Course seat limits let you cap enrollment on a course, so Thinkific automatically stops new purchases and sign-ups once the course is full. Set the total number of seats you want to offer, and Thinkific keeps count for you.
What's New
- Limit how many learners can enroll in a course without checking enrollment counts by hand or building an outside automation.
- Avoid overselling: if two learners try to buy the last seat at the same time, only one purchase goes through and the other learner is stopped before being charged.
- Close a full course automatically: when the last seat is taken, Thinkific sets the course to Private and Hidden for you.
- Stay in control of your own enrollments: you see a warning when you enroll learners past the limit, but you are never blocked.
Applies to
- Plan: Thinkific Plus
- Platform: Web (admin settings)
- Products: Courses
How Course Seat Limits Work
You set a total number of seats on a course. Each enrollment uses one seat, including enrollments you add as an admin and free trials that haven’t expired. Unassigned seats in a group order also count, including group orders for a bundle or membership that contains the course. Deactivated learners don’t use a seat. Unenrolling a learner or an enrollment expiring frees one up.
When the last seat is taken, Thinkific automatically sets the course to Private and Hidden. The course no longer appears on your site, and new learners can’t buy or enroll. Learners who are already enrolled keep their access. At checkout, learners see that the course is sold out.
When a seat becomes available, Thinkific automatically reopens a course it closed because it was full by clearing Private and Hidden:
- If you raise the seat limit or turn off Limit seats, the course reopens right away.
- If you unenroll a learner or an enrollment expires, the course reopens shortly afterward.
- If you lower the seat limit so the course is already full, Thinkific sets it to Private and Hidden right away.
A seat is held for a learner for a short time while they pay. This is how Thinkific prevents two learners from buying the last seat. If the last seat is taken while a learner is checking out, they see a sold-out notice and aren’t charged.
How to Set a Seat Limit on a Course
- From your Admin Dashboard, go to Products
- Select Courses
- Hover over your desired course and select Manage
- Select the Course settings button
- Select Seat limits
- Toggle on Limit seats
- Under Total seats, enter the maximum number of learners who can hold a seat
- Select Save settings
Under Total seats, you can see how many seats are in use, for example "12 of 30 seats purchased." The count includes learners you enrolled as an admin. If you enter a number lower than the seats already in use, you will see a warning, prompting you to either unenroll learners from the course or reduce group seats.
How to Change or Remove a Seat Limit
- From your Admin Dashboard, go to Products
- Select Courses
- Hover over your desired course and select Manage
- Select the Course settings button
- Select Seat limits
- Toggle off Limit seats to remove a seat limit, or enter a new limit under Total seats
- Select Save settings
Important Considerations
- A full course reopens automatically when a seat frees up or you raise the limit. You only need to reopen it manually if you want to make it visible while it is still full. A full course still can’t be purchased, even after you clear Private and Hidden.
- If you enter a Total seats number lower than the seats already in use, you see a warning, but you can still save. The course is set to Private and Hidden right away, and no new learners can enroll until enough seats are freed.
- Seats held during checkout count as taken, so the number of open seats can briefly be lower than the number of enrolled learners suggests.
- A learner who opens the direct link to a full course can still see the landing page, but can’t buy or enroll.
- Deactivating a learner frees their seat. You can’t reactivate a learner whose course is at its seat limit. Unenroll another learner first, then reactivate. Learn more: How to Deactivate and Reactivate Users
- Learners on a free trial, and learners claiming an unassigned seat from a group order, can still enroll in a full course that has a seat limit.
- Seat limits apply to courses only. A bundle or membership that contains a full course can’t be purchased, but existing members’ renewals are never refused.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a seat?
Current active enrollments (non-expired), plus unassigned seats in group orders that include the course.
Do learners I enroll as an admin count toward the limit?
Yes, every active enrollment counts toward the limit, including enrollments you add as an admin. You can enroll learners past the limit, and Thinkific shows a warning first.
How does deactivating and reactivating learners work with seat limits?
Deactivated learners don't count toward the seat limit. Reactivating a learner whose enrollment is in a course at its seat limit isn’t possible. Unenroll a learner from the course first, then reactivate. Learn more about deactivating and reactivating learners: How to Deactivate and Reactivate Users
Can a learner who is on a free trial still buy the course?
Yes, a learner on a free trial can purchase the course even when it is full, because their trial already holds a seat.
Related Articles
- Learn more: Private and Hidden Products
- Related: Manually Enroll Students into a Product
- Related: Bulk Enroll and Unenroll Students
- Related: How to Deactivate and Reactivate Users
- Related: TCommerce: Group Orders