The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) are core digital components of NEP 2020; as of June 2026 over 26.30 crore APAAR IDs exist, 2,963 institutions are on ABC and 110.65 crore educational records have been uploaded.
Overview
- Academic Bank of Credits (ABC): Platform to store, transfer and redeem academic credits across recognised higher education institutions; developed by the Ministry of Education and regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
- Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR): Provides a unique 12‑digit student ID under ‘One Nation, One Student ID’; links school, higher education and skill records via DigiLocker.
- Regulatory deadline: UGC mandated HEIs to upload Examination Year 2025 records to the National Academic Depository (NAD) via ABC by 30 June 2026; no fresh uploads for 2025 will be accepted.
Features & Technical Links
- Multiple Entry–Exit (MEE) & NCrF: ABC supports MEE and aligns credits with the National Credit Framework (NCrF).
- Online credit integration: Credits from SWAYAM and recognised online programmes can be recorded in ABC.
- Security proposal: Adoption of Bharat Praman Chain (sovereign blockchain by Digital India Corporation) proposed for credential authenticity.
Adoption & Operational Data
- Scale: By June 2026, 2,963 institutions registered on ABC; 170 universities adopted ABC; 153 universities offer multiple entry options.
- Beneficiaries: Over 31,000 undergraduate and 5,500 postgraduate students have benefited from multiple entry provisions.
- Implementation issues: Example — Goa reported 81.1% school coverage (2.35 lakh) with some APAAR IDs pending due to Aadhaar mismatches and technical faults.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- National Academic Depository (NAD): Digital depository for academic awards and certificates used by ABC for secure storage.
- One Nation, One Student ID: APAAR’s 12‑digit identifier intended for lifelong academic portability.
- SWAYAM & NCrF: Facilitate credit transferability across in‑person and online modes.
- Bharat Praman Chain: Sovereign blockchain initiative by Digital India Corporation for document verification.