Picking the same students over and over gets old fast. User Lists let you save a group of students, a class roster, your school's "frequent flyers," a small group of para-supported students, so you can select the whole group in one click anywhere the people selector shows up in Minga.

This article covers manually creating a list, rostering your class rosters from your SIS automatically, splitting your students into alphabetical lists by last name, and giving other staff, like a para-teacher, permission to manage a list that already exists.

⚠️ Note: We strongly recommend automatically syncing your class rosters from your SIS. You can enable this in People> Rostering and enable Sync class rosters as user lists automatically.

Permission Level Required: Owner | Manager | Teacher | Staff

What are User Lists: How manual and SIS-rostered lists differ, and when to use each.
Create a User List manually: Build a reusable list by uploading a file or selecting students yourself.
Edit a User List that's rostered from your SIS: What you can and can't change on an auto-synced list.
Add List Managers to a User List after it's created: Give staff, like a para-teacher, permission to manage a list without recreating it.
Set up Alpha Range User Lists: Split your students into alphabetical lists by last name that update every night.
Manage the title and List Managers of an Alpha Range User List: Assign staff to each list so they get email notifications about their students.
Use a User List in the people selector: Select a saved list anywhere Minga shows the people selector.
Additional features or settings
FAQs

What Are User Lists

A User List is a saved group of students you can select as a single unit anywhere the people selector appears: Hall Passes, Behaviors, Check-ins, Points, and FlexTime.

There are two kinds of User Lists:

A manual User List is built by hand. You upload a file or select students yourself, and the membership stays exactly as you set it until you change it again.
An SIS-rostered User List is created and kept up to date automatically. If your school enables roster syncing, Minga creates a User List for each class roster and refreshes its membership every night to match your Student Information System (SIS).

💎 Tip: If you need a User List for every class roster in your school, don't build them manually. Navigate to People > Rostering and turn on Sync class rosters as user lists automatically. Only Owner and Manager can access this setting.

Create a User List manually

User Lists help you move faster by letting you select the same students repeatedly without searching one-by-one.

Step-by-step guide to manually creating a User List

Log into Minga
○ Go to app.minga.io and sign in with your Minga credentials.
○ Wait for your dashboard to load before navigating to People.
Open User Lists in People
○ Click People.
○ Select User Lists.
○ Note: User Lists is the only option shown for Teachers and Staff in this area.
Start a new list
○ Click Create List to open the list creation screen.
○ Confirm you are creating a new list and not editing an existing one.
Name your user list
○ Enter a clear title in the Title field so you can find it quickly later in the people selector.
○ Use a naming pattern that helps your school stay consistent, such as “Grade 9 – Period 2” or “Attendance Office – Frequent Flyers.”
Add staff members who can edit the list
○ Add any staff or teachers who need editing access in the Editors section.
○ Keep the editor list small so list membership stays consistent.
○ Note: Owners and Managers can edit by default, even if they are not added as editors.
Add students to the list by uploading a file or selecting manually
○ Click Upload File to upload a CSV or Excel file.
○ Include Student ID or Email Address in your upload file so Minga can match each student correctly.
○ Select students manually by searching and applying filters in the people selector when you do not want to upload a file.
Close the people selector and review your list members
○ Click the X icon to close the people selector after you finish selecting or uploading students.
○ Review the members shown on the list screen to confirm the right students are included.
Choose whether the list is private or public
○ Turn on Make List Public if other users need to select this list in the people selector.
○ Leave Make List Public turned off if you want the list to be private and only visible to you in the people selector.
○ Important: Private lists are visible only to the person who created the list when they use the people selector
Save your list
○ Click Create List to save the user list and make it available for selection.

Pro Tip: You can create separate public lists for shared workflows (like office referrals) and private lists for personal workflows (like a single teacher’s class roster).

✅ Outcome: Your new User List appears under People > User Lists and is available anywhere the people selector shows up, according to the visibility you set in step 7.

Edit a User List that's rostered from your SIS

An SIS-rostered User List behaves differently from a manual one, because its membership is controlled by your SIS, not by Minga. Understanding what you can and can't change on a rostered list prevents changes from silently disappearing.

What you can change on a rostered list:

Public/Private: If the list is public, all Teachers and Staff will have access to view and use the User List. If the list is private, only the List Managers will be able to see and use the list.
Active/Inactive: When a list is active, it is available to use in Minga. If it is set to inactive, the list is not accessible in My Class or the people selector.
List Managers *: Who has access to edit and access the list.
Title: Owners and List Managers can change the Title of the User List to make it more recognizable.

* You can add List Managers but cannot remove the automatically added List Manager that populates from the SIS.

What you can't permanently change on a rostered list:

Membership. If you manually add or remove a student, that change lasts only until the next nightly sync. The nightly sync resets membership to match your SIS roster.

Step-by-step guide to editing a User List

Navigate to People > User Lists.
Locate the rostered list you want to edit.
- Rostered lists appear in the same list as manually created ones.
Click the pencil edit icon next to the Active toggle for that list.
- This opens the same settings screen used to create a list.
Update Public/Private, Active/Inactive, or Editors as needed.
Click Save to apply your changes.

✅ Outcome: Your changes to visibility, status, or editors are saved permanently. Membership continues to update automatically from your SIS at the next nightly sync.

Add List Managers to a User List after it's created

You don't need to recreate a list to give someone editing access to it. This is how to give list access to a para-teacher, co-teacher, or other support staff, including one that's automatically rostered from your SIS.

Set up alpha range User Lists

✅ Outcome: The added staff member can now edit this list's members, visibility, and status. On an SIS-rostered list, their editor access remains in place even after the nightly sync updates membership.

⚠️ Note: Owner and Manager can edit any User List by default, even without being added as a List Manager. Use the List Manager field for Teacher and Staff who need access beyond their own lists, such as a para-teacher supporting a class they don't own.

Set up Alpha Range User Lists

Alpha range User Lists split a large student body into smaller, alphabetical groups. Each group can have its own List Managers. You choose how many lists you want and which letters each list covers. Minga keeps every list current after that.

Step-by-step guide to setting up Auto-Generated lists by Alpa Range

Navigate to People > Settings.
- Settings is the third tab at the top of the People page, after User Lists and Rostering. You will see the User List Settings and Enable Dynamic User Lists sections.
Find Enable auto-generated lists by alpha range under Enable Dynamic User Lists.
Turn on the Enable auto-generated lists by alpha range toggle.
- A note under the toggle explains that list managers receive emails when any person on the list is assigned a consequence.
Click Manage.
- The number in parentheses shows how many alpha range lists exist now. For example, Manage (3) means three lists.
- The Manage Dynamic Alpha Range Lists window opens.
Enter the number of alpha range lists you want in the Number of lists field.
- The window shows one Alpha Range List row for each list, numbered in order.
Set the Range end for each list using the dropdown.
- Each range covers the first letter of the student's last name.
- Alpha Range List 1 always starts at A. The last list always ends at Z. You cannot change those two fields.
Optional: Turn on Use two letters to divide lists.
Click Save.

Manage the title and List Managers of an Alpha Range User List

Each alpha range list can have its own title and its own List Managers. List Managers are the staff who own that group of students. When a student on the list is assigned a behavior or a consequence, the list's List Managers receive an email.

Step-by-step guide to managing Alpha Range User Lists

Navigate to People > User Lists.
- Alpha range lists appear in the same list as manual and SIS-rostered lists.
Locate the alpha range list you want to update.
Click the pencil edit icon next to the Active toggle for that list.
Enter a new name in the Title field.
- Use a name that shows the letters covered, such as "Students A–I."
Click the List Managers icon.
Enter the name, email address, or ID of the person you want to add.
Select the box next to the person's name.
Click Add.
Click Save.

Use a User List in the people selector

Step-by-step guide to using a user list in the people selector

Open any workflow that uses the people selector
○ Open a module where you select students, such as hall passes, behaviors, check-ins, points, or FlexTime activities.
○ Click into the people selector where you normally search for students.
Select your User List from the list filters
○ Choose your list under My Lists to access your private lists.
○ Choose All Lists to access public lists created by other users.
○ Use My Lists (current term) and All Lists (current term) when you want to view lists associated with the current term.

Note: A “term” in Minga refers to a semester-based period, and “current term” filters lists tied to the active semester.

✅ Outcome: All students in the selected list are added to your selection at once.

Additional features or settings

Public vs. Private User Lists

You can control who can use a user list by setting it to public or private using the Make List Public toggle.

Setting	Description	Who can use the list in the people selector	Who can edit
Private	A private list is visible only to the person who created it.	Only the list creator	The list creator, plus Owners and Managers
Public	A public list can be used by any supported role.	Owner, Manager, Teacher, Staff	The list creator, added editors, plus Owners and Managers

Add or remove list members

You can update the students in a list at any time by using the members management controls.

Step-by-step guide to adding or removing list members

Click the Members icon
○ The members panel opens and shows actions for managing the list.
Select Add or Remove
○ Select Remove to remove existing students.
○ Select Add to add new students by search, filters, or upload.
Remove members from the list
○ Check the box next to each student you want to remove.
○ Click Remove to confirm the change.
Add members to the list
○ Search for students or apply filters to select students manually.
○ Click Upload File to add students from a CSV or Excel file that includes Student ID or Email Address.

Note: This only applies to manually created User Lists. For User Lists that have been rostered from your SIS, removed or added users will revert to the enrolments in the SIS in the nightly sync.

Troubleshooting

● Issue: You cannot see the People Dashboard or User Lists.
○ Solution: You can access User Lists only if your role is Owner, Manager, Teacher, or Staff.

● Issue: Students do not appear after you upload a file.
○ Solution: You can upload members successfully only when your CSV/Excel file includes Student ID or Email Address for each student.

● Issue: Other users cannot find your list in the people selector.
○ Solution: You can make a list available to others by turning on Make List Public and confirming the Active toggle is enabled.

● Issue: A user can use your list but cannot edit it.
○ Solution: You can give edit access by adding the user as an editor in the list settings, and Owners and Managers can edit lists by default.

● Issue:Alpha range lists do not appear under People > User Lists

○ Solution: If alpha range lists do not appear, confirm that Enable auto-generated lists by alpha range is turned on in People > Settings. Then confirm that you clicked Save in the Manage Dynamic Alpha Range Lists window. Minga updates alpha range lists during the nightly SIS sync.

● Issue: A List Manager is not receiving emails about their alpha range list

○ Solution: If a List Manager is not receiving emails, confirm that the person is added under the List Managers icon for that list. Emails are sent when a student on the list is assigned a consequence.

● Issue: A student is on the wrong alpha range list

○ Solution: If a student is on the wrong list, check the spelling of the student's last name in your SIS. Minga places students by the first letter of their last name and updates lists every night. Correct the name in your SIS. The list updates at the next nightly sync.

● Issue: Students added to an alpha range list manually disappear

○ Solution: If students you added or removed manually are back to their original state, the nightly SIS sync reset the list. Alpha range list membership always matches your SIS.

Pro Tip: If your school used Groups for quick selection in the past, you can replace those with User Lists and delete unused Groups to reduce clutter and keep active communication Groups easier to find

FAQs

Can teachers and staff create user lists in Minga?

Teachers and staff can create user lists in Minga by opening the People Dashboard, selecting User Lists, and clicking Create List to save a reusable set of students.

How do I upload a class roster into a user list?

You can upload a class roster into a user list by clicking Upload File during list creation and uploading a CSV or Excel file that includes Student ID or Email Address for each student.

How do I make a user list available to other staff members?

You can make a user list available to other staff members by turning on Make List Public and keeping the Active toggle enabled so the list appears in the people selector.

How do I remove students from a user list?

You can remove students from a user list by clicking the Members icon, selecting Remove, checking the boxes next to the students you want to remove, and clicking Remove to confirm.

How do I edit a User List?

You can edit a User List by clicking on the blue edit pencil next to the Active toggle under People>User Lists. You can then edit the name/title of the User List, the members of the list, or make the list public or private.

How do I split my students into alphabetical User Lists?

You can split your students into alphabetical User Lists by navigating to People > Settings, turning on Enable auto-generated lists by alpha range, clicking Manage, and setting the number of lists and the Range end for each list.

Which part of a student's name does an alpha range User List use?

An alpha range User List uses the first letter of the student's last name.

How often do alpha range User Lists update?

Alpha range User Lists update every night during the SIS sync.

How do I change the name of an alpha range User List?

You can change the name of an alpha range User List by navigating to People > User Lists, clicking the pencil edit icon next to the Active toggle, entering a new Title, and clicking Save.

Who receives emails about students on an alpha range User List?

The List Managers of an alpha range User List receive an email when a student on that list is assigned a consequence. You add List Managers by clicking the List Managers icon when you edit the list.

Managing User Lists for Quick Student Selection

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