diff --git a/rad/views.py b/rad/views.py
index 44ea3eae..3004fe8c 100644
--- a/rad/views.py
+++ b/rad/views.py
@@ -815,8 +815,20 @@ def accounts_bulk_create_check(request):
     if not UserGrades.objects.filter(name=user["grade"]):
         errors.append("Invalid grade")
 
-    if user["supervisor_email"] == "undefined":
-        errors.append("No supervisor email provided")
+    # Treat empty, missing or the string 'undefined' as no supervisor email provided
+    if not user.get("supervisor_email") or user["supervisor_email"] == "undefined":
+        # Supervisor email not provided; try to match by name
+        if not user.get("supervisor_name"):
+            errors.append("No supervisor provided")
+        else:
+            supervisor = Supervisor.objects.filter(name__iexact=user["supervisor_name"])
+            if not supervisor.exists():
+                info.append("Supervisor does not exist (will be created)")
+            else:
+                info.append("Supervisor exists (matched by name)")
+                if supervisor.count() > 1:
+                    errors.append("More than one supervisor with that name")
+                # no further name check needed since matched by name
     else:
         supervisor = Supervisor.objects.filter(email=user["supervisor_email"])
 
@@ -828,8 +840,14 @@ def accounts_bulk_create_check(request):
             if supervisor.count() > 1:
                 errors.append("More than one supervisor with that email")
 
-            if supervisor.first().name != user["supervisor_name"]:
-                errors.append("Supervisor name does not match")
+            # Compare names case-insensitively and trimmed to avoid false mismatches
+            try:
+                sup_name = (supervisor.first().name or '').strip().lower()
+                posted_name = (user.get("supervisor_name") or '').strip().lower()
+                if posted_name and sup_name != posted_name:
+                    errors.append("Supervisor name does not match")
+            except Exception:
+                pass
 
     if errors:
         return HttpResponse(
@@ -869,11 +887,22 @@ def accounts_bulk_create(request):
                         grade = UserGrades.objects.get(name=user["grade"])
                         user_profile.grade = grade
 
-                    if "supervisor_email" in user and "supervisor_name" in user:
-                        s, created = Supervisor.objects.get_or_create(
-                            email=user["supervisor_email"],
-                            name=user["supervisor_name"],
-                        )
+                    if "supervisor_name" in user and user.get("supervisor_name"):
+                        sup_email = user.get("supervisor_email")
+                        # If supervisor email provided, prefer that. Otherwise try to match by name or create placeholder
+                        if sup_email and sup_email != 'undefined':
+                            s, created = Supervisor.objects.get_or_create(email=sup_email, defaults={"name": user.get("supervisor_name")})
+                        else:
+                            # try match by name
+                            s_qs = Supervisor.objects.filter(name__iexact=user.get("supervisor_name"))
+                            if s_qs.exists():
+                                s = s_qs.first()
+                                created = False
+                            else:
+                                import uuid
+                                placeholder = f"no-email-{uuid.uuid4().hex}@local.invalid"
+                                s = Supervisor.objects.create(email=placeholder, name=user.get("supervisor_name"))
+                                created = True
 
                         if created:
                             s.save()
@@ -913,11 +942,20 @@ def accounts_bulk_create(request):
                         user_profile = UserProfile.objects.get(user=new_user)
                         user_profile.peninsula_trainee = True
                         # TODO: check supervisor details are correct
-                        if "supervisor_email" in user and "supervisor_name" in user:
-                            s, created = Supervisor.objects.get_or_create(
-                                email=user["supervisor_email"],
-                                name=user["supervisor_name"],
-                            )
+                        if "supervisor_name" in user and user.get("supervisor_name"):
+                            sup_email = user.get("supervisor_email")
+                            if sup_email and sup_email != 'undefined':
+                                s, created = Supervisor.objects.get_or_create(email=sup_email, defaults={"name": user.get("supervisor_name")})
+                            else:
+                                s_qs = Supervisor.objects.filter(name__iexact=user.get("supervisor_name"))
+                                if s_qs.exists():
+                                    s = s_qs.first()
+                                    created = False
+                                else:
+                                    import uuid
+                                    placeholder = f"no-email-{uuid.uuid4().hex}@local.invalid"
+                                    s = Supervisor.objects.create(email=placeholder, name=user.get("supervisor_name"))
+                                    created = True
 
                             if created:
                                 s.save()
@@ -962,7 +1000,7 @@ def request_cid_details(request):
     email = request.POST.get("email")
     try:
         validate_email(email)
-    except ValidationError as e:
+    except ValidationError:
         return HttpResponse("Invalid email.")
 
     cid_users = CidUser.objects.filter(email=email)
diff --git a/templates/accounts_bulk_create.html b/templates/accounts_bulk_create.html
index 6fb4e040..34c55699 100644
--- a/templates/accounts_bulk_create.html
+++ b/templates/accounts_bulk_create.html
@@ -36,12 +36,20 @@
 
     </p>
     <p>Please note users created this way bypass some of the validations so check details such as email addresses are correct</p>
+    <div class="mb-2">
+        <label for="input-format" class="form-label">Input format</label>
+        <select id="input-format" class="form-select" style="width:300px">
+            <option value="spreadsheet">First,Last,Email,Grade,Supervisor,SupervisorEmail (spreadsheet)</option>
+            <option value="name-supervisor-email-grade">User \t Educational Supervisor \t Email \t Grade</option>
+        </select>
+    </div>
+
     <textarea id="csv" placeholder="Paste users content here" style="width: 300px; height: 100px;"></textarea><br/>
     <input type="button" value="Load Data" _="on click createTable()" >
 
 
     <div role="alert" id="alert" class="alert alert-info "
-    _="on load hide me">
+         _="on load hide me">
 
     </div>
 
@@ -67,6 +75,23 @@
             // split into rows
             excelRow = excelData.split(String.fromCharCode(10));
 
+            // If the first row looks like a header (contains words like 'user', 'email', 'grade', 'supervisor'), drop it
+            if (excelRow.length) {
+                var firstRowCols = excelRow[0].split(String.fromCharCode(9)).map(function(c){return c.trim().toLowerCase();});
+                var headerKeywords = ['user','first name','last name','email','grade','educational supervisor','supervisor','first','last'];
+                var isHeader = firstRowCols.some(function(c){
+                    if (!c) return false;
+                    if (headerKeywords.indexOf(c) !== -1) return true;
+                    if (c.indexOf('email') !== -1) return true;
+                    if (c.indexOf('supervisor') !== -1) return true;
+                    return false;
+                });
+                if (isHeader) {
+                    // remove header row
+                    excelRow.shift();
+                }
+            }
+
             // split rows into columns
             for (i=0; i<excelRow.length; i++) {
                 excelRow[i] = excelRow[i].split(String.fromCharCode(9));
@@ -79,7 +104,14 @@
 
             // Loop over the rows
 
+            var format = document.getElementById('input-format').value;
             var elements = ["first_name", "last_name", "email", "grade", "supervisor_name", "supervisor_email"];
+
+            // For alternate format: User\tEducational Supervisor\tEmail\tGrade
+            // columns: full name, supervisor name, email, grade
+            if (format === 'name-supervisor-email-grade') {
+                elements = ['full_name', 'supervisor_name', 'email', 'grade'];
+            }
             var users = [];
 
             $("#users-list").empty();
@@ -95,15 +127,32 @@
 
                 // Loop over the columns and add TD to the TR
                 for (j=0; j<excelRow[i].length; j++) {
-                    // Loop over the row columns
                     if (excelRow[i][j].length != 0) {
                         var myCell = document.createElement("td");
                         myCell.innerHTML = excelRow[i][j].trim();
-                        //users[i][elements[j]] = excelRow[i][j];
-                        user[elements[j]] = excelRow[i][j].trim();
+                        var key = elements[j] || null;
+                        if (key) {
+                            user[key] = excelRow[i][j].trim();
+                        }
                     }
                     myRow.appendChild(myCell);
                 }
+
+                // If alternate format, split full_name into first_name/last_name and ensure supervisor_email empty
+                if (format === 'name-supervisor-email-grade') {
+                    var full = user.full_name || '';
+                    full = full.trim();
+                    if (full.indexOf(' ') > -1) {
+                        var parts = full.split(/\s+/);
+                        user.first_name = parts[0];
+                        user.last_name = parts.slice(1).join(' ');
+                    } else {
+                        user.first_name = full;
+                        user.last_name = '';
+                    }
+                    // supervisor email not provided in this format
+                    user.supervisor_email = '';
+                }
                 myTbody.appendChild(myRow);
                 users.push(user)
                 emails.push(user.email)
@@ -129,8 +178,8 @@
 
             $.post("{% url 'accounts_check_users' %}", { csrfmiddlewaretoken: "{{ csrf_token }}",
                 user_list: JSON.stringify(emails) }, function(data) {
-                console.log("Existing users", data)
-            })
+                    console.log("Existing users", data)
+                })
 
             $("#users-list").append(`${users.length} users to create/update.`)
 
@@ -154,23 +203,23 @@
     </script>
     <script type="text/hyperscript">
         def updateWarnings()
-            log "test" 
-            then
-            if <#users-list li:has(.error)/> is not empty
-            put "Errors<br/>" into #alert
-            then for error in<#users-list li:has(.error)/>
-                put textContent of .name in error at end of #alert
-                then 
-                put " " + textContent of .error in error at end of #alert
-                then make a <br/> then put it at the end of #alert
-                then add .alert-warning to #alert
+        log "test"
+        then
+        if <#users-list li:has(.error)/> is not empty
+        put "Errors<br/>" into #alert
+        then for error in<#users-list li:has(.error)/>
+        put textContent of .name in error at end of #alert
+        then
+        put " " + textContent of .error in error at end of #alert
+        then make a <br/> then put it at the end of #alert
+        then add .alert-warning to #alert
 
-            end
+        end
 
-            else
+        else
             put "No errors" into #alert
-            end
-            then show #alert
+        end
+        then show #alert
 
         end
     </script>
@@ -207,6 +256,6 @@
         #users-list li:has(.error) {
             border: 1px solid red;
         }
-        
+
     </style>
 {% endblock content  %}
\ No newline at end of file