Import Students from File

Our Import Students from File feature is a quick and easy way to add students to your Thinkific account from another platform or database using an XLSX or CSV file!

Preparing Your Import File

Before you can run a bulk import, you will need to make sure you have a spreadsheet prepared. You can download a sample template from your admin account, but clicking on Support Your Students, Users, Import from file.

Click Download the template.

Your import template must have the the following:

A minimum of three columns that include: Email address, First name, and Last name.
- It is important to use plain text only (as shown below) - any text that is hyperlinked or underlined will cause the import to fail.
The first row of your columns must be column header names (ie. first_name, last_name, user_email).
Your file must have an .XLSX (excel sheet) or .CSV extension.
Give your file a unique name as it will be recorded for later use in a User Filter.
Include a maximum of 5000 students. Please split the file into multiple imports or contact support if you are looking to regularly import a larger number of students.

Important Notes About Importing Your .CSV Sheet

Ensure there are no extra commas, periods, blank spaces, or other punctuation marks on your sheet.
For example, if a comma were to be accidentally entered at the end of a student's email address entry, it would cause the .CSV import to display the error message below, until the comma was removed and the sheet was re-imported:
Verify that your email addresses are spelled correctly (e.g. gmail.com instead of gnail.com)
Ensure that you don't have duplicated rows of information contained within your sheet
Your .CSV document must contain ASCII characters only
If you do encounter an error, the column in which the error has occurred will be indicated by a red stop sign with an exclamation point:
This error message means you will need to review the information contained within that column, and update your .CSV to ensure it does not contain any of the errors mentioned above. Once you have done this, you will be able to re-import your sheet.

How to Import Students

Navigate to Support Your Students Users
From the Users page, click on the split key to the right of New User on the top right and select Import From File:
Please review the Guidelines as stated on the page and re-iterated below as there is no cancel option once the import has started:
- New users will be created with Email address, First name, and Last name data. After selecting your import file, you can map which columns from your file to import into each data field.
- Your file must have an .XLSX or .CSV extension. You can chose to download and fill out the template file however we strongly recommend that you save the file with a different name as it will be recorded for use in a User Filter.
- The first row of your columns must be column header names (ie. First name, Last name).
- On import, new users will be created if the email does not already exist in your Thinkific school database.
- If an existing email is found, only the First name and Last name data fields will be updated.
- You will be given the option to confirm the import after mapping the data fields. Please note that there is no delete option, so please be sure your data is correct.
Click on Browse Files button to select .XLSX or .CSV file of students to import:
Select Upload
Once the file is uploaded and processed, you will then have the option to map the columns in your file to the fields necessary in Thinkific. These include First Name, Last Name and Email. This import process will only import those three fields and no other data (such as Custom Fields). It is not currently possible to add additional data fields at this time.
Click on the drop down box for each field to chose the column header that matches your spreadsheet. You will see the first 4 rows of data samples to verify the correct column was selected. After mapping each field, you should see a green check mark to the right of the required field:
Before beginning the import, you have the option to send your Site Welcome Email to each of these imported students. This is helpful in that it includes the Express Sign-In link, which allows the student to set their own password and login. If you do not send the Site Welcome Email, you will need to send your own communication including the Express Sign-In link in order for your students to access their account.

NOTE: The option to send the Site Welcome Email may be unavailable if the global setting for Site Welcome Notification is turned off. You will need to turn this on (and verify the format/edit of the notification) in order to toggle the option to send during the import. You can see more details on enabling and customizing your Site Welcome Email HERE.
Once you confirm the mappings and selection of whether to send the Site Welcome Email is correct, then select Import.
The import will begin to process and you will receive status notifications in the lower left hand corner of your Admin. You can continue to perform other tasks as you wish.
Once the import is completed and you are notified, you can use the below filter to select those users that were imported in that file. Note that the selection of the filter does reference your file name, so its helpful to have a unique name to each file (each import listed will also be appended with the date and time of the import making for easy identification!)

Using this filter, you can then chose to Add to Groups, or Bulk Enroll (or Unenroll) to Courses and Bundles as well as any other bulk action features!

Frequently Asked Questions

How many students can I import at one time?

The Import from File feature is a background process and as such, completion of the task can vary based on number of records affected, the date and time the process is run - as Thinkific is a shared platform amongst all users. We have designed the process to segment large numbers to batches of 500 so as to maintain a healthy system! In addition there is again a maximum of 5,000 students per import. Please split the file into multiple imports or contact support if you are looking to regularly import large number of students.

What happens if I re-import a student who already exists as a user?

If you import a user who already exists in the system, the email first name and last name will be updated if there are any changes. The email address acts as the unique identifier for each user. This means that the import will look for a matching email address and only update the first name and last name associated with that particular email address.

The Site Welcome email will not be sent again for existing users, even if it is enabled. The Site Welcome email can only be triggered on initial creation of the user.

Can I import custom fields?

It is not currently possible to import custom fields or additional data. You can only import First Name, Last Name and Email at this time. If you would like to add your vote to this feature request, please don't hesitate to reach out!