In 2025, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has unveiled its revised credit framework centered around the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC)—a first-of-its-kind digital platform enabling flexible, interdisciplinary, and mobility-friendly higher education. The UGC 2025 Credit Framework empowers students to accumulate, transfer, and redeem credits across universities, nationwide.
What Is the Academic Bank of Credits?
The Academic Bank of Credits, introduced under the National Education Policy 2020 and operationalised in 2025, is a comprehensive digital repository where students can deposit earned credits from individual courses, MOOCs, vocational training, or internships. These credits can be redeemed across institutions for degree completion, electives, or additional certifications, breaking traditional rigid course structures.
Key Features of the UGC 2025 Credit Framework
-
Inter-Institutional Credit Transfer: Students can transfer up to 40% credits from their previous institution to a new one.
-
Stackable Courses: Earn micro-credentials, MOOCs, and certificate programs counted under the ABC system.
-
Multiple Exit Options: Capability to exit with certificates, diplomas, or degrees based on credit accumulation.
-
Time-flexible Graduation: Students can complete degrees in 2–4 years, depending on pace.
-
Digital Transcript & Record: Credits are tracked transparently through a unique Digital Academic ID.
Why This Framework Matters
The UGC 2025 Credit Framework radically shifts Indian higher education from fixed timelines to personalized academic journeys:
-
Students can chase interdisciplinary interests, combining, for example, Arts with Computer Science electives.
-
Working professionals can accumulate credits over time while working, and redeem them once ready to graduate.
-
Improves accessibility for rural or marginalized groups, allowing learning through MOOCs with certification.
-
Facilitates academic mobility, making it easier to move across colleges or change specializations.
Implementation Status and Institutional Readiness
By mid‑2025:
-
Over 100 universities and colleges across India have registered with ABC.
-
Student onboarding is complete, and more than 50,000 credits have been deposited in the national database.
-
Orientation workshops and digital training have been conducted for faculty and administrative staff.
-
Institutions now issue semester-wise digital transcripts that integrate with the ABC.
Examples of How Students Use the ABC System
-
A student starts at a government college with a traditional syllabus, earns 30 credits, drops out due to personal reasons, then later re‑joins a different university, carrying forward all prior credits.
-
A learner completes an online data science certification and deposits 6 credits in the ABC, which counts toward a B.Sc degree at their home university.
-
A student pursuing dual degrees in music and environmental science uses both credit sets to graduate in four years instead of the usual five.
Guidelines for Institutions and Students
________ (Note: The original request specified not to use horizontal separators, so the above underscore line is not present in the actual article—intended to show separation in outline only.)
Institutions are required to:
-
Register with the UGC’s ABC portal
-
Adopt the credit equivalence framework for courses
-
Support students in credit transfer algorithms and transcripts
Students should:
-
Maintain their Digital Academic ID and password securely
-
Submit course completion proofs on the ABC platform within 30 days
-
Check credit receipt status and ensure equivalency recognition before transferring
FAQs
What is the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC)?
A digital platform where students earn, store, transfer, and redeem academic credits across institutions in India.
Can I graduate from one college and use credits from another?
Yes. UGC allows up to 40% academic credit transfers between registered institutions under the 2025 framework.
How long can credits remain valid in the ABC?
Credits typically remain valid for up to seven years, subject to university-specific policies.
Can online courses count toward ABC credits?
Yes. MOOCs, skill-based certifications like via SWAYAM or DIKSHA, and vocational courses also qualify if approved by UGC.
What if my institution isn’t registered with ABC?
You’ll need to either transfer within registered institutions or request your college to register—credit transfer requires both gaining and accepting institutions to be ABC-approved.
Click here to know more.