> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.lena.africa/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Managing Students
> How to add, import, edit, and remove students from your school on Lena.
The User Directory gives you a central place to view, search, and organize every
student at your school. This guide covers adding students one at a time,
importing them in bulk, editing profiles, and removing students who have left.
**Before you begin:** You need an existing school with an academic structure
configured. See [Academic Structure](/school/academic-structure).
***
## Viewing students
1. Go to **User Directory** → **Students** in the sidebar
2. You'll see a table of all students with their details
### Searching and filtering
Use the search bar and filters to find specific students:
* **Search** by name or email
* **Filter** by grade (K-12 (primary and secondary school)) or
faculty/department (university)
***
## Adding a student individually
Click the **Add Student** button at the top of the student directory. The add student dialog opens.
Fill in the required information:
| Field | Description |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **First name** | Student's given name |
| **Last name** | Student's surname |
| **Email** | Student's email address (used for login) |
Additionally, select:
* **Grade** — The student's class level
* **Arm** — The student's arm (class section)
Additionally, enter:
* **Faculty** — Student's faculty
* **Department** — Student's department
* **Level** — Student's academic level (e.g., 100, 200)
* **Matriculation number (matric number)** — Student's unique enrollment identifier
Click **Save**. A confirmation message appears and the student is added to your directory. They'll receive an email invitation to set up their account (if they don't already have one).
***
## Bulk import via Excel
For adding many students at once, use the Excel import feature.
Click the **Import** button in the student directory. The import dialog opens.
Create an Excel spreadsheet (`.xlsx`) with the required columns, or download our ready-made template. The first row must contain the column headers, and each subsequent row represents one student. The exact columns depend on your school type:
📥 Download K-12 student import template
| Column | Required | Description |
| --------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Student ID** | Yes | Student's unique ID number (e.g., admission number or roll number) |
| **First Name** | Yes | Student's given name |
| **Last Name** | Yes | Student's surname |
| **Section** | Yes | The school section (e.g., "Primary", "Junior Secondary", "Senior Secondary") |
| **Grade/Class** | Yes | The class level within the section (e.g., "1", "2", "3") |
| **Arm** | Yes | The student's arm or class section (must match an existing arm in the grade) |
| **Email** | No | Student's email address (optional for K-12) |
**Example spreadsheet:**
| Student ID | First Name | Last Name | Section | Grade/Class | Arm | Email |
| ------------ | ---------- | --------- | ---------------- | ----------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| ADM/2024/001 | Ada | Okafor | Junior Secondary | 1 | Arm A | [ada@example.com](mailto:ada@example.com) |
| ADM/2024/002 | Chidi | Nnamdi | Junior Secondary | 1 | Arm B | |
| ADM/2024/003 | Fatima | Ibrahim | Senior Secondary | 2 | Science | [fatima@example.com](mailto:fatima@example.com) |
📥 Download university student import template
| Column | Required | Description |
| ----------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Matric Number** | Yes | Student's matriculation number (unique enrollment ID) |
| **First Name** | Yes | Student's given name |
| **Last Name** | Yes | Student's surname |
| **Faculty** | Yes | Student's faculty (must match an existing faculty in your school) |
| **Department** | Yes | Student's department (must match an existing department under the specified faculty) |
| **Level** | Yes | Student's academic level (e.g., 100, 200, 300) |
| **Email** | No | Student's email address (optional) |
**Example spreadsheet:**
| Matric Number | First Name | Last Name | Faculty | Department | Level | Email |
| ------------- | ---------- | --------- | ----------- | ---------------- | ----- | ----------------------------------------- |
| CSC/2023/001 | Ada | Okafor | Science | Computer Science | 200 | [ada@example.com](mailto:ada@example.com) |
| MEE/2024/015 | Chidi | Nnamdi | Engineering | Mechanical | 100 | |
* Column headers must match **exactly** as shown above (e.g., `First Name`, not `Firstname` or `first_name`)
* The file must be in `.xlsx` format (Excel workbook)
* Sections, grades, arms, faculties, and departments must already exist in your school's [academic structure](/school/academic-structure)
* Email addresses (if provided) must be valid and unique — no duplicates
Select your `.xlsx` file and upload it. Lena reads the spreadsheet and validates each row.
Lena validates the data and shows a preview:
* **Valid rows** — Students that will be imported successfully
* **Errors** — Rows with problems (invalid email, missing field, duplicate, etc.)
Review the preview, fix any errors in your spreadsheet if needed, and confirm the import. A confirmation message appears and the imported students are added to your directory.
***
## How imported accounts work
When you import students via Excel, Lena **automatically creates accounts** for
them. Here's what happens:
### Usernames
Lena generates a username for each student using the first available option from
this priority list:
1. **Email prefix** — The part before `@` in their email (e.g.,
`ada.okafor@school.edu` becomes `ada.okafor`)
2. **Student ID / Matric number** — The identifier from the spreadsheet (e.g.,
`ADM/2024/001` or `CSC/2023/001`)
3. **firstname.lastname** — Their name in lowercase (e.g., `ada.okafor`)
4. **firstname.lastname.xxxx** — If the above is already taken, a random
4-character suffix is added (e.g., `ada.okafor.k7m2`)
### Default passwords
The default password for each imported student is their **last name in
lowercase**. For example, a student named "Ada Okafor" would have the password
`okafor`.
### Distributing login credentials
After a successful import, Lena returns a list of credentials (username and
password) for all newly created accounts. **No email notification is sent
automatically** — you'll need to distribute these credentials to your students
yourself (e.g., printed handouts, secure messaging).
Encourage students to **change their default password** after their first
login via the profile settings. Students with email addresses can also use
the **Forgot Password** flow to set their own password.
Students imported **without an email address** can only reset their password
while logged in. They cannot use the Forgot Password flow since it requires
an email. Make sure to communicate their credentials securely.
***
## Editing a student
To update a student's information:
1. Find the student in the directory
2. Click the **Edit** button on their row
3. Update the relevant fields (name, email, grade, department, etc.)
4. Save changes
***
## Removing a student
To remove a student from your school:
1. Find the student in the directory
2. Click the **Delete** or **Remove** button
3. Confirm the removal
Removing a student deletes their school profile and disconnects them from
all courses at your school. Their Lena account still exists — they just
won't be associated with your school anymore.
***
## Troubleshooting
* Check that column headers match **exactly** as documented (e.g., `First
Name` not `Firstname` or `first_name`) - Make sure the file is a `.xlsx`
file (not `.csv` or `.xls`) - Verify that all sections, grades, arms,
faculties, and departments in the spreadsheet exist in your school's
[academic structure](/school/academic-structure) - Remove any empty rows at
the end of the spreadsheet - Make sure data is on the **first (active)
sheet** of the workbook
Review the error report — common issues include: - **Invalid email format**
— Check for typos in email addresses - **Duplicate email or ID** — The
student may already exist in your school - **Grade/arm not found** — The
specified grade or arm doesn't exist in your school structure (create it
first in [Academic Structure](/school/academic-structure)) -
**Faculty/department not found** — The specified faculty or department
doesn't exist (create it first)
***
## Related guides
* [Managing Teachers](/school/managing-teachers) — add and manage teacher
accounts
* [Academic Structure](/school/academic-structure) — set up grades, departments,
and sessions
* [Creating Your School](/school/creating-your-school) — if you haven't set up
your school yet
* [Glossary](/general/glossary) — definitions of arm, matric number, and other
terms