# Academic Years

Academic years connect students, sections, fees, attendance, transport, daycare, and promotions.

## Step-by-step guide

1. Go to **Organization > Academic Years**.
2. Select **Create Academic Year**.
3. Choose **Standard (Apr-Mar)** or **Custom**.
4. Enter the start year or custom dates, display name, and initial status.
5. Select **Create**.
6. From the academic year actions menu, choose **Set as Current**, **Archive**, or **Delete** when needed.

## What SmartAcademy does in the background

The backend validates academic year dates and status, saves the record under your organization, can mark one year as current, and records create, update, set current, archive, and delete actions.

## Tips

- Set the active year as current before enrolling students or assigning fees.
- Archive a year after operations are complete so staff do not accidentally use it for new work.

## Related pages

- [Enroll a student](/smartacademy-v2-platform/students/enroll-student)
- [Student promotions](/smartacademy-v2-platform/students/promotions)
- [Fee structures](/smartacademy-v2-platform/finance/fee-structures)