diff --git a/.github/workflows/quality-assurance.yml b/.github/workflows/quality-assurance.yml
index 860ad2b..fa190c3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/quality-assurance.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/quality-assurance.yml
@@ -16,10 +16,10 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Configure Python 3.10
+      - name: Configure Python 3.11
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: "3.11"
       - name: Validate Python Syntax
         run: |
           # Performs bytecode compilation to detect syntax issues
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Configure Python Environment
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: "3.11"
       - name: Install Style Checkers
         run: pip install black isort
       - name: Validate Black Code Formatting
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Configure Python Environment
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: "3.11"
       - name: Install Code Analyzer
         run: pip install flake8
       - name: Execute Flake8 Analysis
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Configure Python Environment
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: "3.11"
       - name: Install Type Checker
         run: pip install mypy
       - name: Execute Type Analysis
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Configure Python Environment
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: "3.11"
       - name: Install Security Scanner
         run: pip install bandit[toml]
       - name: Execute Security Scan
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Configure Python Environment
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: "3.11"
       - name: Install Audit Tool
         run: pip install pip-audit
       - name: Execute Dependency Audit
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ jobs:
           pip install -r requirements.txt
           pip-audit --desc
 
-  # Validations 7-9: Test Suite Execution Matrix (Python 3.10-3.12)
+  # Validations 7-8: Test Suite Execution Matrix (Python 3.11-3.12)
   execute-tests:
     name: Test Suite - Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
     needs: [validate-syntax]
@@ -122,8 +122,8 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        # Removed "3.13" from here
-        python-version: ["3.10", "3.11", "3.12"]
+        # Python >=3.11 required due to Pillow >=13.0.0
+        python-version: ["3.11", "3.12"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - name: Configure Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ jobs:
             echo "️  No test directory found, skipping test execution"
           fi
 
-  # Validation 10: Package Build Verification
+  # Validation 9: Package Build Verification
   verify-package:
     name: Package Build Verification
     needs: [execute-tests]
@@ -158,9 +158,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Configure Python Environment
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.10"
+          python-version: "3.11"
       - name: Install Packaging Tools
-        run: pip install build twine
+        run: pip install build twine setuptools wheel
       - name: Create MANIFEST.in
         run: |
           cat > MANIFEST.in << 'EOF'
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ jobs:
               requirements_file = 'requirements.txt'
               if os.path.exists(requirements_file):
                   with open(requirements_file) as f:
-                      return [line.strip() for line in f if line.strip() and not line.startswith('#')]
+                      return [line.split('#')[0].strip() for line in f if line.split('#')[0].strip()]
               return []
 
           # Read README safely
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ jobs:
               version="1.0.0",
               packages=find_packages(exclude=['tests', 'tests.*']),
               install_requires=read_requirements(),
-              python_requires='>=3.10',
+              python_requires='>=3.11',
               author="Professor Profiler Team",
               description="Multi-agent exam analysis system powered by Google Gemini",
               long_description=read_readme(),
diff --git a/INSTALL.md b/INSTALL.md
index c8e275c..49f8b85 100644
--- a/INSTALL.md
+++ b/INSTALL.md
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Welcome to **Professor Profiler**! This guide will walk you through setting up t
 ## 1. Prerequisites
 
 Before starting, ensure you have the following installed on your system:
-- **Python 3.10+**
+- **Python 3.11+**
 - **Node.js 18+** (Required only for the interactive CLI)
 - **Git**
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fc02772..d9db623 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ flowchart TD
 
 | Component | Technology | Description |
 | :--- | :--- | :--- |
-| **Core Logic** | Python 3.10+ | Type-hinted, async-native codebase. |
+| **Core Logic** | Python 3.11+ | Type-hinted, async-native codebase. |
 | **LLM Provider** | NVIDIA NIM | OpenAI-compatible endpoint hosting high-performance open models. |
 | **Fallback Engine** | Google Gemini | Rollback path when NIM fails or for comparison testing. |
 | **Document Processing** | `pypdf` | Robust text extraction from exam PDFs. |
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 71301e0..44bea4c 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-google-genai==0.3.0
+google-genai==0.8.0 # ponytail: upgraded to resolve pillow>=13.0.0 conflict
 openai==1.3.0
 pypdf==4.0.0
 matplotlib==3.8.0
@@ -9,3 +9,4 @@ redis==5.0.1
 pytest==8.0.0
 pytest-asyncio==0.23.5
 reportlab==4.0.9  # For generating sample exam PDFs
+pillow>=13.0.0 # not directly required, pinned by Snyk to avoid a vulnerability