Education: Automate Certificates & Student IDs

A course completion certificate should take zero human effort to produce. The student finished the course. The system knows their name, the course title, and the date. Everything needed to generate the certificate already exists in the database.

Yet most LMS platforms still handle certificates manually. An admin exports a list, opens a template in Canva or Word, types each student's name, saves as PDF, and emails it. For a cohort of 200 students, that's a full day of copy-paste work.

We've helped education platforms automate this entire flow. Student completes course → certificate generates instantly → student downloads it from their dashboard. Zero manual steps.

What education platforms need to generateWhat Education Platforms Need to Generate

Educational institutions and online learning platforms deal with several types of generated images.

Certificates:

• Course completion certificates
• Professional development certificates
• Workshop and seminar attendance certificates
• Degree and diploma supplements

Student identification:

• Student ID cards (digital and print)
• Library cards
• Access badges for campus facilities

Achievement graphics:

• Course badges and micro-credentials
• Leaderboard images
• Progress milestones ("50% complete!")
• Social sharing cards ("I just completed...")

All of these follow the same pattern: fixed design, variable student data. And that's exactly what template-based generation handles best.

Designing certificate templatesDesigning Certificate Templates

A good certificate template balances professionalism with readability. But don't overthink the design: clean and simple always wins over ornate borders and fancy scripts.

Essential dynamic fields:

• Student full name (the most prominent text)
• Course or program title
• Completion date
• Certificate ID or serial number
• Instructor or institution head name
• QR code or verification URL

Fixed design elements:

• Institution logo and branding
• Border design or decorative elements
• Signature images
• Accreditation badges
• Background pattern or watermark

Template sizingTemplate Sizing

Create your template in Imejis.io with these dimensions. Mark the student-specific fields as dynamic layers.

Generating certificates via apiGenerating Certificates via API

When a student completes a course, one API call produces the certificate:

curl -X POST 'https://render.imejis.io/v1/CERT_TEMPLATE_ID' \
  -H 'dma-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "student_name": {
      "text": "Maria Rodriguez"
    },
    "course_title": {
      "text": "Advanced Data Analytics"
    },
    "completion_date": {
      "text": "April 10, 2026"
    },
    "certificate_id": {
      "text": "CERT-2026-04872"
    },
    "instructor_name": {
      "text": "Dr. James Park"
    },
    "qr_code": {
      "image": "https://yourplatform.com/verify/qr/CERT-2026-04872.png"
    }
  }'

Certificate generated in under 2 seconds. Store the image URL and display it on the student's dashboard.

Integrating with your lmsIntegrating with Your LMS

Most learning management systems support webhooks or API events for course completion. Here's how to wire it up.

MoodleMoodle

Moodle fires events when students complete courses. Use a custom plugin or webhook listener:

# Triggered by Moodle course_completed event
def on_course_completed(event):
    student = get_student(event['user_id'])
    course = get_course(event['course_id'])
 
    cert_id = generate_certificate_id()
 
    image_url = generate_certificate(
        student_name=student['full_name'],
        course_title=course['title'],
        completion_date=event['timestamp'],
        certificate_id=cert_id,
        instructor=course['instructor_name']
    )
 
    # Store and notify
    save_certificate(student['id'], course['id'], image_url, cert_id)
    send_email(student['email'], image_url)

Canvas lmsCanvas LMS

Canvas provides a REST API with course completion endpoints. Poll for completions or use webhooks if available.

Custom lms teachable thinkificCustom LMS / Teachable / Thinkific

Most hosted LMS platforms support Zapier integrations. Set up a Zap:

1. Trigger: Student completes course (via Teachable, Thinkific, or webhook)
2. Action: Generate certificate image with Imejis.io
3. Action: Send email with certificate attached
4. Optional: Store certificate URL in your database

Check our Zapier integration guide for the full setup.

Student id card generationStudent ID Card Generation

Student IDs follow the same automation pattern. When a student enrolls, generate their ID card.

Dynamic fields for student IDs:

• Student photo (uploaded during enrollment)
• Full name
• Student ID number
• Program or department
• Academic year or expiration date
• Barcode or QR code for campus access

curl -X POST 'https://render.imejis.io/v1/STUDENT_ID_TEMPLATE' \
  -H 'dma-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "student_photo": {
      "image": "https://yourplatform.com/photos/student-4872.jpg"
    },
    "student_name": {
      "text": "Maria Rodriguez"
    },
    "student_id": {
      "text": "STU-2026-4872"
    },
    "program": {
      "text": "Computer Science"
    },
    "valid_until": {
      "text": "Aug 2027"
    },
    "barcode": {
      "image": "https://yourplatform.com/barcodes/STU-2026-4872.png"
    }
  }'

For physical cards, generate at 300 DPI and send to your card printer. For digital IDs, store the image in the student's profile for mobile display.

Bulk generation for enrollment seasonBulk Generation for Enrollment Season

New semester means hundreds or thousands of student IDs and welcome certificates. Don't do them one at a time in a design tool.

const students = await fetchNewEnrollments("Fall 2026")
 
console.log(`Generating IDs for ${students.length} students...`)
 
for (const student of students) {
  const idCard = await generateImage("STUDENT_ID_TEMPLATE", {
    student_photo: { image: student.photoUrl },
    student_name: { text: student.fullName },
    student_id: { text: student.studentId },
    program: { text: student.program },
    valid_until: { text: "Aug 2027" },
    barcode: { image: student.barcodeUrl },
  })
 
  await saveStudentId(student.id, idCard)
}
 
console.log("Done.")

2,000 student IDs generated in under 30 minutes. Compare that to the days it takes to process them manually.

You can also process from a CSV. Our batch generation guide covers the full workflow for spreadsheet-driven bulk generation.

Adding verification to certificatesAdding Verification to Certificates

Certificate fraud is a real problem. A 2023 HireRight report found that 34% of job applications contain discrepancies in education credentials.

Simple verification flow:

1. Generate a unique certificate ID (e.g., CERT-2026-04872)
2. Create a verification page on your site: yourplatform.com/verify/CERT-2026-04872
3. Encode that URL into a QR code
4. Include the QR code on the certificate template
5. When someone scans the QR, they see the certificate details and confirmation it's genuine

This costs nothing to implement and adds real credibility to your certificates. Employers love it.

Achievement badges and micro credentialsAchievement Badges and Micro-Credentials

Beyond certificates, learners want shareable achievements.

Badge types that work well:

• Module completion badges (visual progress through a course)
• Skill badges (specific competencies earned)
• Streak badges ("30-day learning streak!")
• Leaderboard rankings ("Top 10 in your cohort")

Design small, square badge templates (500x500px). Generate them when milestones are hit. Display them in the student's profile and let them share to LinkedIn or social media.

LinkedIn specifically supports digital credentials that learners can add to their profiles. Making your badges shareable drives organic promotion for your platform.

Social sharing cardsSocial Sharing Cards

When a student finishes a course, give them something to share. A well-designed "I just completed..." card drives word-of-mouth signups.

What to include:

• Student's name and photo
• Course title and institution logo
• Completion date
• A shareable, branded design optimized for social feeds (1200x630px for LinkedIn/Facebook, 1080x1080px for Instagram)

This turns every graduate into a marketing channel. We've seen education platforms get 5-15% of new signups from shared completion cards.

For more on automating social sharing images, read our guide on automating social media images.

Cost at scaleCost at Scale

Education pricing math is simple:

Compare that to the cost of a staff member spending days processing certificates manually. Check our pricing for the full breakdown.

FaqFAQ

Can i add qr codes to certificates for verificationCan I add QR codes to certificates for verification?

Yes. Generate a unique verification URL per certificate, encode it as a QR code image, and pass it to your template as a dynamic image layer. When scanned, the QR links to a verification page confirming the certificate is authentic.

How do i bulk generate certificates for an entire classHow do I bulk generate certificates for an entire class?

Export your student roster as CSV or pull it from your LMS API. Loop through each student record and call the image generation API with their name, course title, completion date, and certificate ID. A class of 500 students takes under 10 minutes.

What size should certificates and student ids beWhat size should certificates and student IDs be?

Certificates are typically 3300x2550px (11x8.5 inches at 300 DPI) for print or 1920x1080px for digital. Student ID cards follow standard CR80 dimensions: 1012x638px for digital use or 3.375x2.125 inches at 300 DPI for printed cards.

Can students download their own certificatesCan students download their own certificates?

Yes. When a student completes a course, trigger the API call and store the returned image URL. Display a download button on their dashboard that links directly to the generated certificate. No manual approval needed.

How much does certificate generation cost at scaleHow much does certificate generation cost at scale?

Imejis.io starts at $14.99/month for 1,000 images. A school issuing 500 certificates per semester and 1,000 student IDs per year fits comfortably on the Starter plan. Universities processing 10,000+ certificates per year use the Pro tier at $24.99/month.

Every graduation deserves a certificateEvery Graduation Deserves a Certificate

Your platform already tracks completions. Your database already has the student names, course titles, and dates. The only thing missing is the image.

Connect the data you already have to a certificate template. Let the API handle generation. Give every student a professional, verifiable credential the moment they finish.

No manual work. No delays. No excuses.

Get started with Imejis.io →