diff --git a/common/test/acceptance/tests/discussion/test_cohort_management.py b/common/test/acceptance/tests/discussion/test_cohort_management.py
index 815971b732..4e49cd29c8 100644
--- a/common/test/acceptance/tests/discussion/test_cohort_management.py
+++ b/common/test/acceptance/tests/discussion/test_cohort_management.py
@@ -149,8 +149,8 @@ class CohortConfigurationTest(EventsTestMixin, UniqueCourseTest, CohortTestMixin
         confirmation_messages = self.cohort_management_page.get_cohort_confirmation_messages()
         self.assertEqual(
             [
-                "2 students have been added to this cohort",
-                "1 student was removed from " + self.manual_cohort_name
+                "2 learners have been added to this cohort.",
+                "1 learner was moved from " + self.manual_cohort_name
             ],
             confirmation_messages
         )
@@ -217,16 +217,16 @@ class CohortConfigurationTest(EventsTestMixin, UniqueCourseTest, CohortTestMixin
 
         self.assertEqual(
             [
-                "0 students have been added to this cohort",
-                "1 student was already in the cohort"
+                "0 learners have been added to this cohort.",
+                "1 learner was already in the cohort"
             ],
             self.cohort_management_page.get_cohort_confirmation_messages()
         )
 
         self.assertEqual(
             [
-                "There was an error when trying to add students:",
-                "Unknown user: unknown_user"
+                "There was an error when trying to add learners:",
+                "Unknown username: unknown_user"
             ],
             self.cohort_management_page.get_cohort_error_messages()
         )
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tasks_helper/misc.py b/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tasks_helper/misc.py
index cdb23149e0..77d769fed9 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tasks_helper/misc.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tasks_helper/misc.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ from time import time
 
 import unicodecsv
 from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
 from django.core.files.storage import DefaultStorage
 from openassessment.data import OraAggregateData
 from pytz import UTC
@@ -137,9 +138,9 @@ def cohort_students_and_upload(_xmodule_instance_args, _entry_id, course_id, tas
 
     # cohorts_status is a mapping from cohort_name to metadata about
     # that cohort.  The metadata will include information about users
-    # successfully added to the cohort, users not found, and a cached
-    # reference to the corresponding cohort object to prevent
-    # redundant cohort queries.
+    # successfully added to the cohort, users not found, Preassigned
+    # users, and a cached reference to the corresponding cohort object
+    # to prevent redundant cohort queries.
     cohorts_status = {}
 
     with DefaultStorage().open(task_input['file_name']) as f:
@@ -152,8 +153,10 @@ def cohort_students_and_upload(_xmodule_instance_args, _entry_id, course_id, tas
             if not cohorts_status.get(cohort_name):
                 cohorts_status[cohort_name] = {
                     'Cohort Name': cohort_name,
-                    'Students Added': 0,
-                    'Students Not Found': set()
+                    'Learners Added': 0,
+                    'Learners Not Found': set(),
+                    'Invalid Email Addresses': set(),
+                    'Preassigned Learners': set()
                 }
                 try:
                     cohorts_status[cohort_name]['cohort'] = CourseUserGroup.objects.get(
@@ -170,11 +173,25 @@ def cohort_students_and_upload(_xmodule_instance_args, _entry_id, course_id, tas
                 continue
 
             try:
-                add_user_to_cohort(cohorts_status[cohort_name]['cohort'], username_or_email)
-                cohorts_status[cohort_name]['Students Added'] += 1
-                task_progress.succeeded += 1
+                # If add_user_to_cohort successfully adds a user, a user object is returned.
+                # If a user is preassigned to a cohort, no user object is returned (we already have the email address).
+                (user, previous_cohort, preassigned) = add_user_to_cohort(cohorts_status[cohort_name]['cohort'], username_or_email)
+                if preassigned:
+                    cohorts_status[cohort_name]['Preassigned Learners'].add(username_or_email)
+                    task_progress.preassigned += 1
+                else:
+                    cohorts_status[cohort_name]['Learners Added'] += 1
+                    task_progress.succeeded += 1
             except User.DoesNotExist:
-                cohorts_status[cohort_name]['Students Not Found'].add(username_or_email)
+                # Raised when a user with the username could not be found, and the email is not valid
+                cohorts_status[cohort_name]['Learners Not Found'].add(username_or_email)
+                task_progress.failed += 1
+            except ValidationError:
+                # Raised when a user with the username could not be found, and the email is not valid,
+                # but the entered string contains an "@"
+                # Since there is no way to know if the entered string is an invalid username or an invalid email,
+                # assume that a string with the "@" symbol in it is an attempt at entering an email
+                cohorts_status[cohort_name]['Invalid Email Addresses'].add(username_or_email)
                 task_progress.failed += 1
             except ValueError:
                 # Raised when the user is already in the given cohort
@@ -186,10 +203,12 @@ def cohort_students_and_upload(_xmodule_instance_args, _entry_id, course_id, tas
     task_progress.update_task_state(extra_meta=current_step)
 
     # Filter the output of `add_users_to_cohorts` in order to upload the result.
-    output_header = ['Cohort Name', 'Exists', 'Students Added', 'Students Not Found']
+    output_header = ['Cohort Name', 'Exists', 'Learners Added', 'Learners Not Found', 'Invalid Email Addresses', 'Preassigned Learners']
     output_rows = [
         [
-            ','.join(status_dict.get(column_name, '')) if column_name == 'Students Not Found'
+            ','.join(status_dict.get(column_name, '')) if (column_name == 'Learners Not Found'
+                                                           or column_name == 'Invalid Email Addresses'
+                                                           or column_name == 'Preassigned Learners')
             else status_dict[column_name]
             for column_name in output_header
         ]
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tasks_helper/runner.py b/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tasks_helper/runner.py
index e276720564..3bdae3d805 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tasks_helper/runner.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tasks_helper/runner.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ class TaskProgress(object):
         self.succeeded = 0
         self.skipped = 0
         self.failed = 0
+        self.preassigned = 0
 
     def update_task_state(self, extra_meta=None):
         """
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ class TaskProgress(object):
             'skipped': self.skipped,
             'failed': self.failed,
             'total': self.total,
+            'preassigned': self.preassigned,
             'duration_ms': int((time() - self.start_time) * 1000),
         }
         if extra_meta is not None:
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tests/test_tasks_helper.py b/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tests/test_tasks_helper.py
index 67dcaff608..6e82663896 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tests/test_tasks_helper.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/instructor_task/tests/test_tasks_helper.py
@@ -1464,7 +1464,7 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.cohort_2 = CohortFactory(course_id=self.course.id, name='Cohort 2')
         self.student_1 = self.create_student(username=u'student_1\xec', email='student_1@example.com')
         self.student_2 = self.create_student(username='student_2', email='student_2@example.com')
-        self.csv_header_row = ['Cohort Name', 'Exists', 'Students Added', 'Students Not Found']
+        self.csv_header_row = ['Cohort Name', 'Exists', 'Learners Added', 'Learners Not Found', 'Invalid Email Addresses', 'Preassigned Learners']
 
     def _cohort_students_and_upload(self, csv_data):
         """
@@ -1485,8 +1485,8 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 2, 'failed': 0}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1500,8 +1500,8 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 2, 'failed': 0}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1515,8 +1515,8 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 2, 'failed': 0}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1536,8 +1536,8 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 2, 'failed': 0}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1546,13 +1546,11 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         result = self._cohort_students_and_upload(
             'username,email,cohort\n'
             'Invalid,,Cohort 1\n'
-            'student_2,also_fake@bad.com,Cohort 2'
         )
-        self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 0, 'failed': 2}, result)
+        self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 1, 'attempted': 1, 'succeeded': 0, 'failed': 1}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '0', 'Invalid'])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '0', 'also_fake@bad.com'])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '0', 'Invalid', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1566,8 +1564,35 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 1, 'failed': 1}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Does Not Exist', 'False', '0', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Does Not Exist', 'False', '0', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
+            ],
+            verify_order=False
+        )
+
+    def test_preassigned_user(self):
+        result = self._cohort_students_and_upload(
+            'username,email,cohort\n'
+            ',example_email@example.com,Cohort 1'
+        )
+        self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 1, 'attempted': 1, 'succeeded': 0, 'failed': 0},
+                                      result)
+        self.verify_rows_in_csv(
+            [
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '0', '', '', 'example_email@example.com'])),
+            ],
+            verify_order=False
+        )
+
+    def test_invalid_email(self):
+        result = self._cohort_students_and_upload(
+            'username,email,cohort\n'
+            ',student_1@,Cohort 1\n'
+        )
+        self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 1, 'attempted': 1, 'succeeded': 0, 'failed': 1}, result)
+        self.verify_rows_in_csv(
+            [
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '0', '', 'student_1@', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1592,7 +1617,7 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 0, 'failed': 2}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['', 'False', '0', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['', 'False', '0', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1616,8 +1641,8 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 2, 'failed': 0}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1634,8 +1659,8 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 2, 'failed': 0}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1654,8 +1679,8 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'succeeded': 2, 'failed': 0}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '1', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
@@ -1674,8 +1699,8 @@ class TestCohortStudents(TestReportMixin, InstructorTaskCourseTestCase):
         self.assertDictContainsSubset({'total': 2, 'attempted': 2, 'skipped': 2, 'failed': 0}, result)
         self.verify_rows_in_csv(
             [
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '0', ''])),
-                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '0', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 1', 'True', '0', '', '', ''])),
+                dict(zip(self.csv_header_row, ['Cohort 2', 'True', '0', '', '', ''])),
             ],
             verify_order=False
         )
diff --git a/lms/static/js/groups/views/cohort_editor.js b/lms/static/js/groups/views/cohort_editor.js
index 2c65cd0ff6..5081f888d0 100644
--- a/lms/static/js/groups/views/cohort_editor.js
+++ b/lms/static/js/groups/views/cohort_editor.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
+/* globals _, NotificationModel, NotificationView, interpolate_text */
 (function(define) {
     'use strict';
     define(['backbone', 'underscore', 'jquery', 'gettext', 'js/groups/views/cohort_form', 'string_utils',
-            'js/models/notification', 'js/views/notification'],
+        'js/models/notification', 'js/views/notification'],
         function(Backbone, _, $, gettext, CohortFormView) {
             var CohortEditorView = Backbone.View.extend({
 
@@ -24,6 +25,8 @@
                 errorNotifications: null,
                 // Any confirmation messages that are currently being displayed (for example, number of students added).
                 confirmationNotifications: null,
+                // Any messages about preassigned email addresses currently being displayed to the instructor.
+                preassignedNotifications: null,
 
                 render: function() {
                     this.$el.html(this.template({
@@ -47,13 +50,18 @@
                 },
 
                 selectTab: function(event) {
-                    var tabElement = $(event.currentTarget),
-                        tabName = tabElement.data('tab');
+                    var $tabElement = $(event.currentTarget),
+                        tabName = $tabElement.data('tab');
                     event.preventDefault();
                     this.$('.wrapper-tabs .tab').removeClass('is-selected');
                     this.$('.wrapper-tabs .tab').find('span.sr').remove();
-                    tabElement.addClass('is-selected');
-                    tabElement.find('a').prepend('<span class="sr">' + gettext('Selected tab') + ' </span>');
+                    $tabElement.addClass('is-selected');
+                    edx.HtmlUtils.prepend(
+                        $($tabElement.find('a')),
+                        edx.HtmlUtils.interpolateHtml('<span class="sr"> {selectedTab} </span>',
+                            {selectedTab: gettext('Selected tab')}
+                        )
+                    );
                     this.$('.tab-content').addClass('is-hidden');
                     this.$('.tab-content-' + tabName).removeClass('is-hidden').focus();
                 },
@@ -108,7 +116,7 @@
                                 }
                             });
                         }).fail(function() {
-                            self.showErrorMessage(gettext('Error adding students.'), true);
+                            self.showErrorMessage(gettext('Error adding learners.'), true);
                         });
                     } else {
                         self.showErrorMessage(gettext('Enter a username or email.'), true);
@@ -151,18 +159,20 @@
                 },
 
                 addNotifications: function(modifiedUsers) {
-                    var oldCohort, title, details, numPresent, numUsersAdded, numErrors,
-                        createErrorDetails, errorActionCallback, errorModel,
+                    var oldCohort, title, details, numPresent, numUsersAdded, numPreassigned,
+                        numErrors, createErrorDetails, errorActionCallback, errorModel, i,
                         errorLimit = 5;
 
                     // Show confirmation messages.
                     this.undelegateViewEvents(this.confirmationNotifications);
                     numUsersAdded = modifiedUsers.added.length + modifiedUsers.changed.length;
                     numPresent = modifiedUsers.present.length;
+                    numPreassigned = modifiedUsers.preassigned.length;
+                    title = '';
                     if (numUsersAdded > 0 || numPresent > 0) {
-                        title = interpolate_text(
-                            ngettext('{numUsersAdded} student has been added to this cohort',
-                                '{numUsersAdded} students have been added to this cohort', numUsersAdded),
+                        title += interpolate_text(
+                            ngettext('{numUsersAdded} learner has been added to this cohort. ',
+                                '{numUsersAdded} learners have been added to this cohort. ', numUsersAdded),
                             {numUsersAdded: numUsersAdded}
                         );
 
@@ -171,27 +181,28 @@
                             oldCohort = changedInfo.previous_cohort;
                             if (oldCohort in movedByCohort) {
                                 movedByCohort[oldCohort] = movedByCohort[oldCohort] + 1;
-                            }
-                            else {
+                            } else {
                                 movedByCohort[oldCohort] = 1;
                             }
                         });
 
                         details = [];
-                        for (oldCohort in movedByCohort) {
+
+                        _.each(movedByCohort, function(numMoved, prevCohort) {
                             details.push(
                                 interpolate_text(
-                                    ngettext('{numMoved} student was removed from {oldCohort}',
-                                        '{numMoved} students were removed from {oldCohort}', movedByCohort[oldCohort]),
-                                    {numMoved: movedByCohort[oldCohort], oldCohort: oldCohort}
+                                    ngettext('{numMoved} learner was moved from {prevCohort}',
+                                        '{numMoved} learners were moved from {prevCohort}', numMoved),
+                                    {numMoved: numMoved, prevCohort: prevCohort}
                                 )
                             );
-                        }
+                        });
+
                         if (numPresent > 0) {
                             details.push(
                                 interpolate_text(
-                                    ngettext('{numPresent} student was already in the cohort',
-                                        '{numPresent} students were already in the cohort', numPresent),
+                                    ngettext('{numPresent} learner was already in the cohort',
+                                        '{numPresent} learners were already in the cohort', numPresent),
                                     {numPresent: numPresent}
                                 )
                             );
@@ -206,35 +217,81 @@
                             })
                         });
                         this.confirmationNotifications.render();
-                    }
-                    else if (this.confirmationNotifications) {
+                    } else if (this.confirmationNotifications) {
                         this.confirmationNotifications.$el.html('');
                         this.confirmationNotifications = null;
                     }
 
+                    // Show preassigned email addresses.
+                    this.undelegateViewEvents(this.preassignedNotifications);
+                    if (numPreassigned > 0) {
+                        details = [];
+                        for (i = 0; i < modifiedUsers.preassigned.length; i++) {
+                            details.push(interpolate_text(gettext('{email}'),
+                                {email: modifiedUsers.preassigned[i]}));
+                        }
+
+                        title = (
+                            interpolate_text(
+                                ngettext('{numPreassigned} learner was pre-assigned for this cohort. ' +
+                                    'This learner will automatically be added to the cohort when ' +
+                                    'they enroll in the course.',
+                                    '{numPreassigned} learners were pre-assigned for this cohort. ' +
+                                    'These learners will automatically be added to the cohort when ' +
+                                    'they enroll in the course.',
+                                    numPreassigned),
+                                {numPreassigned: numPreassigned}
+                            )
+                        );
+
+                        this.preassignedNotifications = new NotificationView({
+                            el: this.$('.cohort-preassigned'),
+                            model: new NotificationModel({
+                                type: 'warning',
+                                title: title,
+                                details: details
+                            })
+                        });
+                        this.preassignedNotifications.render();
+                    } else if (this.preassignedNotifications) {
+                        this.preassignedNotifications.$el.html('');
+                        this.preassignedNotifications = null;
+                    }
+
                     // Show error messages.
                     this.undelegateViewEvents(this.errorNotifications);
-                    numErrors = modifiedUsers.unknown.length;
+                    numErrors = modifiedUsers.unknown.length + modifiedUsers.invalid.length;
                     if (numErrors > 0) {
-                        createErrorDetails = function(unknownUsers, showAllErrors) {
-                            var numErrors = unknownUsers.length, details = [];
+                        createErrorDetails = function(unknownUsers, invalidEmails, showAllErrors) {
+                            var unknownErrorsShown = showAllErrors ? unknownUsers.length :
+                                Math.min(errorLimit, unknownUsers.length);
+                            var invalidErrorsShown = showAllErrors ? invalidEmails.length :
+                                Math.min(errorLimit - unknownUsers.length, invalidEmails.length);
+                            details = [];
 
-                            for (var i = 0; i < (showAllErrors ? numErrors : Math.min(errorLimit, numErrors)); i++) {
-                                details.push(interpolate_text(gettext('Unknown user: {user}'), {user: unknownUsers[i]}));
+
+                            for (i = 0; i < unknownErrorsShown; i++) {
+                                details.push(interpolate_text(gettext('Unknown username: {user}'),
+                                    {user: unknownUsers[i]}));
+                            }
+                            for (i = 0; i < invalidErrorsShown; i++) {
+                                details.push(interpolate_text(gettext('Invalid email address: {email}'),
+                                    {email: invalidEmails[i]}));
                             }
                             return details;
                         };
 
                         title = interpolate_text(
-                            ngettext('There was an error when trying to add students:',
-                                'There were {numErrors} errors when trying to add students:', numErrors),
+                            ngettext('There was an error when trying to add learners:',
+                                '{numErrors} learners could not be added to this cohort:', numErrors),
                             {numErrors: numErrors}
                         );
-                        details = createErrorDetails(modifiedUsers.unknown, false);
+                        details = createErrorDetails(modifiedUsers.unknown, modifiedUsers.invalid, false);
 
                         errorActionCallback = function(view) {
                             view.model.set('actionText', null);
-                            view.model.set('details', createErrorDetails(modifiedUsers.unknown, true));
+                            view.model.set('details',
+                                createErrorDetails(modifiedUsers.unknown, modifiedUsers.invalid, true));
                             view.render();
                         };
 
diff --git a/lms/static/js/spec/groups/views/cohorts_spec.js b/lms/static/js/spec/groups/views/cohorts_spec.js
index 5b8a8855a5..2485dc4027 100644
--- a/lms/static/js/spec/groups/views/cohorts_spec.js
+++ b/lms/static/js/spec/groups/views/cohorts_spec.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+/* globals _ */
+
 define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers',
     'common/js/spec_helpers/template_helpers',
     'js/groups/views/cohorts', 'js/groups/collections/cohort', 'js/groups/models/content_group',
@@ -10,11 +12,11 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
 
         describe('Cohorts View', function() {
             var catLoversInitialCount = 123, dogLoversInitialCount = 456, unknownUserMessage,
-                createMockCohort, createMockCohorts, createMockContentGroups, createMockCohortSettingsJson,
-                createMockVerifiedTrackCohortsJson, flushVerifiedTrackCohortRequests, createCohortsView,
-                cohortsView, requests, respondToRefresh, verifyMessage, verifyNoMessage, verifyDetailedMessage,
-                verifyHeader, verifyVerifiedTrackMessage, verifyVerifiedTrackUIUpdates, expectCohortAddRequest,
-                getAddModal, selectContentGroup, clearContentGroup,
+                invalidEmailMessage, createMockCohort, createMockCohorts, createMockContentGroups,
+                createMockCohortSettingsJson, createMockVerifiedTrackCohortsJson, flushVerifiedTrackCohortRequests,
+                createCohortsView, cohortsView, requests, respondToRefresh, verifyMessage, verifyNoMessage,
+                verifyDetailedMessage, verifyHeader, verifyVerifiedTrackMessage, verifyVerifiedTrackUIUpdates,
+                expectCohortAddRequest, getAddModal, selectContentGroup, clearContentGroup,
                 saveFormAndExpectErrors, createMockCohortSettings, MOCK_COHORTED_USER_PARTITION_ID,
                 MOCK_UPLOAD_COHORTS_CSV_URL, MOCK_STUDIO_ADVANCED_SETTINGS_URL, MOCK_STUDIO_GROUP_CONFIGURATIONS_URL,
                 MOCK_VERIFIED_TRACK_COHORTING_URL, MOCK_MANUAL_ASSIGNMENT, MOCK_RANDOM_ASSIGNMENT;
@@ -249,7 +251,11 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
             };
 
             unknownUserMessage = function(name) {
-                return 'Unknown user: ' + name;
+                return 'Unknown username: ' + name;
+            };
+
+            invalidEmailMessage = function(name) {
+                return 'Invalid email address: ' + name;
             };
 
             beforeEach(function() {
@@ -299,7 +305,7 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
                 expect(cohortsView.$(fileUploadFormCss).length).toBe(0);
                 uploadCsvToggle = cohortsView.$('.toggle-cohort-management-secondary');
                 expect(uploadCsvToggle.text()).
-                    toContain('Assign students to cohorts by uploading a CSV file');
+                    toContain('Assign learners to cohorts by uploading a CSV file');
                 uploadCsvToggle.click();
                 // After toggle is clicked, it should be hidden.
                 expect(uploadCsvToggle).toHaveClass('hidden');
@@ -690,7 +696,8 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
                 respondToAdd = function(result) {
                     AjaxHelpers.respondWithJson(
                         requests,
-                        _.extend({unknown: [], added: [], present: [], changed: [], success: true}, result)
+                        _.extend({unknown: [], added: [], present: [], changed: [],
+                            success: true, preassigned: [], invalid: []}, result)
                     );
                 };
 
@@ -709,27 +716,57 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
                     respondToAdd({added: ['student@sample.com']});
                     respondToRefresh(catLoversUpdatedCount, dogLoversInitialCount);
                     verifyHeader(1, 'Cat Lovers', catLoversUpdatedCount);
-                    verifyMessage('1 student has been added to this cohort', 'confirmation');
+                    verifyMessage('1 learner has been added to this cohort.', 'confirmation');
                     expect(getStudentInput().val()).toBe('');
                 });
 
-                it('shows an error when adding a student that does not exist', function() {
+                it('preassigns an email address if it is not associated with a user', function() {
                     createCohortsView(this, {selectCohort: 1});
                     addStudents('unknown@sample.com');
                     AjaxHelpers.expectRequest(
                         requests, 'POST', '/mock_service/cohorts/1/add', 'users=unknown%40sample.com'
                     );
-                    respondToAdd({unknown: ['unknown@sample.com']});
+                    respondToAdd({preassigned: ['unknown@sample.com']});
                     respondToRefresh(catLoversInitialCount, dogLoversInitialCount);
                     verifyHeader(1, 'Cat Lovers', catLoversInitialCount);
-                    verifyDetailedMessage('There was an error when trying to add students:', 'error',
-                        [unknownUserMessage('unknown@sample.com')]
-                    );
-                    expect(getStudentInput().val()).toBe('unknown@sample.com');
+                    verifyDetailedMessage('1 learner was pre-assigned for this cohort. ' +
+                        'This learner will automatically be added to the cohort when they enroll in the course.',
+                        'warning',
+                        ['unknown@sample.com']);
+                    expect(getStudentInput().val()).toBe('');
                 });
 
+                it('shows an error when adding an invalid email address', function() {
+                    createCohortsView(this, {selectCohort: 1});
+                    addStudents('unknown@');
+                    AjaxHelpers.expectRequest(
+                        requests, 'POST', '/mock_service/cohorts/1/add', 'users=unknown%40'
+                    );
+                    respondToAdd({invalid: ['unknown@']});
+                    respondToRefresh(catLoversInitialCount, dogLoversInitialCount);
+                    verifyHeader(1, 'Cat Lovers', catLoversInitialCount);
+                    verifyDetailedMessage('There was an error when trying to add learners:', 'error',
+                        [invalidEmailMessage('unknown@')]
+                    );
+                });
+
+                it('shows an error when adding an unknown user', function() {
+                    createCohortsView(this, {selectCohort: 1});
+                    addStudents('unknown');
+                    AjaxHelpers.expectRequest(
+                        requests, 'POST', '/mock_service/cohorts/1/add', 'users=unknown'
+                    );
+                    respondToAdd({unknown: ['unknown']});
+                    respondToRefresh(catLoversInitialCount, dogLoversInitialCount);
+                    verifyHeader(1, 'Cat Lovers', catLoversInitialCount);
+                    verifyDetailedMessage('There was an error when trying to add learners:', 'error',
+                        [unknownUserMessage('unknown')]
+                    );
+                });
+
+
                 it('shows a "view all" button when more than 5 students do not exist', function() {
-                    var sixUsers = 'unknown1@sample.com, unknown2@sample.com, unknown3@sample.com, unknown4@sample.com, unknown5@sample.com, unknown6@sample.com';
+                    var sixUsers = 'unknown1, unknown2, unknown3, unknown4, unknown5, unknown6';
                     createCohortsView(this, {selectCohort: 1});
 
                     addStudents(sixUsers);
@@ -738,30 +775,30 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
                         'users=' + sixUsers.replace(/@/g, '%40').replace(/, /g, '%2C+')
                     );
                     respondToAdd({unknown: [
-                        'unknown1@sample.com',
-                        'unknown2@sample.com',
-                        'unknown3@sample.com',
-                        'unknown4@sample.com',
-                        'unknown5@sample.com',
-                        'unknown6@sample.com']
+                        'unknown1',
+                        'unknown2',
+                        'unknown3',
+                        'unknown4',
+                        'unknown5',
+                        'unknown6']
                     });
                     respondToRefresh(catLoversInitialCount + 6, dogLoversInitialCount);
-                    verifyDetailedMessage('There were 6 errors when trying to add students:', 'error',
+                    verifyDetailedMessage('6 learners could not be added to this cohort:', 'error',
                         [
-                            unknownUserMessage('unknown1@sample.com'), unknownUserMessage('unknown2@sample.com'),
-                            unknownUserMessage('unknown3@sample.com'), unknownUserMessage('unknown4@sample.com'),
-                            unknownUserMessage('unknown5@sample.com')
+                            unknownUserMessage('unknown1'), unknownUserMessage('unknown2'),
+                            unknownUserMessage('unknown3'), unknownUserMessage('unknown4'),
+                            unknownUserMessage('unknown5')
                         ],
                         'View all errors'
                     );
                     expect(getStudentInput().val()).toBe(sixUsers);
                     // Click "View all"
                     cohortsView.$('.action-expand').click();
-                    verifyDetailedMessage('There were 6 errors when trying to add students:', 'error',
+                    verifyDetailedMessage('6 learners could not be added to this cohort:', 'error',
                         [
-                            unknownUserMessage('unknown1@sample.com'), unknownUserMessage('unknown2@sample.com'),
-                            unknownUserMessage('unknown3@sample.com'), unknownUserMessage('unknown4@sample.com'),
-                            unknownUserMessage('unknown5@sample.com'), unknownUserMessage('unknown6@sample.com')
+                            unknownUserMessage('unknown1'), unknownUserMessage('unknown2'),
+                            unknownUserMessage('unknown3'), unknownUserMessage('unknown4'),
+                            unknownUserMessage('unknown5'), unknownUserMessage('unknown6')
                         ]
                     );
                 });
@@ -784,11 +821,11 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
                     });
                     respondToRefresh();
 
-                    verifyDetailedMessage('3 students have been added to this cohort', 'confirmation',
+                    verifyDetailedMessage('3 learners have been added to this cohort.', 'confirmation',
                         [
-                            '2 students were removed from cohort 2',
-                            '1 student was removed from cohort 3',
-                            '1 student was already in the cohort'
+                            '2 learners were moved from cohort 2',
+                            '1 learner was moved from cohort 3',
+                            '1 learner was already in the cohort'
                         ]
                     );
                     expect(getStudentInput().val()).toBe('');
@@ -798,7 +835,7 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
                     createCohortsView(this, {selectCohort: 1});
                     addStudents('student@sample.com');
                     AjaxHelpers.respondWithError(requests);
-                    verifyMessage('Error adding students.', 'error');
+                    verifyMessage('Error adding learners.', 'error');
                     expect(getStudentInput().val()).toBe('student@sample.com');
                 });
 
@@ -808,13 +845,13 @@ define(['backbone', 'jquery', 'edx-ui-toolkit/js/utils/spec-helpers/ajax-helpers
                     // First verify that an error is shown
                     addStudents('student@sample.com');
                     AjaxHelpers.respondWithError(requests);
-                    verifyMessage('Error adding students.', 'error');
+                    verifyMessage('Error adding learners.', 'error');
 
                     // Now verify that the error is removed on a subsequent add
                     addStudents('student@sample.com');
                     respondToAdd({added: ['student@sample.com']});
                     respondToRefresh(catLoversInitialCount + 1, dogLoversInitialCount);
-                    verifyMessage('1 student has been added to this cohort', 'confirmation');
+                    verifyMessage('1 learner has been added to this cohort.', 'confirmation');
                 });
             });
 
diff --git a/lms/templates/instructor/instructor_dashboard_2/cohort-editor.underscore b/lms/templates/instructor/instructor_dashboard_2/cohort-editor.underscore
index 688155c9a4..806947ac5c 100644
--- a/lms/templates/instructor/instructor_dashboard_2/cohort-editor.underscore
+++ b/lms/templates/instructor/instructor_dashboard_2/cohort-editor.underscore
@@ -2,26 +2,27 @@
     <header class="cohort-management-group-header"></header>
 
     <ul class="wrapper-tabs">
-        <li class="tab tab-manage_students is-selected" data-tab="manage_students"><button type="button" class="toggle-button"><span class="sr"><%- gettext('Selected tab') %> </span><%- gettext("Manage Students") %></button></li>
+        <li class="tab tab-manage_students is-selected" data-tab="manage_students"><button type="button" class="toggle-button"><span class="sr"><%- gettext('Selected tab') %> </span><%- gettext("Manage Learners") %></button></li>
         <li class="tab tab-settings" data-tab="settings"><button type="button" class="toggle-button"><%- gettext("Settings") %></button></li>
     </ul>
 
     <div class="cohort-management-group-add tab-content tab-content-manage_students" tabindex="-1">
         <form action="" method="post" id="cohort-management-group-add-form" class="cohort-management-group-add-form">
 
-            <h4 class="hd hd-3 form-title"><%- gettext('Add students to this cohort') %></h4>
+            <h4 class="hd hd-3 form-title"><%- gettext('Add learners to this cohort') %></h4>
 
             <div class="form-introduction">
-                <p><%- gettext('Note: Students can be in only one cohort. Adding students to this group overrides any previous group assignment.') %></p>
+                <p><%- gettext('Note: Learners can be in only one cohort. Adding learners to this group overrides any previous group assignment.') %></p>
             </div>
 
             <div class="cohort-confirmations" aria-live="polite" tabindex="-1"></div>
+            <div class="cohort-preassigned" aria-live="polite" tabindex="-1"></div>
             <div class="cohort-errors" aria-live="polite" tabindex="-1"></div>
 
             <div class="form-fields">
                 <div class="field field-textarea is-required">
                     <label for="cohort-management-group-add-students" class="label">
-                        <%- gettext('Enter email addresses and/or usernames, separated by new lines or commas, for the students you want to add. *') %>
+                        <%- gettext('Enter email addresses and/or usernames, separated by new lines or commas, for the learners you want to add. *') %>
                         <span class="sr"><%- gettext('(Required Field)') %></span>
                     </label>
                     <textarea name="cohort-management-group-add-students" id="cohort-management-group-add-students"
@@ -35,7 +36,7 @@
 
             <div class="form-actions">
                 <button class="form-submit button action-primary action-view">
-                    <span class="button-icon icon fa fa-plus" aria-hidden="true"></span> <%- gettext('Add Students') %>
+                    <span class="button-icon icon fa fa-plus" aria-hidden="true"></span> <%- gettext('Add Learners') %>
                 </button>
             </div>
         </form>
diff --git a/lms/templates/instructor/instructor_dashboard_2/cohorts.underscore b/lms/templates/instructor/instructor_dashboard_2/cohorts.underscore
index df8328cab0..12c78e46a8 100644
--- a/lms/templates/instructor/instructor_dashboard_2/cohorts.underscore
+++ b/lms/templates/instructor/instructor_dashboard_2/cohorts.underscore
@@ -34,14 +34,14 @@
         <hr class="divider divider-lv1" />
 
         <!-- Uploading a CSV file of cohort assignments. -->
-        <button class="toggle-cohort-management-secondary" data-href="#cohort-management-file-upload"><%- gettext('Assign students to cohorts by uploading a CSV file') %></button>
+        <button class="toggle-cohort-management-secondary" data-href="#cohort-management-file-upload"><%- gettext('Assign learners to cohorts by uploading a CSV file') %></button>
         <div class="cohort-management-file-upload csv-upload hidden" id="cohort-management-file-upload" tabindex="-1"></div>
 
         <div class="cohort-management-supplemental">
             <p class="">
                 <span class="icon fa fa-info-circle" aria-hidden="true"></span>
                 <%= HtmlUtils.interpolateHtml(
-                    gettext('To review student cohort assignments or see the results of uploading a CSV file, download course profile information or cohort results on the {link_start}Data Download{link_end} page.'),
+                    gettext('To review learner cohort assignments or see the results of uploading a CSV file, download course profile information or cohort results on the {link_start}Data Download{link_end} page.'),
                     {
                         link_start: HtmlUtils.HTML('<button type="button" class="btn-link link-cross-reference" data-section="data_download">'),
                         link_end: HtmlUtils.HTML('</button>')
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/cohorts.py b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/cohorts.py
index 5d919124b7..3a1713b68e 100644
--- a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/cohorts.py
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/cohorts.py
@@ -6,14 +6,16 @@ forums, and to the cohort admin views.
 import logging
 import random
 
+import request_cache
+from courseware import courses
+from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
+from django.core.validators import validate_email
 from django.db import IntegrityError, transaction
 from django.db.models.signals import m2m_changed, post_save
 from django.dispatch import receiver
 from django.http import Http404
 from django.utils.translation import ugettext as _
-
-import request_cache
-from courseware import courses
 from eventtracking import tracker
 from request_cache.middleware import request_cached
 from student.models import get_user_by_username_or_email
@@ -23,7 +25,8 @@ from .models import (
     CourseCohort,
     CourseCohortsSettings,
     CourseUserGroup,
-    CourseUserGroupPartitionGroup
+    CourseUserGroupPartitionGroup,
+    UnregisteredLearnerCohortAssignments
 )
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -241,10 +244,22 @@ def get_cohort(user, course_key, assign=True, use_cached=False):
     # Otherwise assign the user a cohort.
     try:
         with transaction.atomic():
+            # If learner has been pre-registered in a cohort, get that cohort. Otherwise assign to a random cohort.
+            course_user_group = None
+            for assignment in UnregisteredLearnerCohortAssignments.objects.filter(email=user.email, course_id=course_key):
+                course_user_group = assignment.course_user_group
+                unregistered_learner = assignment
+
+            if course_user_group:
+                unregistered_learner.delete()
+            else:
+                course_user_group = get_random_cohort(course_key)
+
             membership = CohortMembership.objects.create(
                 user=user,
-                course_user_group=get_random_cohort(course_key)
+                course_user_group=course_user_group,
             )
+
             return cache.setdefault(cache_key, membership.course_user_group)
     except IntegrityError as integrity_error:
         # An IntegrityError is raised when multiple workers attempt to
@@ -423,28 +438,65 @@ def add_user_to_cohort(cohort, username_or_email):
         username_or_email: string.  Treated as email if has '@'
 
     Returns:
-        Tuple of User object and string (or None) indicating previous cohort
+        User object (or None if the email address is preassigned),
+        string (or None) indicating previous cohort,
+        and whether the user is a preassigned user or not
 
     Raises:
-        User.DoesNotExist if can't find user.
+        User.DoesNotExist if can't find user. However, if a valid email is provided for the user, it is stored
+        in a database so that the user can be added to the cohort if they eventually enroll in the course.
         ValueError if user already present in this cohort.
+        ValidationError if an invalid email address is entered.
+        User.DoesNotExist if a user could not be found.
     """
-    user = get_user_by_username_or_email(username_or_email)
+    try:
+        user = get_user_by_username_or_email(username_or_email)
 
-    membership = CohortMembership(course_user_group=cohort, user=user)
-    membership.save()  # This will handle both cases, creation and updating, of a CohortMembership for this user.
+        membership = CohortMembership(course_user_group=cohort, user=user)
+        membership.save()  # This will handle both cases, creation and updating, of a CohortMembership for this user.
 
-    tracker.emit(
-        "edx.cohort.user_add_requested",
-        {
-            "user_id": user.id,
-            "cohort_id": cohort.id,
-            "cohort_name": cohort.name,
-            "previous_cohort_id": membership.previous_cohort_id,
-            "previous_cohort_name": membership.previous_cohort_name,
-        }
-    )
-    return (user, membership.previous_cohort_name)
+        tracker.emit(
+            "edx.cohort.user_add_requested",
+            {
+                "user_id": user.id,
+                "cohort_id": cohort.id,
+                "cohort_name": cohort.name,
+                "previous_cohort_id": membership.previous_cohort_id,
+                "previous_cohort_name": membership.previous_cohort_name,
+            }
+        )
+        return (user, membership.previous_cohort_name, False)
+    except User.DoesNotExist as ex:
+        # If username_or_email is an email address, store in database.
+        try:
+            validate_email(username_or_email)
+
+            try:
+                assignment = UnregisteredLearnerCohortAssignments.objects.get(
+                    email=username_or_email, course_id=cohort.course_id
+                )
+                assignment.course_user_group = cohort
+                assignment.save()
+            except UnregisteredLearnerCohortAssignments.DoesNotExist:
+                assignment = UnregisteredLearnerCohortAssignments.objects.create(
+                    course_user_group=cohort, email=username_or_email, course_id=cohort.course_id
+                )
+
+            tracker.emit(
+                "edx.cohort.email_address_preassigned",
+                {
+                    "user_email": assignment.email,
+                    "cohort_id": cohort.id,
+                    "cohort_name": cohort.name,
+                }
+            )
+
+            return (None, None, True)
+        except ValidationError as invalid:
+            if "@" in username_or_email:
+                raise invalid
+            else:
+                raise ex
 
 
 def get_group_info_for_cohort(cohort, use_cached=False):
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/migrations/0003_auto_20170609_1455.py b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/migrations/0003_auto_20170609_1455.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c232bf7b5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/migrations/0003_auto_20170609_1455.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
+from django.db import migrations, models
+import openedx.core.djangoapps.xmodule_django.models
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+
+    dependencies = [
+        ('course_groups', '0002_change_inline_default_cohort_value'),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.CreateModel(
+            name='UnregisteredLearnerCohortAssignments',
+            fields=[
+                ('id', models.AutoField(verbose_name='ID', serialize=False, auto_created=True, primary_key=True)),
+                ('email', models.CharField(db_index=True, max_length=255, blank=True)),
+                ('course_id', openedx.core.djangoapps.xmodule_django.models.CourseKeyField(max_length=255)),
+                ('course_user_group', models.ForeignKey(to='course_groups.CourseUserGroup')),
+            ],
+        ),
+        migrations.AlterUniqueTogether(
+            name='unregisteredlearnercohortassignments',
+            unique_together=set([('course_id', 'email')]),
+        ),
+    ]
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/models.py b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/models.py
index e3ea4163a6..10b961535f 100644
--- a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/models.py
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/models.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
 from django.db import models, transaction
 from django.db.models.signals import pre_delete
 from django.dispatch import receiver
-
 from openedx.core.djangoapps.xmodule_django.models import CourseKeyField
 from util.db import outer_atomic
 
@@ -236,3 +235,13 @@ class CourseCohort(models.Model):
         )
 
         return course_cohort
+
+
+class UnregisteredLearnerCohortAssignments(models.Model):
+
+    class Meta(object):
+        unique_together = (('course_id', 'email'), )
+
+    course_user_group = models.ForeignKey(CourseUserGroup)
+    email = models.CharField(blank=True, max_length=255, db_index=True)
+    course_id = CourseKeyField(max_length=255)
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/tests/test_cohorts.py b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/tests/test_cohorts.py
index 4b8171de26..da477bd50b 100644
--- a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/tests/test_cohorts.py
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/tests/test_cohorts.py
@@ -258,6 +258,64 @@ class TestCohorts(ModuleStoreTestCase):
             "other_user should be assigned to the default cohort"
         )
 
+    def test_get_cohort_preassigned_user(self):
+        """
+        When an email address is added to a cohort and a user signs up for the course with that email address,
+        the user should automatically be added to that cohort and not a random cohort.
+        """
+        course = modulestore().get_course(self.toy_course_key)
+        cohort = CohortFactory(course_id=course.id, name="TestCohort", users=[])
+        cohort2 = CohortFactory(course_id=course.id, name="RandomCohort", users=[])
+        config_course_cohorts(course, is_cohorted=True)
+
+        # Add email address to the cohort
+        (user, previous_cohort, prereg) = cohorts.add_user_to_cohort(cohort, "email@example.com")
+        self.assertEquals(
+            (user, previous_cohort, prereg),
+            (None, None, True)
+        )
+
+        # Create user with this email address
+        user = UserFactory(username="test", email="email@example.com")
+        self.assertEquals(
+            cohorts.get_cohort(user, course.id).id,
+            cohort.id,
+            "User should be assigned to the right cohort"
+        )
+
+    def test_get_cohort_multiple_preassignments(self):
+        """
+        When an email address is added to multiple cohorts, the last cohort assignment should be respected.
+        Then, when a user signs up for the course with that email address,
+        the user should automatically be added to that cohort and not a random cohort.
+        """
+        course = modulestore().get_course(self.toy_course_key)
+        cohort = CohortFactory(course_id=course.id, name="TestCohort", users=[])
+        cohort2 = CohortFactory(course_id=course.id, name="RandomCohort", users=[])
+        config_course_cohorts(course, is_cohorted=True)
+
+        # Add email address to the first cohort
+        (user, previous_cohort, prereg) = cohorts.add_user_to_cohort(cohort, "email@example.com")
+        self.assertEquals(
+            (user, previous_cohort, prereg),
+            (None, None, True)
+        )
+
+        # Add email address to the second cohort
+        (user, previous_cohort, prereg) = cohorts.add_user_to_cohort(cohort2, "email@example.com")
+        self.assertEquals(
+            (user, previous_cohort, prereg),
+            (None, None, True)
+        )
+
+        # Create user with this email address
+        user = UserFactory(username="test", email="email@example.com")
+        self.assertEquals(
+            cohorts.get_cohort(user, course.id).id,
+            cohort2.id,
+            "User should be assigned to the right cohort"
+        )
+
     @ddt.data(
         (True, 2),
         (False, 6),
@@ -549,7 +607,7 @@ class TestCohorts(ModuleStoreTestCase):
         # We shouldn't get back a previous cohort, since the user wasn't in one
         self.assertEqual(
             cohorts.add_user_to_cohort(first_cohort, "Username"),
-            (course_user, None)
+            (course_user, None, False)
         )
         mock_tracker.emit.assert_any_call(
             "edx.cohort.user_add_requested",
@@ -565,7 +623,7 @@ class TestCohorts(ModuleStoreTestCase):
         # another
         self.assertEqual(
             cohorts.add_user_to_cohort(second_cohort, "Username"),
-            (course_user, "FirstCohort")
+            (course_user, "FirstCohort", False)
         )
         mock_tracker.emit.assert_any_call(
             "edx.cohort.user_add_requested",
@@ -577,6 +635,21 @@ class TestCohorts(ModuleStoreTestCase):
                 "previous_cohort_name": first_cohort.name,
             }
         )
+        # Should preregister email address for a cohort if an email address
+        # not associated with a user is added
+        (user, previous_cohort, prereg) = cohorts.add_user_to_cohort(first_cohort, "new_email@example.com")
+        self.assertEqual(
+            (user, previous_cohort, prereg),
+            (None, None, True)
+        )
+        mock_tracker.emit.assert_any_call(
+            "edx.cohort.email_address_preassigned",
+            {
+                "user_email": "new_email@example.com",
+                "cohort_id": first_cohort.id,
+                "cohort_name": first_cohort.name,
+            }
+        )
         # Error cases
         # Should get ValueError if user already in cohort
         self.assertRaises(
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/tests/test_views.py b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/tests/test_views.py
index fdd9343c3d..a4f8dab92d 100644
--- a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/tests/test_views.py
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/tests/test_views.py
@@ -747,7 +747,7 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             return json.loads(response.content)
 
     def verify_added_users_to_cohort(self, response_dict, cohort, course, expected_added, expected_changed,
-                                     expected_present, expected_unknown):
+                                     expected_present, expected_unknown, expected_preassigned, expected_invalid):
         """
         Check that add_users_to_cohort returned the expected response and has
         the expected side effects.
@@ -757,6 +757,8 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
         `expected_present` is a list of (user, email/username) tuples where
             email/username corresponds to the input
         `expected_unknown` is a list of strings corresponding to the input
+        'expected_preassigned' is a list of email addresses
+        'expected_invalid' is a list of email addresses
         """
         self.assertTrue(response_dict.get("success"))
         self.assertEqual(
@@ -782,6 +784,8 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             [username_or_email for (_, username_or_email) in expected_present]
         )
         self.assertEqual(response_dict.get("unknown"), expected_unknown)
+        self.assertEqual(response_dict.get("invalid"), expected_invalid)
+        self.assertEqual(response_dict.get("preassigned"), expected_preassigned)
         for user in expected_added + [user for (user, _) in expected_changed + expected_present]:
             self.assertEqual(
                 CourseUserGroup.objects.get(
@@ -815,7 +819,9 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             expected_added=[],
             expected_changed=[],
             expected_present=[],
-            expected_unknown=[]
+            expected_preassigned=[],
+            expected_unknown=[],
+            expected_invalid=[]
         )
 
     def test_only_added(self):
@@ -834,7 +840,9 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             expected_added=self.cohortless_users,
             expected_changed=[],
             expected_present=[],
-            expected_unknown=[]
+            expected_preassigned=[],
+            expected_unknown=[],
+            expected_invalid=[]
         )
 
     def test_only_changed(self):
@@ -856,7 +864,9 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
                 [(user, self.cohort3.name) for user in self.cohort3_users]
             ),
             expected_present=[],
-            expected_unknown=[]
+            expected_preassigned=[],
+            expected_unknown=[],
+            expected_invalid=[]
         )
 
     def test_only_present(self):
@@ -876,7 +886,9 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             expected_added=[],
             expected_changed=[],
             expected_present=[(user, user.username) for user in self.cohort1_users],
-            expected_unknown=[]
+            expected_preassigned=[],
+            expected_unknown=[],
+            expected_invalid=[]
         )
 
     def test_only_unknown(self):
@@ -896,7 +908,54 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             expected_added=[],
             expected_changed=[],
             expected_present=[],
-            expected_unknown=usernames
+            expected_preassigned=[],
+            expected_unknown=usernames,
+            expected_invalid=[]
+        )
+
+    def test_preassigned_users(self):
+        """
+        Verify that email addresses can be preassigned for a cohort if the user associated with that email
+        address does not yet exist.
+        """
+        email_addresses = ["email@example.com", "email2@example.com", "email3@example.com"]
+        response_dict = self.request_add_users_to_cohort(
+            ",".join(email_addresses),
+            self.cohort1,
+            self.course
+        )
+        self.verify_added_users_to_cohort(
+            response_dict,
+            self.cohort1,
+            self.course,
+            expected_added=[],
+            expected_changed=[],
+            expected_present=[],
+            expected_preassigned=email_addresses,
+            expected_unknown=[],
+            expected_invalid=[]
+        )
+
+    def test_invalid_email_addresses(self):
+        """
+        Verify that invalid email addresses return an error.
+        """
+        email_addresses = ["email@", "@email", "invalid@email."]
+        response_dict = self.request_add_users_to_cohort(
+            ",".join(email_addresses),
+            self.cohort1,
+            self.course
+        )
+        self.verify_added_users_to_cohort(
+            response_dict,
+            self.cohort1,
+            self.course,
+            expected_added=[],
+            expected_changed=[],
+            expected_present=[],
+            expected_preassigned=[],
+            expected_unknown=[],
+            expected_invalid=email_addresses
         )
 
     def check_user_count(self, expected_count, cohort):
@@ -915,10 +974,12 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
         Test all adding conditions together.
         """
         unknowns = ["unknown_user{}".format(i) for i in range(3)]
+        valid_emails = ["email@example.com", "email2@example.com", "email3@example.com"]
         new_users = self.cohortless_users + self.cohort1_users + self.cohort2_users + self.cohort3_users
         response_dict = self.request_add_users_to_cohort(
             ",".join(
                 unknowns +
+                valid_emails +
                 [
                     user.username
                     for user in new_users
@@ -940,20 +1001,26 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
                 [(user, self.cohort3.name) for user in self.cohort3_users]
             ),
             expected_present=[(user, user.username) for user in self.cohort1_users],
-            expected_unknown=unknowns
+            expected_preassigned=valid_emails,
+            expected_unknown=unknowns,
+            expected_invalid=[]
         )
 
     def test_emails(self):
         """
         Verify that we can use emails to identify users.
+        Expect unknown email address not associated with an account to be preassigned.
+        Expect unknown user (neither an email address nor a username) to not be added.
         """
-        unknown = "unknown_user@example.com"
+        valid_email_no_account = "unknown_user@example.com"
+        unknown_user = "unknown"
         response_dict = self.request_add_users_to_cohort(
             ",".join([
                 self.cohort1_users[0].email,
                 self.cohort2_users[0].email,
                 self.cohortless_users[0].email,
-                unknown
+                valid_email_no_account,
+                unknown_user
             ]),
             self.cohort1,
             self.course
@@ -965,7 +1032,9 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             expected_added=[self.cohortless_users[0]],
             expected_changed=[(self.cohort2_users[0], self.cohort2.name)],
             expected_present=[(self.cohort1_users[0], self.cohort1_users[0].email)],
-            expected_unknown=[unknown]
+            expected_preassigned=[valid_email_no_account],
+            expected_unknown=[unknown_user],
+            expected_invalid=[]
         )
 
     def test_delimiters(self):
@@ -991,7 +1060,9 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             expected_added=[self.cohortless_users[0]],
             expected_changed=[(self.cohort2_users[0], self.cohort2.name)],
             expected_present=[(self.cohort1_users[0], self.cohort1_users[0].username)],
-            expected_unknown=[unknown]
+            expected_preassigned=[],
+            expected_unknown=[unknown],
+            expected_invalid=[]
         )
 
     def test_can_cohort_unenrolled_users(self):
@@ -1018,7 +1089,9 @@ class AddUsersToCohortTestCase(CohortViewsTestCase):
             expected_added=self.unenrolled_users,
             expected_changed=[],
             expected_present=[],
-            expected_unknown=[]
+            expected_preassigned=[],
+            expected_unknown=[],
+            expected_invalid=[]
         )
 
     def test_non_existent_cohort(self):
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/views.py b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/views.py
index ee43f47b6c..53fc71cb45 100644
--- a/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/views.py
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/course_groups/views.py
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ Views related to course groups functionality.
 import logging
 import re
 
-from courseware.courses import get_course_with_access
 from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
 from django.contrib.auth.models import User
+from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
 from django.core.paginator import EmptyPage, Paginator
 from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
 from django.db import transaction
@@ -15,9 +15,13 @@ from django.http import Http404, HttpResponseBadRequest
 from django.utils.translation import ugettext
 from django.views.decorators.csrf import ensure_csrf_cookie
 from django.views.decorators.http import require_http_methods, require_POST
-from edxmako.shortcuts import render_to_response
 from opaque_keys.edx.keys import CourseKey
 from opaque_keys.edx.locations import SlashSeparatedCourseKey
+
+from courseware.courses import get_course_with_access
+from edxmako.shortcuts import render_to_response
+from lms.djangoapps.django_comment_client.constants import TYPE_ENTRY
+from lms.djangoapps.django_comment_client.utils import get_discussion_categories_ids, get_discussion_category_map
 from util.json_request import JsonResponse, expect_json
 
 from . import cohorts
@@ -267,7 +271,9 @@ def add_users_to_cohort(request, course_key_string, cohort_id):
                   'email': ...,
                   'previous_cohort': ...}, ...],
      'present': [str1, str2, ...],    # already there
-     'unknown': [str1, str2, ...]}
+     'unknown': [str1, str2, ...],
+     'preassigned': [str1, str2, ...],
+     'invalid': [str1, str2, ...]}
 
      Raises Http404 if the cohort cannot be found for the given course.
     """
@@ -288,31 +294,41 @@ def add_users_to_cohort(request, course_key_string, cohort_id):
     changed = []
     present = []
     unknown = []
+    preassigned = []
+    invalid = []
     for username_or_email in split_by_comma_and_whitespace(users):
         if not username_or_email:
             continue
 
         try:
-            (user, previous_cohort) = cohorts.add_user_to_cohort(cohort, username_or_email)
-            info = {
-                'username': user.username,
-                'email': user.email,
-            }
-            if previous_cohort:
-                info['previous_cohort'] = previous_cohort
+            # A user object is only returned by add_user_to_cohort if the user already exists.
+            (user, previous_cohort, preassignedCohort) = cohorts.add_user_to_cohort(cohort, username_or_email)
+
+            if preassignedCohort:
+                preassigned.append(username_or_email)
+            elif previous_cohort:
+                info = {'email': user.email,
+                        'previous_cohort': previous_cohort,
+                        'username': user.username}
                 changed.append(info)
             else:
+                info = {'username': user.username,
+                        'email': user.email}
                 added.append(info)
-        except ValueError:
-            present.append(username_or_email)
         except User.DoesNotExist:
             unknown.append(username_or_email)
+        except ValidationError:
+            invalid.append(username_or_email)
+        except ValueError:
+            present.append(username_or_email)
 
     return json_http_response({'success': True,
                                'added': added,
                                'changed': changed,
                                'present': present,
-                               'unknown': unknown})
+                               'unknown': unknown,
+                               'preassigned': preassigned,
+                               'invalid': invalid})
 
 
 @ensure_csrf_cookie