E-Paper
APAAR ID mandatory for 2026 board exams
CBSE mandates schools to use 12-digit APAAR ID for Classes 9, 11 registration, and LOC submission for 10, 12 ahead of 2026 board exams.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it mandatory for schools to use students’ 12-digit APAAR ID during the registration process of Classes 9 and 11 and in the submission of List of Candidates (LOC) of Classes 10 and 12 ahead of board examinations 2026.
Introduced in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 with an objective of ‘One Nation, One Student ID’, the Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) ID aims to provide a unified and accessible academic experience for students across India by assigning a unique and permanent 12-digit ID to every student, consolidating their academic achievements in one place.
In the CBSE examination system, registration—done by schools in Class 9 and 11—records student details at the start of secondary or senior secondary classes, while LOC submission—done in Class 10 and 12—confirms the final list of students appearing for the board exams.
According to the minutes of its governing body meeting held in June 2025, the board’s examination committee unanimously agreed on the proposal for linking APAAR ID with registration of Class 9 and 11 students and LOC of Class 10 and 12 students from 2025-2026 examinations onwards.
“Chairman, CBSE emphasized on the mandatory use of the APAAR ID during the registration process and in the submission of LOC by all stakeholders,” reads the minutes of the meeting made public last week.
The board on July 31 also issued a circular for the schools to obtain APAAR ID of the students of Classes 9 to 12 ahead of initiation of registration process and LOC submission for 2025-26 ahead of board exams 2026, which the board said “will start shortly.”
On July 31, the board issued a circular directing schools to obtain APAAR IDs for students of Classes 9 to 12 before starting the 2025–26 registration and LOC submission process for the 2026 board exams, which it said “will start shortly.”
LOC submission and registration for the previous academic session 2024-25, started on September 5, 2024.
In January 2025, CBSE directed its affiliated schools to use APAAR ID as the principal identification for students. Launched by the education ministry for schools from the 2024-25 session, APAAR has been created for over 2.36 crore students.
