New system will enable secure, paperless checks of academic, identity and financial documents during university applications
NEW DELHI, Aug 8: Indian students applying to Australian universities will be able to complete document verification through a new digital platform launched by the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI).
Called AAERI Verify, the platform is integrated with DigiLocker and is designed to enable secure, paperless and consent-based verification of academic, identity and financial documents. It was launched at the AAERI Annual Convention in New Delhi on August 7, according to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The system is intended to reduce the reliance on physical documents and manual checks by allowing students to share authentic, issuer-verified digital records directly with participating Australian higher education institutions.
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The new process includes two stages. The first involves checking a student’s credentials before a university application begins
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The second is a sponsor verification carried out after an admission offer is issued, with the aim of confirming the authenticity of financial documents
Under the system, students provide explicit consent before their digitally signed records are shared through DigiLocker. The process is expected to reduce paperwork, speed up credential checks and strengthen safeguards against fraudulent documents.
The initiative was developed jointly by AAERI and NeGD as a source-verified authentication system for international student recruitment. It is also intended to provide Australian institutions with a more consistent method of checking documents issued by authorised bodies in India.
JL Gupta, Director of NeGD, said the partnership demonstrated how India’s digital public infrastructure could address practical challenges faced by citizens seeking services overseas.
DigiLocker, a flagship Digital India initiative, provides citizens with a platform to store, access and share digitally issued documents. The service now has more than 720 million registered users, according to the ministry.
The launch comes as Australia remains a major destination for Indian students, making faster and more reliable document verification an important part of the international admissions process.
