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Canvas, Enrollment Status and Management for Instructors

This article describes the differences between enrollment status in Canvas, and how to manipulate the enrollments in a Canvas course.


A Canvas course enrollment, or "seat", can be in one status out of several. When enrolling in a course, a student will enter the course with the enrollment status of "Active". While in this status the student has normal "student access" to the course. If the student un-enrolls or is dropped from the course their enrollment status will change to "Concluded" (shows as "Completed"). While in this state the student will not have access to the course and the course will not show on the student's course listing. The student will also not be listed in the main people listing, nor in the grade center.

You may also see students in your Canvas course people listing tagged as "Inactive". This is the "old" status and is being transitioned to "Concluded". This will be done automatically by Canvas Operations, and no action is required on your part.

As a Teacher, how do I manually drop a student from my Canvas course?

There is no "drop" or "un-enroll" within the Canvas environment. To remove a student's enrollment from your course you need to "Conclude" the enrollment:

  • Navigate to the "People" tab in your course
  • Click the "3 dots" menu to the right of the student that you'd like to conclude
  • Choose "User Details"
  • Click "Conclude" and confirm your choice
  • The student will now be listed in the "Previous Enrollments" for your course

As a Teacher, how do I see these "Concluded" enrollments in my Canvas course?

  • Navigate to the "People" tab in your course
  • Click the "3 dots" menu in the upper-right hand corner
  • Choose "View Prior Enrollments"
  • The students that have a completed enrollment will show here.

As a Teacher, how do I "Restore" a student's concluded enrollment in my Canvas course?

  • Navigate to the "People" tab in your course
  • Click the "3 dots" menu in the upper-right hand corner
  • Choose "View Prior Enrollments"
  • Click on the student's name that you want restored to the course
  • Click "Restore" and then confirm the choice

NOTE:  if the student does not show up in the people listing or in previous enrollments, they are no longer a member of your course.




Keywords:canvas enrollment status teacher change update manage drop unenroll enroll un-enroll   Doc ID:113402
Owner:Mark R.Group:University of Illinois Technology Services
Created:2021-09-01 13:05 CDTUpdated:2023-01-13 10:12 CDT
Sites:University of Illinois Technology Services
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