National Academic Depository
Background
Indian Higher Education system is a large and growing system with approximately 55 school
boards, 359 state universities, 123 deemed universities, 47 central universities and 260 private
universities. Apart from these, there are 107 other institutions such as
IISc/IITs/IIMs/NITs/IISERs/IIITs/NITIE and 12 other centrally funded institutions. These
institutions issue academic awards to students including degrees, diplomas and certificates
along with mark sheets and evaluation reports. Apart from these, institutions under various
Ministries/Departments and other skill based institutions also dispense certificates, diplomas
and advanced diploma.
Those who are entering into employment or pursuing higher studies require a credible,
authentic and convenient mechanism for access, retrieval and validation of such academic
awards. Retrieval of old academic records maintained in paper form is cumbersome. Academic
records maintained in paper form are susceptible to hazards such as spoilage and forgery.
Students often face difficulties in obtaining copies of their certificates/mark-sheets whenever
they are lost or destroyed. Maintaining academic awards in a digital depository would enable
educational institutions, students and employers online access/retrieval/verification of digitised

academic awards and shall eliminate fraudulent practices such as forging of certificates and
mark-sheets.

The Government has already made dematerialization of financial securities to ensure the
trading of financial securities flawless and transparent. It had enabled trading and transfer of
shares electronically without involving physical share certificates and transfer deeds, thus
eliminating the paper work involved in scrip-based trading and share transfer system. The same
can be effectively replicated in respect of academic awards as these are even more important
guarantors of the future than financial securities.

 

 

About National Academic Depository (NAD)

The vision of National Academic Depository (NAD) is born out of an initiative to provide an online store
house of all academic awards. National Academic Depository (NAD) is a 24X7 online store house of all
academic awards viz.certificates, diplomas, degrees, mark-sheets etc. duly digitised and lodged by
academic institutions / boards / eligibility assessment bodies. NAD not only ensures easy access to and
retrieval of an academic award but also validates and guarantees its authenticity and safe storage.
National Academic Depository comprises of two interoperable digital depositories viz. CDSL Ventures
Limited (CVL) and NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML). These digital depositories have ensured
hardware, network facilities and software of prescribed quality for smooth and secured operationalisation of NAD.