Skip to content

Education Program

Free Gitea Enterprise for Education

Non-profit educational institutions officially recognized or approved by the relevant education authority can apply for annual licenses for teaching, internal collaboration, and non-commercial academic use.

Apply for reviewExplore Gitea Enterprise

Licenses are issued for 12 months and can be renewed annually after eligibility review.

Who it is for

The program is designed for non-profit K-12 schools, colleges, and universities that are officially recognized or approved as educational institutions.

  • Teaching Git, software engineering, or DevOps in the classroom
  • Running student labs, project repositories, and capstone work
  • Supporting non-commercial academic research collaboration

What is included

Approved institutions receive a complimentary Gitea Enterprise license tailored to their academic deployment.

  • A no-cost Gitea Enterprise license for 12 months
  • Annual renewal when eligibility and usage still qualify
  • Self-hosted deployment for approved educational use
  • Community technical support only; commercial support is not included

What to prepare

A short review upfront helps us confirm eligibility quickly and consistently across regions.

  1. 1Institution name, website, and country
  2. 2A link or document showing education authority recognition or license
  3. 3Confirmation of non-profit status
  4. 4Applicant name, role, and institutional email address
  5. 5Expected user count and a short usage summary
  6. 6Acknowledgement that only community support is included

Eligibility

Who can apply

Our education program is open to non-profit educational institutions that are officially recognized, authorized, accredited, licensed, or otherwise approved by the relevant education authority, including both K-12 and higher education.

Eligible institutions

  • Primary and secondary schools officially recognized, authorized, licensed, or otherwise approved by the relevant education authority
  • Colleges, universities, and similar higher education institutions with accreditation or equivalent official recognition where applicable
  • Institutions whose primary purpose is teaching enrolled students
  • Non-profit educational institutions
  • Applications submitted by full-time faculty or staff using an institutional email address

Not covered by this program

  • For-profit training companies, commercial bootcamps, or private coaching businesses
  • Organizations that are not officially recognized, authorized, accredited, licensed, or otherwise approved by the relevant education authority
  • Requests submitted only by students, alumni, or external consultants
  • Commercial software delivery, paid hosting, or revenue-generating customer services
  • Administrative or business functions unrelated to teaching, learning, or academic research

Permitted use

What the license can be used for

  • Coursework, classroom exercises, and repository-based teaching
  • Student group projects, labs, capstones, and supervised academic work
  • Internal school collaboration directly related to teaching and learning
  • Non-commercial academic research and internal collaboration related to instruction
  • Departmental use that directly supports the academic mission of the institution

Before you apply

What we will ask you to confirm

  • Proof of institutional recognition, authorization, accreditation, license, or equivalent official approval
  • Confirmation that the institution is non-profit
  • For higher education, accreditation or equivalent official recognition where applicable
  • For primary and secondary schools, official authorization or recognition by the relevant education authority
  • A short description of expected users, deployment scope, and intended academic usage
  • Agreement to renew annually and notify us if eligibility or usage changes

How it works

Application and renewal

We review every request manually so the license matches the institution and the intended academic use.

1

Submit your request

Contact us with your institution details, academic use case, and the administrator responsible for the deployment.

2

Eligibility review

We verify institution type, nonprofit status, official recognition or approval, and whether the request fits the program scope.

3

License issuance

If approved, we issue an annual Gitea Enterprise license for the reviewed educational deployment.

4

Annual renewal

Before expiration, we re-confirm eligibility and current academic usage so the license can be renewed for another year.

FAQ

Common questions

Application

Can students apply directly?

No. Applications should come from a faculty member, department administrator, or IT staff member using an institutional email address.

Renewal

How long is the license valid?

Education licenses are valid for one year. Renewals are reviewed annually to confirm the institution still qualifies and the usage remains within scope.

Usage

Can the license be used campus-wide?

Yes, when the usage is part of the institution's academic mission. We confirm the expected scope during review so the approved license matches the deployment.

Usage

Is commercial or administrative use allowed?

No. This program is intended for teaching, internal school collaboration, learning, and non-commercial academic research. Commercial activity and unrelated administrative use are outside the program.

Eligibility

What documents might you ask for?

We may request accreditation or equivalent recognition for higher education institutions, and official authorization or recognition for primary and secondary schools, plus nonprofit status and a short note about how Gitea is used.

Eligibility

Do public schools qualify?

Only if they are non-profit educational institutions and are officially recognized or approved by the relevant education authority. Public status alone is not enough if the institution does not meet the program requirements.

Eligibility

Does a school need to be non-profit to apply?

Yes. The Education Program is only available to non-profit educational institutions officially recognized or approved by the relevant education authority.

Support

What kind of support is included?

The Education Program includes community technical support only. It does not include commercial technical support, SLA-backed support, or other paid support services.

Application

Does approval happen automatically?

No. Every request is reviewed manually so we can keep the program fair, sustainable, and aligned with educational use.

Ready to discuss your education deployment?

If your institution has been using Gitea for classes, labs, student projects, or campus-wide collaboration, send us your details and we will review your eligibility for an annual education license.

Start an applicationTalk to our team