter for manual review.
• Make sure your name matches exactly as it appears on your student documents — even minor mismatches can trip up the verification system.

If the IT Team Confirms the Domain is Already Registered

If your university's domain is already verified with Microsoft and the issue persists, the next step is to raise a support ticket directly:

• Students: https://support.microsoft.com/contactus
• IT Admins: Via Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Help & Support → Contact Support (describe it as "Academic eligibility verification failure for student")
• Azure-specific ticket:
  https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/support/create-ticket/

When submitting, include: your university name, the exact error message, your student email domain, and the screenshots you've already captured — those will speed things up considerably.

I know this is frustrating, especially if you're trying to meet a deadline for the MSA program. The good news is that once the IT team gets the domain verified, it should unlock the flow for all students at your institution, not just you.

Thanks,
Manish.