Every degree certificate that exists only on paper is a verification problem waiting to happen — attestation chains, institution-by-institution correspondence, and fraud that thrives in the gaps. The National Academic Depository (NAD) replaces that with a single rule: academic awards live digitally, lodged by the issuer, verifiable in seconds.
What NAD stores, and for whom
Initiated by the Ministry of Education, NAD covers degrees, diplomas, certificates, marksheets, transcripts and skill certifications (including NSQF and MSDE-approved courses) — issued by UGC-listed universities, school boards including CBSE, and eligibility-test bodies.
| Stakeholder | What NAD gives them |
|---|---|
| Students | Their awards, retrievable and shareable anytime — no lost-certificate crises |
| Institutions & boards | A lodging channel that makes their awards instantly verifiable |
| Employers, banks, agencies | Consent-based digital verification against the issuer's own record |
| Regulators | A standardized national record system for academic awards |
Why it changes daily workflows
In every case the same shift: verification moves from chasing paper through institutions to checking the issuer's digital record — faster for the student, fraud-resistant for the verifier.
Part of one digital-records continuum
NAD sits alongside two sibling systems: DigiLocker, the citizen's verified document wallet and NAD's access layer, and the Academic Bank of Credits, which tracks credits as they're earned. Together they make academic records student-owned digital objects — the full picture is in our DigiLocker and ABC guide.
What institutes should do now
- Register and lodge — get your awards into the depository as they're issued, not in annual batches.
- Verify digitally at admission — check applicants' records against NAD/DigiLocker instead of holding originals, which UGC norms bar you from retaining.
- Capture the IDs in your forms — a field in the online admission form links every applicant to their digital records from day one.
ePravesh builds digital document handling into the admission flow — verification, uploads and records in one pipeline. Book a free demo to see it live.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the National Academic Depository (NAD)?
A 24×7 online repository initiated by the Ministry of Education where academic awards — degrees, diplomas, certificates and marksheets — are stored digitally, verified by the issuing institution and retrievable by the student anytime.
Which institutions come under NAD?
UGC-approved central, state, private and deemed universities, school boards including CBSE, MSDE-approved skill institutes, and eligibility-test bodies such as those conducting NET and TET.
How does NAD verification work?
Employers, banks and universities verify a candidate's awards digitally with the student's consent — directly against the issuer's lodged record, replacing attestation chains and institution-by-institution correspondence.
How does NAD relate to DigiLocker and ABC?
They form one continuum of digital academic records — DigiLocker is the citizen's document wallet and access layer, NAD holds issued academic awards, and the Academic Bank of Credits tracks credits as students earn them.