ABC
Academic Bank of Credits
A national store of course credits a student has earned, so credits move with them between institutions under NEP 2020.
Relevant to: Higher education
AICTE
All India Council for Technical Education
The national regulator for technical and management education. Approves institutions and programmes, and requires an annual data return.
Relevant to: Engineering, management and pharmacy institutions
AISHE
All India Survey on Higher Education
The annual government survey every higher education institution files, covering enrolment, staff, infrastructure and finance.
Relevant to: All higher education institutions
APAAR
Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry
A permanent lifelong ID for each learner, linking their academic records across institutions. Sometimes called the "One Nation One Student ID". It is voluntary: it needs consent, and parents can refuse.
Relevant to: Schools and higher education
AQAR
Annual Quality Assurance Report
The yearly report an accredited institution submits to NAAC covering its quality initiatives for that year.
Relevant to: NAAC-accredited institutions
Bonafide certificate
A letter confirming a person is a currently enrolled student. Requested constantly, usually for a bank, visa or scholarship application.
Relevant to: Schools and higher education
CO / PO / PSO
Course, Programme and Programme Specific Outcomes
The statements of what a student should be able to do after a course or programme. Attainment is measured from real assessment marks and reported to accreditors.
Relevant to: Colleges and universities
DEB
Distance Education Bureau
The UGC body that recognises institutions offering distance and online programmes.
Relevant to: Institutions with online or distance programmes
DigiLocker
The government document wallet. Boards and universities issue marksheets into it, so a document shared from DigiLocker arrives already carrying the issuer signature.
Relevant to: Schools and higher education
DLT
Distributed Ledger Technology registration
The TRAI registration every sender and template must have before commercial SMS can be delivered in India.
Relevant to: Anyone sending SMS to families
DPDP Act
Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
India’s data protection law. A school or college is a Data Fiduciary for the personal data it holds, and most duties under the DPDP Rules 2025 start in May 2027.
Relevant to: All institutions
DVV
Data Validation and Verification
The NAAC stage where submitted data is checked against evidence before the peer team visit.
Relevant to: Institutions undergoing NAAC assessment
ERP
Enterprise Resource Planning
In education, the system covering everything after admission: academics, attendance, examinations, fees, payroll, hostel, transport and stores.
Relevant to: All institutions
HPC
Holistic Progress Card
The 360-degree progress card NEP 2020 recommends, combining teacher, self and peer assessment with input from parents. PARAKH publishes model cards for each school stage.
Relevant to: Schools
Internal assessment
Marks earned during the term from tests, assignments and practicals, as opposed to the final examination.
Relevant to: Schools and higher education
IQAC
Internal Quality Assurance Cell
The internal team responsible for quality processes and for assembling accreditation evidence.
Relevant to: NAAC-accredited institutions
LMS
Learning Management System
Where teaching content, assignments and online assessment live. Distinct from an ERP, which holds the official record.
Relevant to: Institutions delivering blended or online teaching
Management quota
Seats an institution fills at its own discretion, within the limits its regulator sets, separately from the central counselling process.
Relevant to: Private colleges
NAAC
National Assessment and Accreditation Council
The body that assesses and accredits higher education institutions. Under its current framework, assessment covers seven criteria and ends in a CGPA and letter grade. NAAC has proposed Basic (Binary) Accreditation followed by Maturity-Based Graded Levels, and has extended accreditations expiring from 27 January 2024 until up to six months after the graded levels launch.
Relevant to: Colleges and universities
NAD
National Academic Depository
The national store of issued academic awards, so degrees and marksheets can be verified digitally.
Relevant to: Higher education
NBA
National Board of Accreditation
Programme-level accreditation for technical disciplines, focused on outcome attainment rather than the institution as a whole.
Relevant to: Engineering and technical programmes
NCrF
National Credit Framework
One credit scheme for school, higher and vocational education, published in April 2023. One credit is 30 notional learning hours. CBSE invited its schools to pilot it from 2024–25.
Relevant to: Schools and higher education
NEP 2020
National Education Policy 2020
The policy introducing multiple entry and exit points, credit banking and multidisciplinary study. Its practical effect is on how student records must be structured.
Relevant to: Schools and higher education
PARAKH
Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development
The national assessment centre set up at NCERT in 2023 under NEP 2020. It sets assessment guidance and publishes the model Holistic Progress Cards.
Relevant to: Schools
SIS
Student Information System
The system of record for the academic side of a student: enrolment, timetable, attendance and marks. Often used interchangeably with ERP.
Relevant to: All institutions
SSR
Self-Study Report
The document an institution submits to NAAC describing itself against the seven criteria, with evidence attached.
Relevant to: Institutions undergoing NAAC assessment
Supernumerary seats
Seats added above the sanctioned intake for specific categories, counted and reported separately.
Relevant to: Colleges and universities
Transfer certificate
The document issued when a student leaves, required before another institution can admit them.
Relevant to: Schools
UDISE+
Unified District Information System for Education Plus
The Ministry of Education’s online data system for schools. Each school submits its data on students, teachers and facilities, and national school statistics are published from it.
Relevant to: Schools
Regulatory frameworks change. Always check the current manual or notification that applies to your category of institution.
See iVake running on your own data
Share your fee structure and programmes before the call, or sample data with student names removed. We set them up, so you see your own institution on screen rather than a demo account.
- 45 minutes, your data. Not a generic tour of features.
- Migration mapped on the call. We show exactly where your current records land.
- A written rollout plan within two working days, with phases, owners and dates.
- No pressure to switch everything at once. Most schools and colleges start with one department or one intake.