---
title: Merging students
category: student-management
order: 7
lastUpdated: 2026-06-08
featureAvailability: GA
roles: [admin]
navigationPath: Students → (open student) → ⋯ → Merge
serverFunctions: [getMergePreview, mergeStudents]
auditActions: [student_merge]
relatedArticles: [student-management/student-records, student-management/student-search, student-management/importing-students]
---

## At a glance

- **Who uses it:** Admins resolving duplicates introduced by imports or LMS sync.
- **When to use it:** After confirming two records actually represent the same student.
- **Permissions required:** Administrator. Merging is irreversible without a support escalation.
- **Navigation path:** Students → open the duplicate → ⋯ menu → Merge.

## Purpose

Two records for the same student fragment the case history and confuse reports. Merging combines them into one canonical record while preserving every case, alias, and note from both.

## Before you begin

- Decide which record is the **kept** (canonical) record. Usually the one that's been in the system longer or that more cases reference.
- Confirm both records are genuinely the same student (same name, same school, same grade, plausible alias overlap).
- Have an admin colleague review with you for high-profile cases — merging is logged but disruptive.

## Step-by-step

1. Open the record you want to merge **into** the canonical one (i.e. the one that will be absorbed).
2. **⋯ → Merge**.
3. In the dialog, search for the **kept** record by name or student ID.
4. Click **Preview merge**. The preview lists:
   - Cases that will move (with status and assignment).
   - Aliases that will be added to the kept record.
   - Fields where the two records differ (you choose which value wins).
5. Review the preview carefully.
6. Click **Confirm merge**. The merge runs and is audit-logged with a full before/after snapshot.

[SCREENSHOT: student-merge-preview]
_Students → Merge dialog Preview step showing 3 cases moving and 2 aliases being added; field-conflict picker visible on the right._

## What is preserved

- All cases (with original status, owner, notes, follow-ups).
- All aliases (combined, deduplicated).
- All audit-log entries.
- Original case timestamps.

## What is replaced

- Identity fields (name, grade, primary teacher) take whichever value you chose in the picker.
- The absorbed record's profile page redirects to the kept record.

## Tips & best practices

- Before merging, search by both legal and preferred name and by every known alias.
- For high-PII situations (recent name change, custody changes), confirm with a counselor before merging.
- Add an alias from the absorbed record's old student ID to the kept record so future imports route correctly.

## Common mistakes

- Merging students with the same name but different schools or grades — almost always different humans.
- Picking the wrong canonical record — the absorbed record's profile URL no longer resolves directly.

## Related articles

- [Student records](/help/student-management/student-records)
- [Student search](/help/student-management/student-search)
- [Importing students](/help/student-management/importing-students)

## FAQ

**Can a merge be undone?**
The merge produces an audit-log snapshot with before/after state. Reversal is a manual support escalation, not a one-click undo — that's intentional.

**What happens to teachers attached to the absorbed record?**
They are added to the kept record (deduplicated). Their visibility is preserved.