Explainer: What is an APAAR ID, how does it work and is it compulsory?

NEW DELHI: As part of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the union government has been introducing several new initiatives for schools as well as for higher education. One such initiative is the APAAR, its full form – Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry.

The APAAR ID is now slated to be created for all students across India as a unique identification number to store all their academic credits, including digital certificates and co-curricular achievements. With the University Grants Commission (UGC) urging universities to complete linking students to their APAAR ID by June 2025, here’s a brief explainer on what the APAAR ID is, how to register for it and what purpose it is intended to serve.

What is an APAAR ID?

APAAR is an identification system designed for all students from school education to higher education. It is a unique 12-digit code that will be used to digitally store, manage, and access all the academic credits of a student, including marksheets, report cards, degrees, diplomas, certificates and co-curricular accomplishments. All educational achievements of the student, including co-curricular ones, will be stored digitally using this ID.

How do you earn credits on APAAR ID?

APAAR is part of the 'One Nation, One Student ID' programme envisioned in the National Education Policy 2020. In July 2021, the central government launched a nation-wide Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), in line with the NEP 2020, as a first step.

The ABC is a virtual database that will store the academic credits that students earn while completing their courses. These credits will be stored in the ABC using a unique identification number for each student, which is the APAAR ID.

For instance, as per the proposed credit system by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), a student completing Class 12 with six subjects, including two languages, can get a total of 40 credits. These will be stored in the ABC using the APAAR ID. When the same student goes to a university and completes a three-year undergraduate degree, they can get a minimum of 120 credits which will be added to his existing credits in the APAAR ID.

What is the difference between ABC ID and APAAR ID?

ABC is the virtual database that will store the academic credits of students. The ABC ID was created to store student credits in the database. Universities and colleges were already instructed to create the unique 12-digit ID prior to the introduction of APAAR ID. The APAAR ID, meanwhile, will be registered by the schools first and later be linked to the ABC. For higher education, APAAR ID and ABC ID will be used interchangeably.

What are the benefits of APAAR ID?

According to the education ministry, the APAAR ID will “acknowledge and validate learning achievements” of the students.

In the new system, all learning will be quantified, accounted for and stored. For instance, if a student is good at co-curricular activities, his achievements would be stored as credits in the APAAR ID, depending on how many credits are allocated to a particular co-curricular activity.

Moreover, the APAAR ID for students aims to improve academic flexibility and mobility. For instance, the new accelerated degree programme (ADP) and the extended degree programme (EDP), announced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in November, will allow students to complete the same degree faster or slower than the standard duration.

All of this is possible by dividing the curriculum into smaller segments and allotting credits to students as they complete each module of their programme.

APAAR ID also aims to make application processes easier. Since students, in the future, will only be required to share their APAAR ID where all credentials are stored, the ministry argues that there is no fear of losing hard copy certificates and hence, it will be easier for cases such as transfer from one school to the other, or apply for entrance examinations, admissions and even jobs. It will also be easier for organisations to verify students’ information.

How do I get my APAAR ID?

The education ministry, in October 2023, directed state chief secretaries to begin the creation of APAAR IDs in schools. Many schools have already started the process for the creation of APAAR ID. The schools will complete the following steps to create the APAAR ID.

• Verify the demographic details of the students
• Obtain parental consent if the student is below 18 years of age
• Authenticate their identity through AADHAR or any similar ID

Upon successful verification, the APAAR ID is created and added to DigiLocker for secure online access.

For higher education institutions (HEIs), the UGC directed all colleges and universities to upload the ABC data by December 31. Further, this credit data is to be mapped to the APAAR IDs by June 2025.

How do I know my APAAR ID?

As soon as the APAAR ID is generated through the school or HEI, it will get linked to the student's DigiLocker Account. Students can find their virtual APAAR ID card in the “issued document” section of DigiLocker.

The status of APAAR ID is also visible in the UDISE Plus portal under the APAAR Module, which displays a list of students along with their APAAR ID statuses.

Students can also request their school authority to check the status of their APAAR ID creation.

Education ministry's information brochure on APAAR said that it was not mandatory.

Is APAAR ID compulsory?

The introduction of APAAR ID has run into some controversy.

The education ministry, through its FAQs and “important information”, said that APAAR ID is “not mandatory” and that there is “no legal requirement mandating its use”. However, the ministry has also directed all state chief secretaries to start the creation of APAAR ID in all schools.

The application form for APAAR ID also involves a consent form for parents. In the APAAR ID consent form, the parents are to consent that their child’s personal information “may be made available to entities engaged in various educational activities” including “educational institutions and recruitment agencies”.

Moreover, many parents reported that the schools do not provide an opt-out option if they decide against giving consent.