How-to

Set a course deadline

Alva Courses can end a student's access to a paid course on a fixed date. The deadline is written onto the enrolment as the student enrols, so everyone gets the same window counted from their own start date.

Where a deadline comes from

Three things. An access duration on the course gives every new enrolment the same number of days. A subscription product takes its window from the variant bought — weekly, monthly or annual — and each renewal tops it up. And you can set a date by hand on one student. Free courses never expire.

Set an access duration on a course

In the Shopify admin, open Alva Courses and open the course you want to limit.
Select the Settings tab. The Access Duration card appears on courses priced as One Time Purchase.
Under Access Duration, switch from Unlimited to Limited.
Type the number of days each student keeps access after they enrol.
Save. Students who enrol from now on get a deadline; those already enrolled keep the one they have.

Grace period and enforcement

Your store also has a grace period that extends every deadline by the same number of days, cushioning a renewal that arrives late. Enforcement is separate: deadlines are shown everywhere but only start refusing access once it is switched on for your store. Alva support sets both — check the Active and Expired badges on your member list first, then email courses@alvaapps.com.

What a student loses, and what they keep

Blocked at the deadline: lesson content, video playback, quizzes, comments, and saving any new progress or reflection entries.
Still reachable: results for quizzes they already submitted, your written feedback, their grade, and their certificate if they finished.
Nothing is deleted. Reopen the deadline and the student picks up exactly where they stopped.

What students see

While time remains, the course card carries a countdown — "Access ends in 12 days", narrowing to "Access ends today". Afterwards the card stays in their course list marked as expired, and opening it shows "Your access to this course has ended", with the date.

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Last updated 2026-09-07