Use certificates to recognise course completion, attendance or another milestone. Cademy can issue certificates automatically from a course or manually from a Registration.
When Custom Certificates are available, one Registration can hold more than one active certificate when each certificate uses a different template.
Every plan can use the Cademy default certificate. Pro and Teams plans can also create custom certificate templates.
Default and custom certificates
Cademy default certificate
The default certificate is available on every plan. It uses a standard A4 horizontal design and can include the student’s full name, course name, certificate issue date, educator name and logo, and the course’s certificate Dynamic Value.
Custom certificate templates
Pro and Teams plans can create their own templates with custom backgrounds, text, images, dynamic values and up to 10 pages.
Custom templates can use A4, Letter or Legal paper in horizontal or vertical orientation. The paper size and orientation apply to every page in the template, while each page can have its own background and content.
Set up certificates for a course
Open Courses, select the course, select Edit, then open Settings and Certificates & CPD.
The available settings include:
Automatically issue certificate: turns automatic issuing on or off.
Award CPD: turns automatic CPD awards on or off when CPD is available for the account.
Email student when certificate is issued: controls whether the participant receives the automatic certificate email.
Template: selects the custom template used for future certificates on this course. This appears when Custom Certificates are available.
Dynamic Value: adds course-specific wording to the certificate, such as a result, credit value or qualification.
Set Certificates to Expire: adds an expiry date.
Duration certificate is valid for: sets the number of days before the certificate expires. The minimum is one day.
Certificates and CPD are separate: A course can use certificates, CPD, both or neither. Turning on Automatically issue certificate does not turn on Award CPD, and turning on Award CPD does not issue a certificate.
For complete CPD setup and award guidance, see Set Up and Award CPD Points and Hours.
For on-demand courses, automatic certificates are issued when the participant completes the course. For On set dates and On-request courses, they are issued when the participant is marked as attended. For Blended courses, they are issued when the participant is marked as attended and has completed all online lessons.
If the Registration already has an active certificate, automatic issuing does not create another one.
If the participant has a different primary contact, that contact may also receive a certificate notification. The Email student when certificate is issued setting controls the participant email.
Create and manage custom certificate templates
Select Add Certificate.
Enter a template name in the Create Certificate window.
Select the template to open the editor.
Design the certificate, then select Save.
Select the template name or pencil icon to rename it. Use the template options menu to duplicate or delete it.
Deleting a template removes it from normal template selection. A course already using that template can continue using it until a different template is selected. Certificates already issued with it remain available.
Add content to a template
Use Add to insert:
Text
Image
Student Name
Registration ID
Course Name
Certificate Issue Date
Certificate Expiry Date
Course Dynamic Value
Course Facilitator
Course Start Date
Course End Date
Insert variables and choose their format
CPD variables are not listed under Add > Dynamic Values. That menu creates standalone blocks. Add CPD values and labels inside a Text block instead.
Select Add.
Select Text. A new Text block appears on the certificate.
Select the new Text block. Its formatting toolbar appears above the block.
Select Insert variable (x) in the formatting toolbar.
Scroll to the bottom of the Insert variable menu to find the four CPD options.
Select a variable to add it to the Text block. Repeat when the text needs both a value and its label.
The Insert variable menu includes:
Student name
Registration ID
Course name
Certificate issue date
Certificate expiry date
Course start date
Course end date
Course facilitator
Course specific value
Educator name
CPD points
CPD hours
CPD points label
CPD hours label
Course specific value is the variable-menu name for the course’s certificate Dynamic Value.
The four CPD variables appear under Insert variable (x) only when the account is on Pro, Teams or Custom and CPD is enabled under Settings > CPD.
For example, add CPD points, type a space, then add CPD points label. A completed Registration with 4 points can then show 4 CPD points on its certificate.
CPD points and CPD hours use the Registration’s active CPD award when one exists.
Before an award exists, the value variables use the course’s current CPD values.
If the award has been revoked, the value variables are blank.
CPD points label and CPD hours label use the names saved under Settings > CPD.
A points or hours variable is also blank when that unit is not set for the course. Turning CPD off or moving to a plan below Pro makes the CPD variables unavailable and renders existing CPD variables blank while that restriction applies.
For more information, see Set Up and Award CPD Points and Hours.
Student Name blocks include these Change Name Format options:
Full Name
First Name
Last Name
Date blocks include these Change Date Format options:
YYYY-MM-DD
YYYY/MM/DD
DD/MM/YY
DD/MM/YYYY
MM/DD/YY
MM/DD/YYYY
DDth MONTH YYYY
Format and position content
Move and resize blocks directly on the certificate. Text controls include font, size, alignment, colour, bold, underline and how text fits inside its block.
The Certificate Expiry Date is blank when expiry is not enabled. Course Dynamic Value is blank when the course does not have a Dynamic Value. Course Facilitator can show more than one facilitator.
Add and manage pages
Select + Page to add a blank page after the page currently open.
Use the page indicator to move between pages.
Open the page options menu to duplicate the page, move it left or right, or delete it.
A template can have up to 10 pages. The final remaining page cannot be deleted. When a certificate is issued, all pages are combined into one PDF in the order shown in the editor.
Issue one certificate manually
Open a Registration from a course, booking, order or the Registrations page, then expand Certificate. When CPD is enabled, this section is called Certificate & CPD.
Select Issue Certificate. The Issue Certificate window opens.
If Template appears, confirm the course template is selected or choose Cademy Default or another active custom template.
Leave Email the certificate to the participant selected to send the certificate email, or clear it to issue without emailing.
Select Issue Certificate.
The Template picker appears only when Custom Certificates are available. The course template is selected by default and marked Course Template. If Template does not appear, Cademy uses the template assigned to the course or the Cademy default certificate.
If emailing is disabled and the email option is selected, the window shows Emailing is disabled. The certificate is still issued, but the email is not delivered.
If the Registration has a different primary contact, that contact may also receive a notification when the email option is selected.
After a certificate is issued, the Registration lists it with its template, issue date, expiry date or Never, and status. Open the Issued menu to select View, Copy or
Revoke.
Opening the Issued menu and selecting Revoke revokes only that certificate. If the Registration has both an active certificate and an active CPD award, open the three-dot Registration actions menu and select Revoke Certificate & CPD… to revoke both together. These actions do not change the Registration’s completion status, attendance or lesson progress.
To add another certificate without replacing the first one, follow Issue more than one certificate for the same Registration below.
To restore a revoked certificate, open its Revoked menu and select Issue Certificate or Issue & Email. This restores that certificate using its original template.
Issue more than one certificate for the same Registration
Use this when one participant needs different certificates for the same course, such as an attendance certificate and an accredited certificate.
One Registration, several certificates: Each active certificate must use a different template. Issuing another certificate adds it to the Registration without replacing the certificates already there.
Issue another certificate for one participant
Go to Registrations.
Open the participant’s Registration and expand Certificate or Certificate & CPD.
Select Issue Another.
Under Template, choose a different active custom template or Cademy Default.
Leave Email the certificate to the participant selected to send it by email, or clear it to issue without emailing.
Select Issue Certificate.
The new certificate appears beside the existing certificates. Each entry shows its template, issue date, expiry date or Never, and status. Use its Issued or Revoked menu to view, copy, revoke or reissue that certificate without changing the others.
The same active template cannot be issued twice. A template already used by an active certificate is marked Already issued and cannot be selected. If the matching certificate was revoked, reissuing restores that certificate instead of creating another copy.
Issue an additional certificate in bulk
Open the course’s Registrants tab, select the required Registrations and select Issue Certificates. Choose a different template to add another certificate. If a selected Registration already has an active certificate using that template, Cademy includes the existing certificate in the ZIP and selected email delivery instead of creating a duplicate.
The learner’s Get Certificate action opens the most recently issued active certificate. Open the certificate’s Issued menu and select Copy when you need to share the link to that specific certificate.
If Template is not shown, Custom Certificates are not available for the account. Cademy uses the course template or Cademy Default, and it does not create a duplicate when that active certificate already exists.
Issue certificates in bulk
Bulk certificate issuing is available from an individual course’s Registrants tab.
Open the course and select Registrants.
Select up to 500 Registrations.
Select Issue Certificates.
Choose the certificate and delivery option.
Select Issue Certificates. When processing finishes, review the results and select Download ZIP to download the available certificates.
With Custom Certificates, the certificate picker includes Cademy Default and active custom templates. The course’s current template is identified and selected by default. Search for a template when the list is long. One template is applied to the whole bulk job.
The delivery options are:
Issue only (no email): creates any missing certificates and makes one ZIP available in the results, including certificates already issued with the selected template.
Issue & email registrants: sends each participant their own certificate email.
Issue & email registrants and primary contacts: sends participant emails and grouped ZIP links to booking or order contacts.
Issue & email primary contacts only: sends grouped ZIP links to booking or order contacts.
Issue & email a manual address: sends one ZIP link to the email address entered.
The results show how many certificates were issued, already issued or failed. Certificates already issued with the selected template are included in the ZIP and chosen email delivery. Their original issue details are kept and no duplicate certificate is created. Selecting a different template creates an additional certificate. A revoked certificate does not block reissuing that template.
You can download or send a complete set even when every selected Registration already has the chosen certificate. Choose Issue only (no email) if you only want the ZIP, then follow the issue and download steps above. Review any failures in the results before treating the set as complete.
For more information about finding and selecting Registrations, see Managing Registrations: Search, Filter, and Export.
View certificate activity on a contact
Open the contact and check Activity to see when a certificate was issued and whether it is valid, expired or revoked. The expiry date itself is shown with the certificate on the Registration.
Send or copy a certificate link
Use the Certificate Link mail merge value
Add Certificate Link to a suitable email template to send the learner a link to their most recent active certificate for that Registration.
Copy a link to a specific certificate
Open the Registration, find the certificate, open its Issued menu and select Copy. This link opens that specific certificate.
Revoking a certificate disables its public link. An expired certificate remains viewable and downloadable. The Registration shows its expiry date, and Contact Activity shows whether it is valid, expired or revoked.
How learners download certificates
A learner can open a certificate link from an email. They can also start from My Account at the top-right of the page:
Select My Courses & Bookings.
Stay on My Courses and open the course.
Select Get Certificate.
Get Certificate opens the most recently issued active certificate in a new browser tab. It is unavailable when no active certificate exists, including before a certificate is issued or after all available certificates have been revoked. An expired certificate remains viewable and downloadable after its expiry date.
The order owner can also open the course's Participants section, open the participant's three-dot menu and select Get Certificate. The order owner is the person whose account the order belongs to, whether they placed it or the course provider created it for them.
If the learner has more than one active certificate for the Registration, Get Certificate opens the most recently issued one. A link copied from the Registration continues to open the specific certificate it belongs to.
If an expected certificate is unavailable, contact the course provider, which is the organization running the course. For the complete order-owner participant route, see Manage Participants and View Their Course Progress and Certificates.
Preview a certificate
There is no separate preview for an unissued certificate. To check the final PDF with real dynamic values, use a test Registration:
Open the test Registration and expand Certificate or Certificate & CPD.
Select Issue Certificate.
Open the certificate’s Issued menu and select View.
Check every page, background, image, text block and dynamic value.
Revoke the test certificate when finished if it should not remain active.
Upgrade for custom certificates
Go to Settings > Plans & Billing to review plans that include Custom Certificates. The Cademy default certificate remains available on every plan.
Frequently asked questions
Templates and design
Can I issue certificates without a custom template?
Yes. The Cademy default certificate is available on every plan.
Which plans include custom certificate templates?
Pro and Teams plans include Custom Certificates.
How many pages can a certificate have?
Up to 10 pages. Select + Page in the template editor to add a blank page after the current page.
Can each certificate page have a different background?
Yes. Backgrounds and content belong to individual pages. Paper size and orientation apply to the whole template.
Why is a dynamic value blank on the certificate?
The Certificate Expiry Date is blank if expiry is not enabled. Course Dynamic Value is blank if the course does not have a Dynamic Value. Registration ID may be blank on older Registrations that do not have one.
Can I add the course location or venue to a certificate?
Not automatically. Certificate templates do not have a location, venue, address, Public note or Private / internal note value. In a custom template, select Add > Text and type a fixed venue or address. The same text appears on every certificate that uses that template. The course's Dynamic Value can appear through Add > Course Dynamic Value or Course specific value inside a Text block, but it is saved on the course. It does not use the location from the learner's Registration and does not change for different dates or venues. If one course runs at different venues, leave fixed location text off automatically issued certificates. When issuing certificates manually, you can choose a separate custom template for the correct fixed venue if Custom Certificates are available. For location setup and note visibility, see Locations.
Why are the CPD variables missing or blank?
The CPD variables appear only when the account is on Pro, Teams or Custom and CPD is enabled under Settings > CPD. Points or hours can be blank when that unit is not set, and both value variables are blank after an award is revoked. Before an award exists, the course’s current CPD values are used.
What happens if I change the course’s certificate template?
The new selection is used for future certificates. Certificates already issued remain linked to the template used when they were issued.
Will an issued certificate change if I edit its template?
Yes. The certificate is rendered from its linked template, so edits to that template can change certificates already issued with it.
What happens if I delete a custom template?
It disappears from normal template selection. Courses already using it can continue until another template is selected, and certificates already issued with it remain available.
Issuing and emailing
Can I choose a different template when issuing one certificate?
Yes. Open the Registration, expand Certificate or Certificate & CPD, then select Issue Certificate. If Custom Certificates are available, use Template to choose the course template, Cademy Default or another active custom template. If Template is not shown, Cademy uses the template assigned to the course or the Cademy default certificate.
What does “already issued” mean in the bulk results?
The Registration already has an active certificate using the selected template. Cademy includes that certificate in the ZIP and selected email delivery, keeps its original issue details and does not create a duplicate. Choose Issue only (no email) if you only want the ZIP.
Can one Registration have more than one certificate?
Yes, when Custom Certificates are available. Open the Registration, expand Certificate or Certificate & CPD, select Issue Another and choose a different template. The new certificate is added without replacing the existing certificate. Use each certificate’s Issued or Revoked menu to view, copy, revoke or reissue it separately.
Can I reissue a revoked certificate?
Yes. Open the revoked certificate’s Revoked menu and select Issue Certificate or Issue & Email. The certificate is restored using its original template.
How do I email a certificate to one learner?
Open the Registration, expand Certificate or Certificate & CPD, select Issue Certificate and leave Email the certificate to the participant selected before confirming. If the Registration has a different primary contact, that contact may also receive a notification. If the certificate is already active, open its Issued menu and select Copy to share its specific link, or use a suitable email template containing Certificate Link.
Who receives automatic certificate emails?
Email student when certificate is issued controls the participant email. If the Registration has a different primary contact, that contact may also receive a notification.
Viewing, expiry and revocation
Which certificate appears on the learner’s private course page?
The Get Certificate action opens the most recently issued active certificate. To share a specific certificate, open its Issued menu on the Registration and select Copy.
Can learners still open an expired certificate?
Yes. An expired certificate remains viewable and downloadable. The Registration shows its expiry date, and Contact Activity shows it as expired. A revoked certificate’s public link no longer works.
How do I revoke a certificate?
Open the Registration, find the certificate, open its Issued menu and select Revoke. This revokes only that certificate, stops its public link working and changes its status to revoked. To revoke both an active certificate and an active CPD award, use the three-dot Registration actions menu and select Revoke Certificate & CPD….
How do I check whether a certificate was issued?
Open the Registration and expand Certificate or Certificate & CPD to see each certificate and its status. The contact’s Activity also shows that a certificate was issued and whether it is valid, expired or revoked.