APAAR ID: what it is, how to create and download it, and how it links to your ABC ID and DigiLocker

What is an APAAR ID?

The APAAR portal describes APAAR as an ID system for all students in India under the "One Nation, One Student ID" programme of the National Education Policy 2020. The 12-digit code lets a student keep mark sheets, degrees, certificates and co-curricular achievements in one place.

The Union Education Minister launched APAAR on 13 February 2024, per the portal's Key Decisions note, and the school campaign began on 22 August 2024. PIB's 4 July 2026 explainer put verified APAAR IDs at 26.35 crore as of 2 July 2026.

APAAR ID vs ABC ID vs DigiLocker: are they the same?

Here is how they fit together:

So if a college form asks for your "ABC ID", give your APAAR ID. The ABC FAQ says without one you cannot use ABC services such as credit transfer, and credits stay valid for up to 7 years.

A DigiLocker account and an APAAR ID are different: DigiLocker is the locker, APAAR is one document inside it.

Who needs an APAAR ID?

• School students: all school management types are covered, government or private, per the APAAR misconceptions note. Your school does the work.
• College and university students: UGC's SOPs for the National Credit Framework, sent to universities on 7 August 2024, say every higher education institution "shall ensure that their students register on the ABC portal and create an APAAR Id".
• Skill and vocational learners: the same UGC SOP says the APAAR ID can be created by the student through DigiLocker, by the awarding body or by the training partner.
• Exam and admission forms: IGNOU's July 2026 admission portal told applicants to keep an APAAR ID ready (our IGNOU story); the NTA's CUET (PG) 2026 bulletin shows a "Register APAAR ID" step that asks "Do you have APAAR ID?"; and the National Scholarship Portal accepts APAAR ID as a login (our NSP guide).

How to create an APAAR ID for a school student

The APAAR About page and FAQs set out the school route:

1. Check UDISE+ details: the student's name, date of birth and gender in school records must match Aadhaar, and the student must have a PEN.
2. Parent fills the consent form: usually at a parent-teacher meeting. The consent form is also available in Gujarati (Gujarati form) and other Indian languages on the Resources page. The Key Decisions note says parents must be physically present when submitting it.
3. School verifies: the UDISE+ coordinator checks the form against Aadhaar in the APAAR module of UDISE+.
4. APAAR is generated against the PEN, and an SMS goes to the mobile number in UDISE+.
5. Card lands in DigiLocker: the ID is pushed to the student's DigiLocker under Issued Documents.

Details the school needs, per the APAAR FAQ: PEN, student's name, date of birth, gender, mobile number, mother's name, father's name, name as per Aadhaar and Aadhaar number. In remote areas, PIB says APAAR IDs can also be generated at the nearest Common Service Centre (CSC).

How to create an APAAR ID yourself in DigiLocker (college students)

The ABC portal lists this route for higher education and skill learners:

1. Sign in to DigiLocker with an Aadhaar-verified account, or click Login/Register Student on abc.gov.in, which opens DigiLocker.
2. Search "APAAR" and open the APAAR ID (Academic Bank of Credits) service, then pick your education category.
3. Your name as per Aadhaar, date of birth and gender fill in on their own. Choose your institution, admission year and identity type (roll number, registration number, enrolment number or new admission), then enter the value.
4. Tick the consent box and click Get Document.
5. Your APAAR card appears in Issued Documents, ready to download as a PDF.

DigiLocker's experts session of 18 October 2024 said students under 16 cannot create an APAAR ID on DigiLocker and should go through their school. The ABC student guide also shows the UMANG app as a channel. Neither portal lists any fee.

How to download your APAAR ID card or find a child's APAAR ID

The General Advisory on the APAAR portal gives these steps:

1. Go to DigiLocker and click Sign In.
2. Enter the child's Aadhaar number (or APAAR ID).
3. Enter the OTP sent to the Aadhaar-linked mobile, which is often a parent's number, and the security PIN.
4. Open Issued Documents. If the card is not there, search "APAAR", select APAAR ID (Academic Bank of Credits) and fetch it.
5. Click Download to save the card as a PDF and print it if needed.

If nothing shows up, ask the school to check the student's status in the APAAR module of UDISE+.

APAAR ID not generated? Common errors and fixes

• Name or date of birth mismatch with Aadhaar: the APAAR FAQ says generation fails with an error when demographic data does not match Aadhaar. Correct the wrong record and resubmit. If the school record is wrong, the school fixes it in UDISE+; if Aadhaar is wrong, update Aadhaar first.
• Changed details after the ID was made: the ABC portal's order is update Aadhaar, redo e-KYC in DigiLocker, then update the APAAR ID. The General Advisory has the e-KYC steps.
• Changed school: ask the new school's UDISE+ coordinator to update the record, then download the card again.
• No consent on record: the school can only generate after a parent's form is marked Consent Given in UDISE+.
• No Aadhaar: the APAAR Important Information note says the ID cannot be created without Aadhaar and points families to an Aadhaar enrolment centre. The current consent form mentions an alternate government photo ID, but as of 19 October 2026 we found no published procedure for that route.

For anything else, raise a ticket at DigiLocker support or on the APAAR portal, call 1800-889-3511, or email [email protected].

Is APAAR ID mandatory?

Official documents differ. The exact positions as of 19 October 2026:

• APAAR portal: its Important Information note says "APAAR is not mandatory" and that there is "no legal requirement mandating its use".
• Consent form: "refusing APAAR ID will not affect my ward's admission, promotion, or access to government benefits."
• Government schemes: the misconceptions note says APAAR is not mandatory for availing any government scheme.
• Higher education: PIB's 7 February 2024 release said it is necessary to have an ABC ID to take admission to any college or university, the ABC FAQ says every student "is required to register", and UGC's SOPs ask colleges to make sure students create one.
• Boards and exams: CBSE's 2026-27 list-of-candidates circular treats APAAR ID as optional (our CBSE story), while IGNOU asked applicants to keep one ready.

In practice: for a school child it is the parent's choice. For a college student, expect your institution to ask for it, because ABC credits cannot be stored without it.

Privacy, consent and how to withdraw

The consent form has two parts: consent to share Aadhaar with the Ministry of Education to create the APAAR ID and a DigiLocker account, and a separate optional tick for using academic data for scholarship portals and talent or recruitment agencies. You can leave the second box unticked.

The form says a parent can withdraw or modify consent at any time by writing to the school or to [email protected]. The APAAR privacy policy says users may ask for their account and data to be deleted, though some records may be kept for legal and compliance purposes.

Gujarat students: what to check

Gujarat schools follow the same UDISE+ route, and the consent form is available in Gujarati. The usual snag is name order: older school records may run surname first while Aadhaar does not. GSHSEB's newer mark sheets print name before surname (our Gujarat board story), so match the UDISE+ entry to Aadhaar exactly before the school generates the ID.

Where to go next

• Applying to IGNOU: IGNOU July 2026 admissions and the APAAR ID
• Planning for CUET PG: CUET PG 2027 runs across 17 days in March
• Class 10 or 12 with CBSE: CBSE 2027 list of candidates and corrections
• Scholarships: NSP scholarship 2026-27 guide
• Latest updates: CareerBox News