Instructor HelpSkip to start of content.

Prepare a Roster File

Before you upload a roster file to enroll students in your class, make sure that the roster file includes the required information and structure.

Important
Do not upload a roster in WebAssign if your roster is managed in a system outside WebAssign. This includes:
  • K–12 courses managed through NGLSync
  • Courses integrated with a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Blackboard® or Canvas™
Uploading a roster in WebAssign that is managed elsewhere causes syncing problems.

Depending on your school's integration, roster uploading may be disabled in WebAssign.

Important Roster files downloaded from WebAssign can not be uploaded to WebAssign again because the organization and structure of the files is different.

Roster columns for U.S. higher education institutions

Alternatively, see Roster Columns for Institutions Other Than U.S. Higher Education.

Your roster file must include the following columns with the indicated column headings specified in the first row:

Heading Description
email Required: Student's email address is used as the student's username.
firstname Required: Student's given name, up to 32 characters.
lastname Required: Student's surname, up to 32 characters.
password Required: Enter initial passwords for students with no preexisting account. Must be 6-17 characters and include at least one number and one capital letter.
Tip Use an algorithmic formula in your spreadsheet to create unique initial passwords for each student, for example, by concatenating the first four letters of the last name and the last four digits of the student ID.
student id Optional: Student's institutional ID, up to 20 characters.
Note The required roster data must be provided for all students listed in your roster file.

Although still required, passwords and account details are not changed for students with preexisting accounts.

  • Column headings are not case sensitive.
  • Columns can be in any order.
  • Columns with other column headings are ignored.
  • Students can be listed in any order.
  • Student data must not contain empty rows.
  • Student data is case sensitive.

Valid roster file formats

Your roster file must be saved in one of the following formats:

  • .xlsx Excel spreadsheet
  • .xls Excel 1997-2004 spreadsheet
  • .ods OpenDocument spreadsheet
  • .csv comma-delimited text file
  • .tsv tab-delimited text file

Example Roster Spreadsheet

email firstname lastname password student id
dmwhite@example.org Daniel White dW250708 250708
jgrodriguez@example.org John Rodriguez jR340067 340067
mrallen@example.org Mary Allen mA242052 242052
psgarcia@example.org Patricia Garcia pG306586 306586
bsnguyen@example.org Betty Nguyen bN326098 326098

Example Comma-Delimited Roster File

email,firstname,lastname,password,student id
dmwhite@example.org,Daniel ,White,dW250708,250708
jgrodriguez@example.org,John ,Rodriguez,jR340067,340067
mrallen@example.org,Mary ,Allen,mA242052,242052
psgarcia@example.org,Patricia ,Garcia,pG306586,306586
bsnguyen@example.org,Betty ,Nguyen,bN326098,326098

Example Tab-Delimited Roster File

email	firstname	lastname	password	student id
dmwhite@example.org	Daniel 	White	dW250708	250708
jgrodriguez@example.org	John 	Rodriguez	jR340067	340067
mrallen@example.org	Mary 	Allen	mA242052	242052
psgarcia@example.org	Patricia 	Garcia	pG306586	306586
bsnguyen@example.org	Betty 	Nguyen	bN326098	326098