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National Academic Depository
New Delhi, India
What it is
National Academic Depository is a free online repository for academic awards issued by educational institutions. It can hold degrees, diplomas, certificates, mark sheets, and evaluation reports in digital form. Institutions register with an official email, identify an authorized senior official, submit details for verification, and then upload award data in zipped CSV format or through a secure API. Standard templates, dashboards, upload status, publication status, and restart controls support that workflow. Institutions cannot replace NAD templates with their own designs and remain responsible for accurate records and for digitizing legacy awards. Students retrieve published awards through DigiLocker without separate NAD registration, using the web or mobile app. With student consent, employers, banks, government bodies, and other verifiers can check authenticity. NAD states that digital awards are legally valid under India’s Information Technology Act, 2000, while maintaining award authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality.
For and against
For
- Stores multiple academic award types
- Student access through DigiLocker
- Consent-based verification for employers and others
- Secure API and CSV upload options
- Free service
Against
- Institutions cannot customize certificate templates
- Institutions must ensure record accuracy
- Legacy records require institution-led digitization
- Verifiers register on API Setu
The verdict
NAD provides a centralized route for publishing, retrieving, and checking academic awards. Its institution workflow is structured around verified registration, standard templates, and submitted record accuracy.
Who it suits
NAD serves students and award recipients, educational institutions and boards, and organizations that verify credentials. It is useful when institutions need digital publication and students need DigiLocker access.
On the record
- Availability
- The site says students can access DigiLocker on the web and mobile app.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Award integrity
- The site says NAD maintains the authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality of academic awards.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Award types
- The repository supports degrees, diplomas, certificates, mark sheets, and evaluation reports.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Data responsibility
- The academic institution is responsible for ensuring that its academic records are accurate.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- For whom
- Its ecosystem includes students and award recipients, academic institutions and boards, and verifying entities such as banks, employers, and government bodies.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Institution data input
- Institutions can submit bulk academic data through a secure API; the FAQ also describes CSV uploads.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Institution requirements
- An academic institution must register using its official email, identify an authorized senior official, and have its submitted details verified before using the service.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Institution workflow
- Institutions register, prepare and upload award data in a zipped CSV format, select a standard template, and publish awards for students.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Issuing awards
- Academic institutions can lodge and publish academic awards in digital format through NAD.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Legacy records
- Institutions can upload legacy award records, and digitizing that data is the institution’s responsibility.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Legal status
- The site states that digital awards are legally valid under the Information Technology Act, 2000.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- NAD is a 24×7 online repository for academic awards such as certificates, diplomas, degrees, and mark sheets.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Security
- NAD says it maintains the authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality of academic awards.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Security and privacy
- The privacy policy says the service uses technology, security features, and policy guidelines to protect personal information from unauthorized access and improper use or disclosure.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Student access
- Students can retrieve published awards through DigiLocker and download them from their Issued Documents section.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Student registration
- Students do not need to register separately on the NAD portal and can access issued certificates through DigiLocker.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The site lists NAD support at [email protected] and provides a customer support page with video conference support.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
- Technical features
- The institution manual describes dashboards, standardized certificate templates, upload and publication status, and the ability to restart an upload process.nad.digilocker.gov.in · read 9 Oct 2026
