# Admitting a student

> Academium SMS Help › Students
> For: School Owner, School Admin, Receptionist
> Web page: https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-admitting-a-student
> Last updated: 2026-10-06

Admitting a student creates their record, enrols them in a class and section for the current session, and links them to their family. Open **Students → Admit New Student**.

## Before you start

- The class and section the student is joining must exist. See [Classes and sections](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-classes-and-sections.md).
- If you want fees allocated on admission, the class's fee templates should be set up. See [How school fees work](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-how-school-fees-work.md).

## The admission form

The form is in sections. Which fields appear, and which are required, is set by your school under [Student fields](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-custom-fields.md).

1. **Guardian.** Choose an existing parent or guardian, or add a new one.
   - For the relation **Parent(s)**, enter the father's and mother's names. For any other relation, enter one guardian name.
   - If the guardian is already in Academium, you can see the children they already have at the school.
2. **Academic details.** Class, section, and the **entry type**: a **new admission**, or an **existing student** you are adding to Academium for the first time.
3. **Additional details.** The student's personal details, and any custom fields your school added.
4. **Fee allocation.** Once you have chosen a class, the class's fees can be allocated to the student straight away. Turn this off if you want to allocate fees later.
5. **Previous school.** Where the student came from.

When the guardian is **Parent(s)**, the student's surname is filled in from the parents' names. You can still change it on the form.

## Admitting brothers and sisters together

You can admit **up to five children** for the same guardian on one form. They are linked as siblings automatically, so the family can be billed and paid for together.

## After admission

The student appears in the **Enrolled** list for their class. From there you can open their profile, collect fees, or print an ID card.

## Common issues

**I cannot add more students.** In free mode, a school can have up to 20 students. See [What free mode includes](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-free-mode.md).

**The class I need is not in the list.** It may be archived, or not created yet. Check **Academics → Classes**.

**The student's surname cannot be changed on the profile.** For students whose guardian is **Parent(s)**, the surname follows the parents and is read-only on the profile. Change it on the parent record instead.

## With Academium Surepass

If your school also uses **Academium Surepass**, admitted students can be brought into Surepass for CBT tests and practice. See [Importing from Academium SMS](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-surepass/article/sp-importing-from-academium-sms.md).

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