This guide is for course providers who are starting to use Cademy, and for team members who have been invited to a Cademy business account. It gives a short setup checklist, shows how to find pages and records in the Cademy Admin Dashboard, and explains what each user role can open.
Cademy is a platform for running courses. You create your courses in the Admin Dashboard, customers book them on your Cademy minisite or on your own website, and you manage the bookings and the people who made them in the same place.
This guide uses three terms:
Business account: the Cademy account for your organisation. One login can open more than one business account.
Admin Dashboard: where you and your team manage the business account, at admin.cademy.io.
Minisite: the public Cademy page for your business account. Its address looks like your-name.cademy.io.
Before you start
You need a login for a Cademy business account.
To create a business account, follow How to create a new Cademy Creator account/profile?. A new business account starts on the Free plan, and the person who creates it is its first System Admin.
To join a business account that already exists, ask one of its System Admins to invite you.
To log in, go to admin.cademy.io. Log In to Your Course Provider Account explains each sign-in method.
When a business account is new, admin.cademy.io first shows the welcome questions: six short screens that fill the page. The sidebar used in the rest of this guide appears once they are completed. “Complete Account Setup” below describes them.
What you can open in the Admin Dashboard depends on your user role: System Admin, Course Owner or Facilitator. Where a step in this guide needs a particular role, the step says so. The section “What each user role can open” compares the three roles.
Choose a course format
Every course in Cademy has a format. You choose the format when you create the course, so one business account can run courses in several formats. Start with the format that matches how you teach.
Format | Use it for | Detailed guide |
On set dates | Workshops, events, classes and webinars. | |
On-request | Private training, 1-to-1 sessions, coaching and tuition. | |
On-demand online course | Pre-recorded content and self-paced e-learning programmes. | |
Blended course | Modules and learning programmes that combine hosted content, such as videos, with taught lessons. |
You can read about each format inside the Admin Dashboard before you create anything. You need the System Admin or Course Owner role for these steps.
In the sidebar on the left, under Menu, select Courses.
Select Create New. A page opens. Under What is the format? it lists the four formats.
Select Learn more beside a format to open a short explanation with a video.
When you are ready to create a course, select the format itself and follow the detailed guide for that format.
Complete Account Setup
Account Setup is a checklist of five tasks for a new business account. Only System Admins see it.
To open it, select Account Setup at the top of the sidebar, above Menu. The ring beside the label fills as tasks are completed.
The page lists the tasks in this order:
Task | What to do | Detailed guide |
Complete the welcome questions | Go through six short screens. Two of them ask a question, and the last one asks you to choose a plan. Choosing a plan completes the task. | |
Publish a course | Create a course and publish it. Cademy publishes a course only when the email address of the person publishing it is confirmed. If Cademy says your email address is not confirmed, select Message Us at the bottom of the sidebar and ask Cademy Support. A course with a price also needs at least one payment method to be set up first: see “Set up payments” below. Your plan limits how many courses can be published at once. | |
Add a logo to your profile | On the Profile page, use Select Logo, then select Save Changes. | |
Import your existing contacts | Import the people you already work with, then tick the checkbox beside this task. | |
Invite your team | On the Users & Facilitators page, select Invite User and choose a role for each person. Your plan limits how many users you can have in each role: see Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees. |
Beside each unfinished task, Let's do it! opens the page where you do the task. Publish a course and Import your existing contacts also have Learn how, which opens a short video. A finished task shows Done.
Cademy marks three tasks as done by itself: Publish a course when the business account has a published course, Add a logo to your profile when the profile has a logo, and Invite your team when the business account has more than one user.
Import your existing contacts works differently. It is marked as done only when you tick its checkbox. Tick it after your import, or straight away if you have no contacts to bring in. If you work alone, tick the checkbox beside Invite your team in the same way.
When all five tasks are done, Account Setup disappears from the sidebar.
Account Setup is also the page a System Admin lands on. Once the welcome questions are completed, going to admin.cademy.io opens the Account Setup page until all five tasks are done, your email address is confirmed and a payout method such as Stripe or PayPal is connected. After that, admin.cademy.io opens Home. Once the welcome questions are completed, other roles land on Home.
The Account Setup page also shows your business name and minisite address under Your Business, ways to reach Cademy under Get Help, and demo videos under Videos.
Set up payments
Payments are not one of the five tasks, but Cademy does not publish a course with a price until at least one payment method is set up. Do this before you publish a paid course. To take online payments, a System Admin connects a payment provider:
In the sidebar, under Menu, select Settings.
Select Payments. Under Fast Payments the page has a part for Stripe and a part for PayPal.
Select Install Stripe or Install PayPal. The app page for that provider opens.
Connect your account by following Connect and Manage Stripe for Customer Payments or Connect PayPal for Customer Payments. When the provider is connected, the Payments page shows INSTALLED in place of the install button.
Plans and fees
A new business account starts on the Free plan. A System Admin can review the plan of the business account under Settings, on the Billing & Usage page.
The Free plan
Get started with Cademy’s Free plan with no monthly subscription. The Free plan includes:
1 System Admin
2 Facilitators
1,000 yearly registrations
5 published courses
14 days of forum history
100 emails per day
1,000 emails per month
0.5 GB maximum upload size
2 GB total storage
Paid plans
As your needs grow, you can upgrade to a paid plan. For what each plan includes and how to compare plans, see Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees. The Zapier integration is one feature that depends on your plan: see Connect Other Apps with Zapier.
Fees
Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees explains the fees that can apply to customer payments.
Platform fees
Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees explains the Cademy platform fee and its standard rate on each plan.
Payment processing fees
Cademy supports secure online payments through Stripe, PayPal, and Klarna. Processing fees depend on the payment provider and payment method. See Understand Payouts and Payment Processing Fees.
Marketplace sales fees
Sales made through your own website or Cademy Minisite do not incur the Marketplace fee. For the fee on a sale made through the Cademy Marketplace, see Cademy Marketplace Is Retiring.
Find your way around the Admin Dashboard
The sidebar on the left is the main way to move around the Admin Dashboard. From top to bottom it contains:
The account menu, which shows your business name and logo. It includes View Your Site, which opens your minisite, Update Business Profile, which opens the Profile page and needs the System Admin role, My Profile, User Settings, which opens the User Account page of Settings, and Student Profile. Under Switch Account it lists any other business accounts your login can open, followed by Create Free Account. Customise Menu… and Log Out are at the bottom.
The Search and Collapse Sidebar buttons, beside the account menu.
Account Setup, for System Admins until the five tasks are done.
Menu, which lists the pages your role can open.
More, which appears only when you have hidden pages from the Menu.
Message Us and Help Guides, at the bottom.
Pages in the Menu
The Menu lists these pages in this order unless you change it. Your Menu shows only the pages your role can open.
Page | What you find there | Who sees it |
Home | An overview: upcoming courses, tasks, inbox and product updates. System Admins also see revenue, registrations and orders. See Find Cademy Product Updates. | All roles |
Courses | Your courses and their dates. | All roles |
Contacts | The people you hold records for. See Manage Contacts. | System Admin |
Organisations | Organisation records, for example companies. See Manage Organisations and Their Contacts. | System Admin |
Inbox | Your conversations. A badge shows how many are unread. See Manage Customer Conversations in Inbox. | All roles |
Tasks | Tasks for you and your team. See Create and Manage Follow-up Tasks. | All roles |
Orders | The purchases customers have made. See Understand Orders, Registrations and Contacts. | System Admin |
Registrations | Each person’s place on a course. | System Admin |
Forms | The forms you use with your registrations. See Choose the Right Form and Field Type. | System Admin and Course Owner |
Reviews | Feedback and reviews of your courses. See Manage Public Reviews and Where They Appear. | System Admin and Course Owner |
Reports | Reports on the business account. See Use Reports and Understand Their Figures. | System Admin |
Users & Facilitators | Your team members and their roles. | System Admin |
Profile | The public details of your business, including your logo. | System Admin |
Apps | Apps and integrations you can install. | System Admin |
Gift Cards | Gift cards. Shown only when the matching app is installed. See Create, Sell and Redeem Gift Cards. | System Admin |
Memberships | Memberships. Shown only when the matching app is installed. See Create Memberships and Manage Subscribers. | System Admin |
Discounts | Discounts you offer. See Create and Apply Discounts. | System Admin |
Settings | Settings for your own user and for the business account. | All roles |
Reviews appears only when reviews are enabled for the business account. Business accounts are created with reviews enabled. If Reviews is missing for a System Admin or Course Owner on an older business account, select Message Us and ask Cademy about it. A System Admin installs apps on the Apps page.
If you open a page that your role does not include, for example from a link a colleague sent you, Cademy shows “You are not authorized to view this page” and names the role you need.
Customise your Menu
Each user can reorder the Menu and hide pages they do not use. Your changes apply only to your user in this business account. They do not change what your colleagues see.
Select the account menu at the top of the sidebar.
Select Customise Menu…. The Customise Menu window opens and lists your Menu pages.
Drag a page by its handle to move it. Select the eye button beside a page to hide it, and select it again to show the page. Cademy saves each change as you make it.
Select Done.
Hidden pages move to More, at the bottom of the Menu, and Search still finds them. Settings cannot be hidden. To go back to the standard order with nothing hidden, open the Customise Menu window again and select Reset to Default.
Collapse the sidebar or use a small screen
Select Collapse Sidebar to shrink the sidebar to a strip of icons, and Expand Sidebar to open it again. The keyboard shortcut is ⌘\ on a Mac and Ctrl+\ on other computers. While the sidebar is collapsed, hold the pointer over an icon to see its name.
In a browser window 1400 pixels wide or narrower, Cademy collapses the sidebar automatically. On a phone-sized screen, 768 pixels wide or narrower, a menu button replaces the sidebar. Select the button to slide the sidebar in.
Where to get help
Message Us, at the bottom of the sidebar, opens a chat with Cademy support.
Help Guides, below it, opens the Cademy Help Centre in a new browser tab.
On the Account Setup page, System Admins can also select Book a Call.
How do I get in touch with Cademy? explains chat and email support.
Search for pages, records and help
Search finds pages, settings, records and Help Centre articles from one box. Every role can use it.
To open Search, select the Search button at the top of the sidebar, or press ⌘K on a Mac or Ctrl+K on other computers.
Before you type, Search shows:
Recent: up to eight records you opened recently in this browser. This group appears once you have opened a record.
Go to: every Menu page your role can open, including pages you have hidden.
As you type, results appear in these groups, in this order:
Group | What it finds | Who gets results |
Recent | Records you opened recently that match what you typed. | All roles |
Go to | Menu pages. | All roles |
Settings | Settings pages your role can open. | All roles |
Apps | Apps from the Apps page. | System Admin |
Courses | Courses. | All roles |
Contacts | Contact records. | System Admin |
Organisations | Organisation records. | System Admin |
Orders | Orders. | System Admin |
Registrations | Registrations. | System Admin |
Help | Up to three Help Centre articles, once you have typed at least two characters. They open in a new browser tab. | All roles |
Use the up and down arrow keys to move through the results and press Enter to open one. To open a result in a new browser tab, hold ⌘ on a Mac, or Ctrl on other computers, and press Enter. Press Esc to close Search.
If nothing matches, Search shows No results for followed by what you typed. If a page, setting, app or help article matches but no record does, it shows No records match. If it shows Search failed, select Try Again.
What each user role can open
A business account has three user roles. A System Admin chooses the role in the User Role field when inviting a user.
Role | Menu pages |
System Admin | Every page in the Menu. |
Course Owner | Home, Courses, Inbox, Tasks, Forms, Reviews and Settings. |
Facilitator | Home, Courses, Inbox, Tasks and Settings. |
How many users you can have in each role depends on your plan. Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees lists the user limits of each plan.
The roles also differ in these places:
Only System Admins see Account Setup.
Only System Admins and Course Owners see Create New on the Courses page and can open the course editor.
Home shows revenue, registrations and orders to System Admins only.
In Search, only System Admins get results for contacts, organisations, orders, registrations and apps.
In Settings, some pages are for System Admins only, for example User Management, Payments and Billing & Usage. Every role can open User Account to change their own name and password. User Settings in the account menu opens the same page.
To check your own role, open the account menu and select My Profile. Your profile page shows your role.
For everything each role can do, and for the steps to invite a user or change a role, see Invite Team Members and Manage Their Access.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free plan?
Yes. A new business account starts on the Free plan. Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees explains what each plan includes and the fees that can apply.
How do I set up my account?
Follow How to create a new Cademy Creator account/profile? to create a business account, then work through “Complete Account Setup” in this guide.
Can I receive payments through Cademy?
Yes. Cademy supports online payments through Stripe, PayPal and Klarna. To connect a payment provider, see “Set up payments” in this guide. Understand Payouts and Payment Processing Fees explains payouts and payment processing fees.
Does Cademy support monthly instalments?
Yes, if your business account includes them. See Offer and Manage Monthly Instalments for how they work, and Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees for the plans that include them.
Can customers use Klarna or PayPal Pay in 3?
Yes, when these payment methods are available at checkout. Klarna and PayPal Pay in 3 let the customer split a full checkout payment with the payment provider. The payment schedule and collection are managed by that provider. See Offer Klarna Payments and Connect PayPal for Customer Payments.
Are there cancellation fees?
No, Cademy does not charge cancellation fees. When an order is cancelled you decide whether to refund in full, refund in part, or hold the amount as credit for the customer. See Cancel an Order or Refund a Payment.
Can I import courses?
Yes. See Import Courses. For assistance with course setup and import, please contact us directly. We are here to help with all aspects of your course management.
Do you offer support?
Absolutely! Our Edinburgh-based team is ready to assist you any time of day. Feel free to reach out via live chat, email, or phone call for any queries or support needs. How do I get in touch with Cademy? explains chat and email support.
Why can I not see Account Setup?
Account Setup is shown in the sidebar only to System Admins, and only until all five tasks are done. If you have another role, or the tasks are done, it is not in your sidebar. A System Admin still lands on the Account Setup page when going to admin.cademy.io until their email address is confirmed and a payout method such as Stripe or PayPal is connected.
I finished a task. Why does Account Setup still show it as unfinished?
Open the Account Setup page. Cademy rechecks your published courses and your users when a System Admin opens that page, and the ring in the sidebar updates afterwards. Import your existing contacts is marked as done only when you tick its checkbox.
Why is a page missing from my Menu?
There are four possible reasons. Your role does not include the page. You have hidden the page, in which case it is under More. The Menu is folded, in which case select the Menu heading to unfold it. Or the page depends on something that is not switched on: Gift Cards and Memberships each need their app to be installed, and Reviews needs reviews to be enabled for the business account.
Does customising my Menu change it for my team?
No. The order of the Menu and the pages you hide are saved for your user in this business account only.
Can a Facilitator create or edit a course?
No. Create New and the course editor need the Course Owner or System Admin role.