# Promoting students at the end of the session

> Academium SMS Help › Academics
> For: School Owner, School Admin
> Web page: https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-promoting-students
> Last updated: 2026-10-06

At the end of each session, **promotion** moves students into their next class for the new session. Every outcome is chosen by your staff; Academium never promotes anyone automatically. Open **Academics → Student Promotion**.

## Before you start

- Create the **next session**. See [Sessions and terms](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-sessions-and-terms.md).
- Check your **class order**. Academium suggests each class's next class from it. See [Classes and sections](https://helpcenter.academium.com.ng/academium-sms/article/sms-classes-and-sections.md).

## Promoting a class

1. Choose the class, or a single section of it.
2. Check the **destination** for each section. It is filled in from the class order, and you can change it.
3. For each student, choose an outcome:
   - **Promote**: moves to the next class.
   - **Repeat**: stays in the same class for the new session.
   - **Graduate**: finishes at the school and joins the alumni.
   - **Left**: leaves the school.
4. Select several students and use **Set for N selected** to give them all the same outcome. Searching only filters what you see; it does not change your choices.
5. Confirm.

If the destination class already has students in the new session, Academium tells you before promoting. Merging into it is allowed.

## Fees and promotion

- Unpaid balances **carry forward** into the new session.
- A student who **owes fees cannot graduate**. They are listed separately so you can follow up. If you decide to write off their balance, Academium shows the amount before you confirm.
- Students marked **Left** have their unpaid fees written off. The total is shown, and you give one date and reason for the whole run.

## Undoing a promotion

**Promotion History** lists each run, grouped by class. **Reversing** a run removes the new enrolments, the alumni status and any fees carried forward. Enrolments that have already been used, for example with marks or payments, are skipped, and Academium tells you which.

## Common issues

**I cannot pick the session I want to promote into.** You can only promote into a session that comes **after** the current one, and is not locked or finished.

**A student is listed under "owing finalists".** They owe fees, so they cannot graduate yet. Collect the balance, or write it off, then graduate them.

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