Student account list missing cloud opus and sonnet models ?

[preritmalpani]

Select Topic Area

Question

Copilot Feature Area

General

Body

Hi,
I activated my github student account and was working using claude Opus and Claude Sonnet models, but today I see they are not available. Anything that I am doing wrong ? Why these models are removed ?

[Synalix]

GitHub updated the Student plan 2 days ago (March 12), and they've disabled manual model selection for students to keep the service free. You can still use some Copilot models but not the premium ones you mentioned anymore.

As part of this transition, however, some premium models, including GPT-5.4, and Claude Opus and Sonnet models, will no longer be available for self-selection under the GitHub Copilot Student Plan. We know this will be disappointing, but we’re making this change so we can keep Copilot free and accessible for millions of students around the world.

you can read more here

[SIMARSINGHRAYAT]

This is expected behavior following GitHub's March 12, 2026 update to the Student Copilot plan. As part of keeping Copilot free for students globally, premium models including Claude Opus, Claude Sonnet, and GPT-5.4 are no longer available for manual selection on student accounts. You're not doing anything wrong—this is a platform-wide change to maintain free access. Student accounts now have access to other Copilot models that remain available, though with reduced selection compared to paid plans. If you need premium model access, you would need to upgrade to a paid GitHub Copilot subscription. For more details about what models are available under your current plan, check the official GitHub Education announcement in the discussions.

[HAD3V]

Hi! You’re not doing anything wrong — the reason Claude Opus and Claude Sonnet (and even GPT‑5.4) aren’t showing up anymore is that GitHub has removed or deprecated those specific models from the Copilot student plan recently.

[NA-V10]

Hi,

You are not doing anything wrong. This change is happening due to a recent update in GitHub Copilot for students.

Previously, students with the GitHub Student Developer Pack could manually select models such as Claude Opus and Claude Sonnet. However, GitHub recently changed how model access works for student accounts. These models are no longer selectable individually in the model picker.

Instead, GitHub introduced an “Auto mode”, where Copilot automatically chooses the model (Claude, GPT, Gemini, etc.) depending on performance, availability, and rate limits.

So what you are seeing is expected behavior.

What you can do:

Use Auto model selection in Copilot.

Check the model picker settings in VS Code / Copilot Chat to see available models.

If you specifically need Claude Opus or Sonnet, those are more consistently available in paid Copilot plans (Pro / Pro+ / Enterprise) rather than the student plan.

In short:
Your student account is still active, but GitHub changed how premium models are exposed to student users, which is why you no longer see them listed.

[Sonra0]

GitHub Copilot periodically updates the list of available models. Claude Opus and Claude Sonnet were available as preview models, but GitHub has since rotated or removed them from the student plan offering — this has affected many users, not just you.
What You Can Do

1. Check the current available models
   Go to your Copilot settings and see what models are currently listed. GitHub often adds new models over time.
2. Keep an eye on GitHub's changelog
   Model availability updates are usually announced at:

GitHub Changelog
GitHub Copilot Docs

3. Use the currently available alternatives
   In the meantime, models like GPT-4o and Gemini are typically available on the student plan and are solid alternatives for most tasks.
4. Send feedback to GitHub
   If you'd like Claude models restored, you can submit feedback directly through the Copilot interface — GitHub does take model demand into account when deciding which models to offer.

[Niki704]

I just realized Claude Opus and Sonnet disappeared from my student plan. I thought it was a bug in my IDE at first, but turns out GitHub removed them completely.

Look, I get it completely. Serving premium models to millions of free students costs money. But completely removing them doesn't really solve the problem. We students use the free plan because every student can't afford $10 per month. Those who can pay already would upgrade anyway.

Instead of cutting access entirely, why not try something like:

Limit the number of times we can use premium models per day or month
Allow sonnet only, keep opus paid
Set a message limit on premium models
Set regional pricing
Or at least let us pay for claude models for a reasonable pricing while having Student plan.

Honestly, the student plan feels pretty useless now. There's no real difference between using it and just switching to free alternatives.

I really think GitHub should find a middle ground here. It's not just about affordability for me, there are students all over the world where even $10 is a lot of money. Completely removing access seems harsh for a "student developer" program.

[Michael-Z-Freeman]

Great answer. I totally support GitHub's decision to keep the student plan viable. But you make some interesting points.

[preritmalpani]

Many thanks for the contribution. The details helped. I will now try the existing ones with limited options :(

[DRKCTRLDEV]

I don't get why we can't use sonnet or opus when going into our overflow though (spending our actual budget - money), I get that its too pricey to offer them for free but if were still paying for credits that should be allowed?