# What is an APAAR ID? > APAAR ID is a student’s 12-digit academic ID, generated against the PEN and kept in DigiLocker. What the school does, consent, CBSE rules and common errors. _Source: https://scoolin.com/glossary/apaar-id_ _By Scoolin_ [Home](https://scoolin.com/) [Glossary](https://scoolin.com/glossary) APAAR ID [School glossary](https://scoolin.com/glossary) A student’s 12-digit academic ID, generated against their PEN on UDISE+ and kept in DigiLocker. ## What the APAAR ID means APAAR stands for Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry. It gives each student “a unique and permanent 12-digit ID”, and once made, the ID is added to the student’s DigiLocker.[1] It is meant to carry a student’s academic record across schools and later study. The APAAR ID is built on the student’s UDISE+ record. The APAAR portal says the “PEN of student is mandatory for generation of APAAR ID”.[2] So a child needs a PEN first; our guide to the [PEN number for students](https://scoolin.com/blog/pen-number-for-students) explains how a school gets one. CBSE describes APAAR as part of the government’s “One Nation, One Student ID” programme, in line with NEP 2020.[3] ## Where the school office meets it - **Consent from parents.** For a minor, the steps on the portal include getting parental consent before the ID is made.[1] - **The student’s UDISE+ record.** The school handles the first creation and authentication of the ID.[2] Wrong details in [UDISE+](https://scoolin.com/glossary/udise-plus) stop it. - **Board registration.** CBSE linked APAAR IDs to the class 9 and 11 registration data for 2025-26.[3] - **Parents’ questions.** Once generated, the ID sits in the student’s DigiLocker account, so parents may already have it. ## What the school has to do 1. Check that each student has a PEN. Without one, the APAAR ID cannot be generated.[2] 2. Match the details to Aadhaar before you start. The portal says the name in UDISE+ “must match with the name of the student as per Aadhaar”.[2] 3. Collect parents’ consent for minors, and keep it on file. 4. Record each student’s APAAR ID once it is made, beside the PEN. 5. For CBSE classes 9 and 11 in 2025-26, where parents refused consent, the school was told to keep a copy of the refusal and enter “REFUSED”. Where the ID could not be made for other reasons, it was to enter “NOGEN”.[3] 6. For 2026-27, CBSE asked schools to correct student details in Aadhaar, UDISE+ and school records, so that every student has an APAAR ID when the list of candidates is submitted.[3] Scoolin keeps the PEN and APAAR ID on each student’s profile, and lets the office mark a refused consent, so the “REFUSED” cases are ready when the board asks. ## Common mistakes - **Writing the APAAR ID where the PEN is asked for.** The PEN has 11 digits; the APAAR ID has 12. - **Mixing it up with Aadhaar.** Aadhaar also has 12 digits. Check which number a form wants before you fill it. - **Small spelling differences.** CBSE lists “different data of a student in the school and in Aadhaar records” among the problems schools face in generating IDs.[3] Fix the record first, then generate. - **No paper trail for a refusal.** CBSE asked schools to keep a copy of the parents’ denial of consent.[3] A verbal “no” is not enough. - **Treating the APAAR ID as a school number.** It belongs to the student and stays with them. The school’s own number for a student is the [admission number](https://scoolin.com/glossary/admission-number). ## Related terms - [PEN](https://scoolin.com/blog/pen-number-for-students): the 11-digit UDISE+ number the APAAR ID is generated against. - [UDISE+](https://scoolin.com/glossary/udise-plus): the system that holds the student record. - [UDISE code](https://scoolin.com/glossary/udise-code): the school’s own 11-digit number. - [Migration certificate](https://scoolin.com/glossary/migration-certificate): another record CBSE now issues to DigiLocker. ## Sources 1. APAAR, [About APAAR](https://apaar.education.gov.in/about). Back to the text 2. APAAR, [frequently asked questions](https://apaar.education.gov.in/faqs). Back to the text 3. CBSE, [submission of registration data for classes 9 and 11, 2025-26](https://www.cbse.gov.in/cbsenew/documents/Submission_Registration_Data_Class_IXXI2526_15092025.pdf), Annexure-J on APAAR IDs. Back to the text More school terms [UDISE+](https://scoolin.com/glossary/udise-plus) [UDISE code](https://scoolin.com/glossary/udise-code) [Bonafide certificate](https://scoolin.com/glossary/bonafide-certificate) [School leaving certificate](https://scoolin.com/glossary/school-leaving-certificate) [Migration certificate](https://scoolin.com/glossary/migration-certificate) [Scholar register](https://scoolin.com/glossary/scholar-register) [Admission number](https://scoolin.com/glossary/admission-number) [CBSE affiliation number](https://scoolin.com/glossary/cbse-affiliation-number) [RTE 25% quota](https://scoolin.com/glossary/rte-quota) [Co-scholastic areas](https://scoolin.com/glossary/co-scholastic-areas) [5+3+3+4 structure](https://scoolin.com/glossary/5-3-3-4-structure)