Students in Maharashtra may soon be able to access their degree and diploma certificates immediately after their examination results are announced, without waiting for convocation ceremonies. The Maharashtra government has directed all public universities to upload students' academic records, including degree certificates, diploma certificates, and academic credits, to the APAAR ID and DigiLocker platforms.
The decision is intended to provide students with secure, verified, and easily accessible digital academic records that can be used for higher education admissions, scholarships, competitive examinations, internships, and employment opportunities across India and abroad.
The directive was issued by Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil during a review meeting on the implementation of the APAAR ID and DigiLocker initiatives under the Government of India's "One Nation, One Student Identity Card" programme.
According to officials, Maharashtra has made significant progress in implementing the APAAR ecosystem. Around 2.67 crore (26.7 million) students have already been enrolled under the APAAR ID system, making the state the second-best performer in the country. Additionally, nearly 39.67 lakh academic credits have been successfully uploaded to the digital platform.
To speed up the digitisation of academic records, the minister instructed all state public universities to upload the results of examinations conducted up to June 2026, along with the corresponding academic credits, to the APAAR portal by July 31, 2026.
The uploaded credits must also be linked to each student's APAAR ID to ensure their academic achievements are securely stored and readily accessible whenever required.
In a major relief for students, the government has also directed universities not to wait until convocation ceremonies to issue degree and diploma certificates digitally.
Instead, universities have been asked to upload verified digital copies of degree and diploma certificates to DigiLocker immediately after examination results are declared. This will enable students to download their certificates instantly and use them for admissions, job applications, scholarship submissions, internships, and competitive examinations without unnecessary delays.
Speaking about the decision, Minister Chandrakant Patil noted that many students begin applying for higher education, foreign universities, scholarships, internships, and employment opportunities soon after their results are announced. However, the delay between result declaration and convocation often prevents them from submitting degree certificates within required deadlines.
He emphasised that students should not lose valuable academic or career opportunities simply because their certificates have not yet been issued physically.
According to the minister, once a student successfully completes a course and the results are officially declared, the verified digital degree certificate should be made available without delay.
The government has also instructed universities to complete all necessary procedures to ensure students' educational records are digitally preserved, permanently stored, and easily verifiable from anywhere in the country.
To ensure timely implementation, the Director of Higher Education has issued a circular directing all public universities in Maharashtra to comply with the government's instructions.
The integration of academic records with APAAR ID and DigiLocker is expected to offer several advantages:
The initiative is part of the Government of India's broader vision of creating a unified digital academic ecosystem through the "One Nation, One Student Identity Card" framework. By digitising and securely storing educational records, the government aims to make student credentials more portable, transparent, and accessible across the country.
With the latest directive, students in Maharashtra are expected to receive digitally verified degree certificates much earlier than before, allowing them to pursue academic and professional opportunities without waiting for formal convocation ceremonies.