---
title: "Adding a Certificate to Your Course"
description: "Create and activate a course certificate, control when learners receive it and track issued certificates, plus the grading and template it relies on."
source: "https://docs.blend-ed.com/product/course-creation/adding-a-certificate-to-your-course/"
---

# Adding a Certificate to Your Course

A certificate is the record a learner receives when they successfully complete your course. It carries their name, the course title, your organisation, your signatories, and a unique certificate ID that anyone can use to verify it.

## What a certificate depends on
Four things have to be in place before a learner receives one:

1. **A grading policy with a pass threshold.** The certificate is issued to learners whose final grade lands above the Fail band. See [Setting Up Grading](/product/course-creation/setting-up-grading/).
2. **A certificate configured for the course**, and set to Active. That’s what this article covers.
3. **A certificate template**, created by your platform admin. See [Platform Setup, Branding & Certificate Templates](/product/platform-setup/how-to-create-a-certificate-template/).
4. **The learner actually passing.** Certificates generate automatically once a learner’s grade crosses the threshold.

*Note: Certificate templates are created and branded at the platform level by an admin, not inside a course. As a course author you select from the templates that already exist.*

## Creating a certificate
1. Open the course, then under **CONFIGURE** in the left navigation, click **Certificates** .

![Adding a Certificate to Your Course screenshot 99](/_astro/image63.BeEWPwUz_1SVKV9.webp)

1. Click **+ Add certificate** .

![Certificates page with Add certificate button](/_astro/image64.BZFV9Ykt_Z1iahUh.webp)

1. In **Basic details**, the **Course** name and **Course ID** are filled in and can’t be edited.
2. Optionally enter a **Course title override**. Use this when the name on the certificate should differ from the course name in the platform, for example a shorter or more formal title.
3. Add at least one signatory (below).
4. Click **Create**.

The certificate is created as **Inactive**. It won’t be issued until you activate it.

![Basic details form with Course title override](/_astro/image65.ZXOVIrhr_22AG5K.webp)

**Adding a signatory**

A signatory is the person whose name and signature appear on the certificate.

1. Click **+ Add Signatory** .

![Adding a Certificate to Your Course screenshot 102](/_astro/image66.Ca05VPUH_ZFYc5c.webp)

1. In **Add Signature**, enter: 1. **Name** — for example, *Daniel*
2. **Title** — their role, for example *HOD*
3. **Organization** — for example, *Blend-ed*
2. Upload the signature image. Drag and drop a file or click **Upload Image**. PNG, JPG, JPEG, and WEBP are accepted, up to 20 MB.
3. Click **Add Signature**.

![Add Signature modal](/_astro/image67.DR_vmPKN_ZbLWnx.webp)

Repeat for each signatory. Once added, each appears in the Signatories list with a **pencil** icon to edit and a **trash** icon to remove.

*Tip: Use a signature image with a transparent background. A signature on a white rectangle sits awkwardly on a designed certificate.*

## Activating a certificate
Certificates only issue when active. The page header shows a running count of **Active** and **Inactive** certificates.

Open the **⋮** menu on the certificate card to activate it.

Once active, the card gains two things:

- **A preview icon**, for seeing the certificate as a learner will.
- **A Certificate Template dropdown**, for choosing which of your organisation’s templates this course uses.

![Certificates page showing one Active and one Inactive certificate](/_astro/image68.TJV0vPKV_2nJJtz.webp)

*Tip: Preview before you leave the page. Signature images and long course titles are the two things that most often look wrong, and both are quick to fix before anyone earns a certificate rather than after.*

**Certificate mode**

Each certificate card shows a **Certificate Mode**, matching an enrolment mode on the course. The default is **Honor**, a free enrolment where the learner receives an honor certificate. Modes are managed under **CONFIGURE > Settings > Mode & Pricing**.

![Adding a Certificate to Your Course screenshot 105](/_astro/image69.DJ7BECnF_1lpm8X.webp)

## Controlling when certificates appear
Learners don’t have to see their certificate the moment they pass. Set the timing under **CONFIGURE > Settings**, in the **Certificate display behavior** dropdown:

| **Option** | **When learners see it** |
| --- | --- |
| **Immediately upon passing** | As soon as their grade crosses the threshold |
| **End date of course** | When the course end date is reached |
| **A date after the course end date** | On a date you specify |

![Certificate display behavior dropdown](/_astro/image6a.DdpUngnr_kh85H.webp)

*Tip: Immediately upon passing suits self-paced courses, where learners finish at different times and waiting serves no purpose. Instructor-paced cohorts often prefer the end date, so everyone receives theirs together and late grade adjustments are still possible.*

## Tracking issued certificates
The **Issued certificates** panel at the bottom of the Certificates page lists every certificate generated for the course, with a count and a search box for finding a learner by name or email.

Before anyone passes, it reads *No certificates generated yet*, with a note that certificates appear once learners pass the course and generation runs.

![Issued certificates panel](/_astro/image6b.DbRU_jo__FJ6KG.webp)

## What learners receive
A learner who passes sees a confirmation on their dashboard and can open their certificate, which shows:

- Their name
- Confirmation they completed the course, and the organisation offering it
- Each signatory’s signature, name, and title
- The date of issue

Below the certificate is an accomplishment panel with the learner’s profile, a **Certificate ID Number**, the issue date, buttons to share to X or LinkedIn, and **Download PDF**.

![Adding a Certificate to Your Course screenshot 108](/_astro/image6c.DiVTSroN_ZF58PV.webp)

The Certificate ID Number is what makes the certificate verifiable. Anyone given the certificate’s link can confirm it’s real, which matters for learners putting it in front of an employer.

## Before you publish
- The grading policy is set and the pass threshold is where you want it.
- The certificate exists and is **Active**.
- A certificate template is selected.
- All signatories have their name, title, organisation, and signature image.
- You’ve previewed the certificate and it looks right.
- Certificate display behavior matches how the course runs.

## Common problems
**Learners passed but got no certificate.** The certificate is probably still Inactive. Check the Active count at the top of the page.

**The certificate shows the wrong title.** Set a **Course title override** in the certificate’s details.

**No template in the dropdown.** Templates are created by your platform admin. See [Platform Setup, Branding & Certificate Templates](/product/platform-setup/how-to-create-a-certificate-template/).

**Nobody is passing.** The issue is in the grading policy rather than here. Check the pass threshold and confirm your graded subsections have assignment types set. See [Setting Up Grading](/product/course-creation/setting-up-grading/).

## What’s next
- Set the pass threshold that determines who qualifies: [Setting Up Grading](/product/course-creation/setting-up-grading/)
- Create and brand certificate templates (admin): [Platform Setup, Branding & Certificate Templates](/product/platform-setup/how-to-create-a-certificate-template/)