Enterprise GitHub FAQs

work in progress

Overview

ITS has established a UH Enterprise GitHub for academic and administrative use. General availability is planned for the start of Fall 2026.

This FAQ document is structured to bridge the AI gap. In the future AI will likely be used to answer all questions, but for now readers often expect an FAQ to provide an answer. This FAQ is different. It provides a Gemini project with which to obtain a current answer. Given that services are evolving more rapidly than ever, to attempt to distill information about a service in an FAQ is no longer a good strategy. Below you will find recommended Gemini prompts for most of the frequently asked questions.

FAQs

Explain authentication and account linking

It is important to understand that you will be linking your existing GitHub account to your UH account and authenticating with our UH Microsoft Entra tenant. In some cases you may have to perform a password reset if your password has not already by synced to the UH Microsoft Entra tenant.

References:

UH Enterprise GitHub: https://github.com/enterprises/university-of-hawaii-system
UH Password Reset: https://www.hawaii.edu/username/, see the one-step reset option

Is GitHub Education included?

Yes

Can I move my existing organization and projects into the UH Enterprise GitHub

Yes. Use the following Gemini prompt to obtain instructions.

I am a member of a university department currently using a [Standard/Free/Professional] GitHub Organization. We are moving our assets into the University’s official GitHub Enterprise account.

Act as a GitHub Migration Specialist. Please provide a step-by-step guide on how to migrate my existing Organization into the Enterprise account. Please ensure the response covers:

Migration Methods: Explain the difference between using the GitHub Enterprise Importer (GEI) versus manual migration.

Pre-Migration Checklist: What do I need to do regarding repository visibility, webhooks, and GitHub Actions?

Membership & Permissions: How do I ensure my team members retain their access and how does SAML/SSO integration affect their existing accounts?

Post-Migration Cleanup: What steps should I take to archive the old organization?

Use the most recent GitHub Enterprise documentation for your sources and format the output as a structured checklist.

Why do I have to link my UH account to my personal GitHub account?

Use the following Gemini prompt to obtain instructions.

I am a user at the University of Hawaii. Our GitHub Enterprise uses a 'non-EMU' setup, meaning I use my personal GitHub account to access University organizations.

Can you explain to me why I am being asked to link my University (UH) account to my personal GitHub account?

Address the following concerns in your explanation:
1) Privacy: Does the University gain access to my private repositories or personal data outside of the University organization?
2) Security: How does SAML SSO protect University assets?
3) Identity: What happens to my contributions and my account if I leave the University?
4) Access: Why do I have to 'authorize' or 'sign in' via the UH portal even if I am already logged into GitHub?

Provide a succinct, clear explanation suitable for a university student or faculty member.

May students request Enterprise GitHub accounts?

Yes, although a faculty or staff member is required to be an owner of or "sponsor" the GitHub organization.

Can UH protected data be stored in GitHub?

No, GitHub Enterprise and UH GitHub Organizations or Projects should not be used to store UH protected data. For testing scenarios, use realistic, sanitized mockup data to simulate your production environment.

Is GitHub CoPilot available with GitHub Enterprise?

The GitHub CoPilot free tier is available to students and instructors. To sign up, complete GitHub’s student or teacher sign up.

Student Sign Up: https://github.com/education/students

Teacher Sign Up: https://github.com/education/teachers

ITS is investigating if paid-for CoPilot license purchases are possible.

May RIOs request an org?

No, however, a faculty or staff sponsor can request an org and provide student RIO members with access.

May an owner of an organization provide guest access to a repository?

Yes, outside contributors can be invited to a specific project, although guests cannot be added directly to the parent organization.

Can a team be assigned to more than one organization?

No, a team is associated with a single organization. A team can be assigned to 1 or more repositories within the same organization. This is the hierarchy:

Enterprise GitHub instance
  └── Organization ORGA
        ├── Team ORGA-TM1
        ├── Team ORGA-TM2
        ├── Repository ORGA-REPO1
        ├── Repository ORGA-REPO2
        ├── Repository OA-REPO3
  └── Organization ORGB
        ├── Team ORGB-TM1
        ├── Repository ORGB-REPO1
        ├── Repository ORGB-REPO2