Blockchain Degree: Everything You Need to Know

Over 1,500 students received their degrees in this format in addition to the traditional paper copy of the certificate.

How is the blockchain-based degree different from a regular digital degree certificate that a student can receive by email and share with employers and higher education institutions electronically? We explain:

Q. Firstly, what is blockchain technology?

“Blockchain is like a ledger that stores information digitally, in a very secure way. The data is linked together as blocks and exists in a distributed way (across a network of computer systems)”, says Prof. Manish Okade, head of the Computer & Informatics Center (CIC) at NIT-Rourkela He explains that since the data is not stored in one place, no one can tamper or hack the system.

Questions. Why is this technology used to issue degrees and certificates?

Blockchain technology is useful for educational institutions because it helps preserve original documents and store them digitally and securely.

“Blockchain acts as an immutable ledger of information. Any information once entered into the blockchain cannot be deleted,” said Professor Manindra Agarwal, co-founder of the National Blockchain Project and former deputy director of IIT-Kanpur. National Blockchain Project, started by IIT Kanpur , is funded by the National Security Council to develop e-governance solutions using blockchain technology.

The blockchain-powered documents are read-only, so no changes can be made to the original documents, even by the student. Therefore, the technology provides security and permanence for certification of academic achievement.

Most importantly, this technology provides an easily verifiable version of a student’s degree, diploma or certificate.

Q. How does this help employers?

Verification of academic degrees and certificates can be slow. It is easier for an employer to verify a blockchain-powered degree.

Unlike the lengthy process of emailing the university to authenticate a degree, with blockchain technology, a one-time password (OTP) is sent to the mobile number and email of the student in question. Once the OTP is shared with the employer, they can access the original degree digitally.

“A procedure that would normally take three weeks now takes just 30 seconds,” says Okade of NIT Rourkela.

Q. How is a blockchain-anchored degree different from the educational degree or certificate available on an online platform such as DigiLocker?

Although such platforms are useful for securely storing digital documents, they are intended for personal use only. For employers, the degree verification process will not be possible in such applications.

Q. Which is the first centrally run educational institution to award blockchain-powered degrees?

Last year, IIT-Kanpur became the first higher education institution to award degrees using this technology. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest at IIT-Kanpur’s 54th convocation ceremony in December 2021. This was initiated under the auspices of the National Blockchain Project at IIT-Kanpur, which shared the technology with NIT-Rourkela.

Q. How can NIT-Rourkela students access their blockchain-based degrees?

The degrees are available on the university’s “Digital Certificates Portal”, accessible through each student’s roll number. To download the degrees, candidates will receive an OTP on their mobile number, which is also sent to their email ID, to provide access to the secure portal containing their degrees. The degrees will also be made available for download as PDFs which will make them accessible from anywhere in the world.

Q. What are some other uses for blockchain technology?

It can be used to store land records. In Karnataka, the National Blockchain Project is trying to digitize land and property records. Only the buyer and seller would have access to the document. “It’s like a virtual handshake,” says Professor Okade.

“This technology will greatly reduce fraud and financial fraud. Wherever authentication is required, this can be used,” he adds.