A parent visits the school office and says, "I tried to create my child's APAAR ID on DigiLocker, but it told me to contact the school." A few minutes later, a class teacher reports that ten IDs in one section failed to generate, and nobody is sure why.
For most school students, APAAR ID creation runs through the school. That puts the office team in the middle: collecting consent, checking records, and answering parents' questions. The good news is that most failures come from a short list of causes, and a little preparation fixes most of them before you start.
Below, we explain what the school needs to have ready, how the generation process works, and how to handle name mismatches, refused consent, and IDs that will not generate.
What is an APAAR ID?
APAAR stands for Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry. It is a 12-digit student ID under the "One Nation, One Student ID" initiative. The ID is meant to stay with a student across schools and higher education, and it links to DigiLocker, where academic records such as marksheets and certificates can be stored.
For school students, the ID is generated through UDISE+ against the student's PEN (Permanent Education Number). The official APAAR portal describes the flow in four stages:
- The school informs parents about APAAR.
- Parents submit a consent form voluntarily.
- The APAAR ID is generated in UDISE+ against the student's PEN.
- The ID is made available in the student's DigiLocker account.
So when a parent sees a "contact your school" message, nothing is broken. For a school student, the school is the expected route.
Why schools are being asked to complete APAAR now
Education departments are pushing for full coverage. For example, a Delhi Samagra Shiksha circular dated 27 July 2026 asks all schools to treat APAAR generation as a priority, and several boards have asked schools to complete it for senior classes.
For CBSE schools, the ID also matters for board exam registration. News reports say CBSE plans to require APAAR IDs in the List of Candidates (LOC) from the 2026–27 session. Check the current CBSE circular for your examination year before finalising LOC data, because the exact rules have changed between sessions.
What the school needs before generating APAAR IDs
Most generation failures happen because one of these is missing. Check them for every student first.
| Requirement | What to check |
|---|---|
| PEN | The student has a PEN in UDISE+. Without it, the APAAR ID cannot be generated. |
| Name matches Aadhaar | The student's name in UDISE+ matches the name on Aadhaar exactly. |
| Date of birth and gender | These details agree between school records, UDISE+ and Aadhaar. |
| Parental consent | A signed consent form is on file for students under 18. |
| Aadhaar details | The student's Aadhaar details are available for verification. |
The official portal lists the first two as prerequisites. In practice, the name match is the requirement that stops the most IDs.
Step-by-step: how a school generates APAAR IDs
The screens inside UDISE+ can change, so follow the current instructions from your UDISE+ administrator or district office. The overall process looks like this.
1. Clean up student records first
Export a class list with each student's name, date of birth, gender, PEN and Aadhaar status. Compare it with UDISE+ and fix differences before you collect consent. Correcting one record now is easier than retrying a failed generation later.
2. Inform parents and share the consent form
Send a short notice explaining what APAAR is, why the school is collecting consent, and that consent is voluntary. Attach the consent form and give a clear return date. Parents are more likely to respond quickly when the notice answers the obvious questions: what data is used, who can see it, and whether the ID is required.
3. Collect and file consent forms
Track who has returned a form, who has refused, and who has not responded. Keep the signed forms, including refusals, in the student's file. You may need them later when board registration asks why an ID is missing.
4. Generate IDs in UDISE+
For students with consent and matching records, the school's UDISE+ user starts APAAR generation against each PEN. Work class by class so you can see which sections are complete.
5. Record the result for each student
Note the APAAR ID, or the reason it failed, against every student. A simple status column such as Generated, Pending consent, Refused, or Failed – name mismatch makes follow-up much easier.
6. Share the ID with parents
Once generated, tell parents that the ID should be available in DigiLocker. Keep the ID in the school's student record as well, so it is ready for board registration, transfer certificates, and future record requests.
How to fix an APAAR name mismatch with Aadhaar
When generation fails, check the name first. Even a small difference can block it:
- Spelling: "Mohd" in one record and "Mohammad" in the other.
- Initials: "R. Priya" against "Priya Ramesh".
- Order: surname first in one record, last in the other.
- Spacing: "Anjali Devi" against "Anjalidevi".
- Extra words: a father's name or title included in only one record.
Use the name printed on the student's Aadhaar card, not a register entry or an old admission form, and compare it character by character with UDISE+.
Then decide which record is wrong:
- If the school record is wrong, correct the student's details in UDISE+ through your school's usual correction process, then try again.
- If Aadhaar is wrong, the parent needs to update Aadhaar first. The school cannot fix that record. Once the update is reflected, retry generation.
Avoid repeating the same request again and again without changing anything. Find the cause, fix the record, and then retry.
What if parents refuse consent or the ID will not generate?
APAAR consent is voluntary, and some parents will say no. Treat a refusal as a valid outcome, not an error.
- Keep the signed refusal in the student's file.
- Mark the student's status clearly so the class teacher knows it is not a pending task.
- Do not hold back admission, results, or other services because of a refusal, unless your board or department has issued a specific written instruction.
Some IDs will fail for other reasons, such as a missing PEN or an Aadhaar update that has not been processed yet. Keep those students on a follow-up list with the reason and the next step.
For CBSE registration, the board allowed schools to submit the List of Candidates without an APAAR ID for the 2025–26 session. According to coverage of that circular, schools could enter REFUSED where parents declined consent and NOGEN where an ID could not be generated, while keeping a copy of the refusal. Before using these entries for a later session, confirm them in the current CBSE LOC circular.
APAAR ID checklist for the school office
Print this and keep it with the class lists:
- Every student has a PEN in UDISE+.
- Names in UDISE+ match Aadhaar exactly.
- Date of birth and gender agree across records.
- Parent notice and consent form have been sent, with a return date.
- Signed consent and refusal forms are filed.
- APAAR IDs have been generated class by class.
- Each student has a status: generated, pending, refused, or failed with a reason.
- Generated IDs are saved in the school's student records.
- Parents have been told how to find the ID in DigiLocker.
- The current board circular has been checked before exam registration.
Keeping APAAR records organised with InstiKit
InstiKit helps schools keep student records consistent, which makes jobs like APAAR much easier. Schools can add custom fields to the student record for details such as PEN, APAAR ID and APAAR status, so the office can see which students still need attention.
To reach parents, the school can send the consent notice and reminders through announcements and circulars, or by email, SMS and WhatsApp. Scanned consent forms and Aadhaar copies can be stored as student documents, so the office can find them when registration time comes.
Explore InstiKit's school management software, or request a demo and bring a sample class list with your APAAR fields.
Questions parents and teachers often ask
Is APAAR ID mandatory for school students?
APAAR consent is described as voluntary on the official portal. However, boards and departments may ask schools to complete APAAR for exam registration or reporting. Check the latest instruction from your board or state department for your class and session.
Can a parent create an APAAR ID without the school?
For school students, generation normally runs through the school in UDISE+, using the student's PEN. If DigiLocker asks a parent to contact the school, the parent should ask the school office whether consent has been recorded and whether generation has started.
How long does it take to generate an APAAR ID?
When the PEN is present, the name matches Aadhaar and consent is on file, generation is usually quick. Delays usually come from record corrections, especially Aadhaar updates, which can take longer to reflect.
What is the difference between PEN and APAAR ID?
PEN is the student's identifier in UDISE+, the school education data system. The APAAR ID is generated against the PEN and is meant to stay with the student into higher education, linked to DigiLocker and academic credit records.
Does a student need a new APAAR ID after changing schools?
No. The APAAR ID is designed to stay with the student. The new school should record the existing ID, and both schools should keep the student's details consistent in UDISE+ during the transfer.