New Delhi | The Government of India has highlighted the growing role of the National Academic Depository (NAD) in transforming academic record management through a secure, paperless, and digitally verifiable ecosystem. Implemented through DigiLocker under the Digital India programme, NAD enables students to securely access, store, and share academic credentials while allowing institutions and employers to verify them instantly.
India’s education ecosystem currently includes around 14.71 lakh schools, 1,420 universities, 53,583 colleges, 16,795 standalone institutions, and 280 research and development institutes, collectively generating millions of academic records every year. Traditionally, managing paper-based certificates has been time-consuming and vulnerable to loss, damage, and forgery. The NAD addresses these challenges by providing a secure digital repository for degrees, diplomas, certificates, mark sheets, and other academic documents.
The initiative supports the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, including Multiple Entry-Multiple Exit (MEME), the National Credit Framework (NCrF), and the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), enabling flexible learning pathways and lifelong academic mobility. Since 2020, NAD has been operational through DigiLocker and works alongside APAAR and ABC to create a unified digital academic record ecosystem. It is also integrated with the Government’s e-Sanad platform, allowing electronic verification, attestation, and apostille of educational documents for Indian citizens pursuing higher education or employment abroad.
The Ministry of Education oversees NAD, while the University Grants Commission (UGC) serves as the nodal agency for its implementation. Digital academic credentials issued through the platform have the same legal validity as physical documents under the Information Technology Act, 2000. The framework also complies with the Digital Locker Rules, 2016, ensuring documents are shared only with the explicit consent of users.
Under the NAD workflow, educational institutions upload verified academic records to DigiLocker, where they are automatically linked to students’ accounts. Students can retrieve these documents anytime and share them securely with employers, universities, banks, government agencies, or licensing authorities through a consent-based mechanism. Authorised organisations can instantly verify the authenticity of these credentials, significantly reducing verification time and eliminating the risks associated with fake or forged documents.
As of July 7, 2026, the NAD ecosystem includes 3,420 awarding institutions and organisations and hosts over 110 crore digital academic records, demonstrating its rapid expansion across India’s education sector. The platform benefits students through lifelong access to authenticated credentials, educational institutions through streamlined record management, and employers and verification agencies through faster, reliable credential verification.
The government stated that the National Academic Depository is emerging as a cornerstone of India’s digital governance framework for education by enabling secure, standardised, and interoperable academic record management. Through real-time verification and consent-based access, NAD aims to improve transparency, efficiency, and trust while reducing dependence on physical documents.
Also Read: 58 Engineering Colleges and Technical Colleges Shut Down Across India During 2025–26: AICTE
Join our WhatsApp Channel for fastest updates: Join now