What is UDISE+?

What UDISE+ means

UDISE+, the Unified District Information System for Education Plus, is the Ministry of Education’s online system for school data. Each school enters its own details, staff and students, and the block, district and state then check the data.¹ The ministry’s yearly reports on schools, teachers and enrolment are built from it.

It replaced older systems. DISE covered elementary schools, SEMIS covered classes 9 to 12, and the two were merged as UDISE in 2012-13. UDISE+ came in 2018-19 and moved data entry online, away from paper forms.² That is why some forms still say “DISE”.

From 2022-23, UDISE+ also collects data student by student, not only as school totals.¹ That student module is the Student Database Management System (SDMS), where each student’s PEN is generated. Our guide to the PEN number for students covers it step by step.

Where the school office meets UDISE+

The office deals with UDISE+ in four places.

• The yearly data form. The Data Capture Format for 2025-26 has sections for the school profile, physical facilities, teaching and non-teaching staff, and students.³
• Student records in SDMS. New admissions, imports from other schools, year-end progression and students who leave are all handled here.⁴
• The school’s own code. UDISE+ identifies each school by an 11-digit UDISE code.
• APAAR IDs. A student’s APAAR ID is generated from their UDISE+ record, so a mistake in UDISE+ can hold it up.

What the school has to do

UDISE+ is not a once-a-year job. The data form is yearly, but the student module runs all through the session.

1. Fill in the year’s data form completely. The form says all fields are mandatory unless marked optional.³
2. Add new admissions in SDMS. A student who studied at another school on UDISE+ already has a record, so bring them in with Import, not Add Student.⁴
3. Complete each student’s general, enrolment and facilities profiles, and save and submit them.⁴
4. When a student leaves with a TC, use the Transfer Certificate Module / Mark Dropout. It moves the student to the dropbox, from where the next school can import them.⁴
5. At the end of the year, complete the Progression Activity for each section, then finalise it for the school.⁴

Common mistakes

• Trying to change the school profile yourself. Questions 1.1 to 1.31 of the school profile cannot be edited by the school user. The block, district or state MIS team updates them on request, in the prescribed format.³
• Issuing a TC but not releasing the student. The new school then has to send you a release request before it can import the child.⁴
• Saving a name that differs from Aadhaar. The APAAR portal says the name in UDISE+ “must match with the name of the student as per Aadhaar”.⁵ In SDMS, a student’s name can be updated only once.⁴
• Adding a transferred student as new. Add Student is only for children whose records are not on the portal yet.⁴ Search and import first.

Related terms

• UDISE code: the school’s 11-digit number on UDISE+.
• PEN: the student’s 11-digit number in SDMS.
• APAAR ID: the student’s 12-digit academic ID, generated against the PEN.
• School leaving certificate: the TC, which has its own step in SDMS.
• Admission number: the school’s own number for a student, which SDMS also records.

Sources

1. Ministry of Education, UDISE+ 2022-23 booklet, paragraphs 1.3 and 1.5. Back to the text
2. Ministry of Education, UDISE+ 2020-21 booklet, introduction. Back to the text
3. Department of School Education and Literacy, UDISE+ Data Capture Format for 2025-26, as circulated by the Directorate of Education, Delhi. Back to the text
4. UDISE+, Functionality Guide: School Login (SDMS), version dated 9 July 2026. Back to the text
5. APAAR, frequently asked questions. Back to the text