How it works
When a student completes a course — or, on a course that requires evaluation, when their work passes — Alva Courses generates their certificate and, with the email switched on, sends it automatically as a PDF attachment. That email uses a template you control: its subject and message body are set on the Certificates page — once as your store default, or separately for a course with its own design — and it is sent in the name of the certificate's issuer, so every certificate goes out consistent with your store's voice.
Customise the email
1. Open certificate settings
In the Shopify admin, open Alva Courses, go to Settings → Email Settings and, under Certificate Email Template, click Edit Certificate Template to open the Certificates page. Leave the Course dropdown on Use store default to edit the email every course falls back to, or pick a course that has its own certificate design; that course keeps its own copy of every setting on this page. Under Email Certificate, make sure Enable Email is ticked — Alva Courses sends no certificate email while it is off.
2. Set the subject and issuer name
Set the Email Subject learners see when the certificate arrives — something clear like "Your certificate for <%COURSE_NAME%>". There is no separate sender field: the email is sent in the name you enter under Issuer on the same page — the name printed on the certificate — or as "Alva Courses" if Issuer is blank. It comes from your own address once you send from your own domain; until then it uses Alva Courses' shared sending address.
3. Write the message
In the Email section, edit the message that accompanies the certificate. Congratulate the learner and explain what they have earned. Use the merge tags listed beside the editor — such as the student name and course title — so each email reads as personal.
4. Save and preview
Save from the save bar, then use Download Test Certificate to download a sample PDF and check the certificate looks right. The download is built from your saved settings, so save first — unsaved changes do not appear in it. It previews the certificate only: there is no test send for this email, so to see the email itself, enrol as a test student and complete the course. Every new completion uses the saved email automatically.
What learners see
As soon as a learner finishes the course, your branded email — once switched on — lands in their inbox with their certificate attached as a PDF. It comes from your issuer name, and the subject and message read exactly as you set them, so the moment they complete feels like a genuine reward from your store.
See also
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Last updated 2026-10-09