The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) is exactly what its name says: a bank account for academic credits instead of money. Every credit a student earns — a semester passed, a course completed, a skill programme finished — can be deposited into their 12-digit ABC ID, stored digitally, and later transferred or redeemed toward a degree. It is one of NEP 2020's central mechanisms, run by the Ministry of Education under UGC guidelines, and creating the ID is free.
ABC ID vs APAAR ID — two numbers, one system
These get conflated constantly, so the clean split:
- APAAR is the student's permanent identity — the lifelong "One Nation, One Student ID" that follows a learner from school onward. (We've covered APAAR for school students separately.)
- ABC is the credit vault — where a higher-education student's earned credits are deposited and moved.
They are linked: the ABC vault operates against the student's APAAR/DigiLocker identity. Identity is who you are; the bank is what you've earned.
What the credit bank makes possible
- Credit transfer: switch universities without losing completed semesters — credits move with the student, not the institution.
- Multiple entry and exit: NEP's certificate → diploma → degree ladder depends on credits being banked somewhere neutral.
- Credit accumulation across sources: credits from your college, online platforms and recognised skill programmes can accrue in one place.
How a student creates an ABC ID (free, ~5 minutes)
- Go to abc.gov.in or open DigiLocker and log in with your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
- Choose the ABC / APAAR service, select your institution from the list, and generate the ID.
- Save the 12-digit number — exam forms and university portals increasingly ask for it at registration.
There is no fee. Anyone charging for "ABC ID creation" is charging for a free government service.
The college's side: uploading is now an obligation
The system only works if institutions actually deposit the credits, and the UGC has made that mandatory — including a deadline of 30 June 2026 for uploading credit data for examinations held in 2025 to the NAD-ABC system. For registrars and exam cells, that means examination results must exist as clean, student-mapped credit data, every cycle. Institutions running exams and results on an integrated system like CampusAlly — where examination records are already structured per student — turn the upload into an export instead of a year-end reconstruction. Related: the AISHE code, the institutional identifier the same reporting ecosystem runs on.
A note on accuracy: ABC/APAAR processes, portals and deadlines are set by the Ministry of Education, UGC and DigiLocker and continue to evolve. Confirm current procedure on abc.gov.in or with your institution before acting. Databus is not affiliated with ABC, APAAR, DigiLocker or the UGC.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an ABC ID?
A 12-digit Academic Bank of Credits identifier — a digital vault where a higher-education student's earned academic credits are stored, transferred and redeemed under NEP 2020. It is issued free via abc.gov.in or DigiLocker.
Is the ABC ID the same as the APAAR ID?
No, but they are linked. APAAR is the student's permanent lifelong identity; ABC is the credit vault that operates against that identity. Think of APAAR as who you are and ABC as what you've earned.
How do I create an ABC ID?
Log in to abc.gov.in or DigiLocker with your Aadhaar-linked mobile, select the ABC/APAAR service, choose your institution and generate the ID. It is free and takes a few minutes.
Why does my university ask for an ABC ID on exam forms?
Because institutions are required to deposit earned credits into students' ABC accounts — the UGC has mandated uploading credit data to the NAD-ABC system, so the ID is how your results get banked against you.
Do credits in ABC expire or get lost when changing universities?
The point of the bank is the opposite: credits are held centrally so they survive institution changes and support NEP's multiple entry-exit structure. Redemption rules for a specific degree are set by the admitting university's policies under UGC norms.