What are the Academic Bank of Credits and APAAR?

The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) are digital systems linked to India’s higher education framework under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The ABC is a Ministry of Education platform regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC), while APAAR is a 12-digit student identification number under the “One Nation, One Student ID” initiative.

Academic Bank of Credits

The Academic Bank of Credits is a digital repository for academic credits earned by students from recognised higher education institutions. It allows students to store, transfer, and redeem credits across institutions within the ABC framework. The system supports academic mobility and credit portability in higher education. The UGC has required Higher Education Institutions to upload students’ academic credit data to the ABC portal for the academic year 2025 by June 30, 2026. Earlier deadlines included December 31, 2024, for academic years 2021 to 2023 and June 2025 for examinations conducted in 2024.

APAAR and student records

APAAR is integrated with the ABC system and linked to DigiLocker for consolidation of academic records. It is used to create a permanent digital identity for students and to connect school and higher education records in a single system. As of June 2026, more than 26.30 crore verified APAAR IDs have been generated across India. In Goa, APAAR IDs were generated for 81.1% of school students, with 2.35 lakh IDs created out of 2.89 lakh enrolments by June 27, 2026.

Multiple Entry and Exit system

The ABC framework supports the Multiple Entry and Exit (MEE) system under NEP 2020. This system allows students to earn different credentials at different stages of higher education and to re-enter programmes after exit points. As of July 1, 2026, 153 universities offered multiple entry options, and the arrangement covered over 31,000 undergraduate students and 5,500 postgraduate students. The ABC system also permits students to earn up to 40% of academic credits through online courses on SWAYAM.

Important Facts for Exams

• APAAR stands for Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry and uses a 12-digit student identification number.
• ABC stands for Academic Bank of Credits and functions as a digital credit repository for higher education.
• SWAYAM is a Government of India online learning platform that can contribute up to 40% of academic credits under the ABC framework.
• NEP 2020 provides the policy basis for credit transfer and the Multiple Entry and Exit system in higher education.

Data and implementation

As of June 30, 2026, 2,963 institutions had registered on the ABC platform, and more than 110.65 crore educational records had been uploaded. APAAR generation has also faced issues related to Aadhaar linkage, demographic mismatches, and technical errors in some cases.