Nathan FieldTo join a Skool community, open the group's About page, click its join button, and finish your Skool profile. Free groups cost nothing, though you may have to wait for an admin to let you in. Paid groups send you to a checkout. This guide shows how to join Skool groups step by step, on the web or the app. Every step was checked against Skool's own help centre and skool.com on 3 October 2026.
Find the group on Skool's Discovery page or through a link, open its About page and click the join button. Make a free Skool account if you need one, add a profile picture and bio, and answer any membership questions. Free groups may need an admin's approval. Paid groups charge the owner's price in US dollars.
How do you join a Skool community, step by step?
Skool's help centre has no single joining guide for members, so these steps are pieced together from its articles, each one linked.
- Find the group. Use the link the owner shared, or browse Skool's Discovery page. It has a search box, topic categories such as Tech, Health and Money, and a Filter button.
- Open its About page. Skool describes the About page as the group's landing and checkout page (About page article). It shows the price and what the group offers.
- Click the join button. On the About pages we opened, it read JOIN GROUP on free groups, the price on paid ones (for example JOIN $9/month), or START FREE TRIAL where the owner offers a trial.
- Log in, or make a free account if you are new. Skool's sign-up page says "Create your Skool account. It's free!"
- Add a profile picture and a bio, then click COMPLETE. Skool requires both. The picture can be a JPG, a PNG or your Facebook photo. If you can't see COMPLETE, scroll down or zoom out (profile picture article).
- Answer the membership questions, if the group has any. You must answer all of them before you can submit (membership questions article).
- Pay, or wait to be let in. A paid group takes you to a checkout page. A free group may send your request to its admins first.
Not sure which group to pick? Our list of the best Skool communities sorts some by niche.
What are membership questions on Skool?
They are up to three questions an owner can ask before letting you in. Each answer is a text box, a multiple choice, or an email address. You have to answer every question to send your request.
The group's admins and moderators read your answers before they approve or decline you (Skool's article on answers). Skool's spam guide for owners adds that they can check your bio, location and profile picture at the same time.
Why is my request to join a Skool group pending?
Because a person has to approve it. In groups that review requests, an admin or a moderator approves or declines each new member (member roles). Skool's help centre gives no time limit for this. It depends on how often the group's team checks.
Some groups let you straight in. Owners on Skool's Pro plan can turn on a plugin called Instant membership approval, which accepts new members automatically (Skool's plugins guide).
Two things stop you joining at all:
- The group has closed its doors. Owners can pause new sign-ups. While a group is closed, Skool blocks both new joins and new requests (closing a group).
- You were banned. A ban blocks that person from asking to join the group again (banning a member).
If you know the owner, ask them for an email invite. Invites skip the request step.
What is the difference between a private and a public Skool group?
A group's About page labels it Private or Public. Skool's help centre does not explain the labels, so here is only what we saw. On 3 October 2026 we opened 11 About pages while logged out. Nine said Private and showed only the About page. The two Public groups also showed their Community, Classroom, Calendar and Members tabs. You join both kinds with the button on the About page.
Can you join a Skool community on the app?
You can use Skool on your phone. The app is free on the App Store, listed as Skool Communities, and on Google Play, listed as Skool. Both come from Skool itself. Our Skool app guide covers what it does.
One catch: none of Skool's help articles give steps for joining a group in the app, and Skool's tip for a hidden COMPLETE button uses a computer keyboard (Command or Ctrl and minus). If a button is hard to find on your phone, join at skool.com in your browser, then log in to the app with the same account.
Can you join a Skool community for free?
Yes, if the group is free. The owner sets the price. Skool's pricing setup article lists five options for owners: free, subscription, freemium, tiers and one-time payment.
Most groups on Discovery charge. On 3 October 2026, all 30 groups on Discovery's default page had a price, from $1 a month to $297 a month, plus a few yearly plans. To see only free groups, use Discovery's free filter.
Ways into a paid group without paying on day one:
- A 7-day free trial, if the owner offers one on a subscription group.
- A freemium plan. This is a free plan and a paid plan in the same group. You join free and can upgrade later.
- An email invite from the owner. An invite lets you in without paying or sending a request (inviting members).
Paid groups charge in US dollars. If you live in the EU, Skool adds VAT on top, and you see it on the checkout page (Skool's VAT FAQ). Our guide Is Skool free? covers who pays what. If you later want out, here is how to cancel a Skool subscription.
How do you join with an email invite?
Click the JOIN NOW button in the email. That click is what pre-approves you. If the invite went to a different email from the one on your Skool account, click it anyway and log in with the account you already have (managing more than one account). Skool recommends one account for all your groups, and it cannot merge two accounts later. Your level is kept per group, so you start at level 1 in each new one (points and levels).
If you run a group: handling join requests
You can set up to three membership questions under SETTINGS, then Plugins, then EDIT next to Membership questions. Your admins and moderators see the answers before they approve or decline. To hear about every new request, admins can switch on the Membership request notification under their profile Settings, then Notifications (notifications article).
Once someone is approved, the first message they get matters. Skool's AutoDM plugin, on the Pro plan, sends one message within 1 to 5 minutes of a member joining. Backpack's Welcome Drip sends your welcome within an hour, then a check-in a few days later, written by you and sent from your own Skool account. Backpack is $9 a month for every feature. Try Backpack free for 7 days.
That is how to join Skool as a member: find the group, click join, finish your profile, and answer the questions. If you are thinking of running a group yourself, you can start your own Skool community (affiliate link) with Skool's 14-day free trial.
FAQ
How do I sign up for Skool?
Go to skool.com/signup and make an account, which is free. Skool then needs a profile picture, as a JPG, PNG or your Facebook photo, and a short bio before you enter a group. Click COMPLETE to finish. Skool recommends using that one account for every group you join, since accounts cannot be merged.
Can you join a Skool community for free?
Yes, if the owner made the group free. Paid groups charge the owner's price in US dollars. You can still get into some paid groups free at first, through a 7-day free trial, a freemium plan, or an email invite from the owner. Discovery has a free filter that shows only free groups.
How long does it take to get approved on Skool?
There is no set time. In groups that review requests, an admin or moderator approves or declines each one by hand, so it depends on the group's team. Some owners on the Pro plan turn on Instant membership approval, which lets you in straight away. A closed group takes no requests at all.
Do you need a profile picture to join Skool?
Yes. Skool makes a profile picture and a bio mandatory on every account. Upload a JPG or PNG, or use your Facebook profile picture, add your bio, and click COMPLETE. If you cannot see the COMPLETE button, scroll down or zoom out with Command and minus on a Mac or Ctrl and minus on Windows.
Can you join a Skool community on the app?
You can use the free Skool app on iPhone or Android, but Skool's help centre gives no app-specific steps for joining a group. Its COMPLETE button tip is for a computer keyboard. If you get stuck on your phone, join at skool.com in a browser, then open the app with the same account.
We may earn a commission if you start a Skool community through a link on this page. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not change what we write.