Tutorial: Import Students from Excel
Bulk-enrolling a class from a spreadsheet — the exact column order the importer expects, and why it never reads your headings.
Last updated Sat Sep 05
For more than a handful of students, import the class from a spreadsheet instead of adding them one at a time.
The one thing that catches everyone
The importer reads columns by position, not by heading. It skips your first row on the assumption that it is a header, then reads column A as Student ID, column B as RFID, and so on — whatever your headings actually say.
So a spreadsheet with the right headings in the wrong order imports silently and wrongly. Get the order right and the headings can say anything you like.
The column order
| Column | Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A | Student ID | Digits only, unique across the institute |
| B | RFID | The attendance card number; leave blank if cards come later |
| C | Full Name | |
| D | Date of Birth | YYYY-MM-DD. May be left blank |
| E | Class ID | The Class Name exactly as it appears in Classes |
| F | ||
| G | Mobile Number | Attendance SMS and payment reminders go here |
| H | Address | |
| I | Parent/Guardian | |
| J | Religion | |
| K | Nationality | |
| L | Gender |
Every column after A–C may be left empty. An empty cell imports as empty; it does not stop the row.
Steps
- Prepare the sheet in the column order above, with one header row at the top.
- Open Students → Classes and open the class you are importing into.
- Open the ⋮ More options menu and choose Import Students from Excel.
- Pick your
.xlsxor.xlsfile. - The Imported Data Preview table appears, showing every row exactly as the importer read it. This is the checkpoint — scroll across and confirm the values landed under the right headings. If names are showing up under "Date of Birth", your column order is wrong: cancel, fix the sheet, and start again.
- Confirm to save.
If you see Unable to import Excel file. Please try again., the file could not be parsed at all — usually a .csv renamed to .xlsx, or a file still open in Excel.
After importing
- Students imported without an RFID will not register attendance until a card number is added. Fill them in by editing each student, or re-import once cards are issued.
- Verify the count on the class roster matches your sheet before moving on.