Set up student and staff accounts for the new school year

To set up accounts for a new school year, first create separate organisational units (OUs) for staff and students, then upload one CSV file that creates everyone and places them in the right OU.

1. Plan your organisational units

Put staff and students in different OUs so each group can get different policies, for example tighter student safety settings. You can add child OUs by year or form, such as /Students/Form 1. Child OUs inherit settings from their parent unless you change them.

1. In the Admin console, go to Menu > Directory > Organizational units.
2. Hover over the parent unit and click Create new organizational unit.
3. Enter the Name of organizational unit (the “/” character is not allowed) and click Create.

Agree on one address pattern before you start, such as firstname.lastname@school.edu.my, and use it for everyone.

2. Bulk-create accounts from a CSV file

1. Go to Menu > Directory > Users and click Bulk update users.
2. Click Download blank CSV template and open it in Google Sheets or Excel.
3. Copy names from your enrolment list into First Name, Last Name and Email Address.
4. Enter an initial Password (at least 8 characters) and put TRUE under Change Password at Next Sign-In.
5. In Org Unit Path, enter the OU, for example /Students/Form 1.
6. Save as .csv, click Attach CSV file, then Upload.

To add one person instead, see Add a user.

If your edition is licensed per user, each account needs a licence. Extra licences are added through Office Niaga, not in the Admin console, so contact us before a large intake. Not sure whether your school qualifies for an Education edition? See Google Workspace for Education eligibility.

Still stuck

WhatsApp our support team at +60 16-916 3324.

Common issues

I uploaded the CSV but the new students are not in the user list yet. What happened?

Google says a bulk upload can take up to 24 hours before users appear in the directory. Wait, then check again before uploading the file a second time.

Do students get an email with their new password?

No. New users do not get a welcome email from a CSV upload. Give each student or staff member their address and initial password yourself.

The upload says there are not enough licences. How do I get more?

Your subscription has no spare licences for the new accounts. Contact Office Niaga to add licences, then upload the file again.

Related articles

• Age settings and sharing limits for student accounts
• Add a new staff member to Google Workspace
• Is your school eligible for Google Workspace for Education?
• Reset a staff member's Google Workspace password in the Admin console