National Credit Framework (NCrF), has been jointly developed by a High Level Committee constituted by the Government with members from UGC, AICTE, NCVET, NIOS, CBSE, NCERT, Department of School Education and Learning & Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, DGT, and Ministry of Skill Development.

NCrF is a comprehensive credit framework encompassing elementary, school, higher, and vocational education & training, integrating creditisation of learning on the -axis i.e. academics, vocational skills and Experiential learning including relevant experience and professional levels acquired.

The NCrF provides for creditisation of all learning and assignment, accumulation, storage, transfer & redemption of credits, subject to assessment; removes distinction and establishes academic equivalence between vocational & general education; enables mobility within & between them, and its operationalising through the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC).

The NCrF relies on a unified approach across the education and skilling frameworks enabling the education and skilling ecosystem in implementing a comprehensive credit-based framework.

While catering to multi-disciplinarity and holistic education across sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities and sports, NCrF enables multiple entry - multiple exit (MME) pathways in general & vocational education; ensures flexibility for students to choose their learning trajectories and career choices, including option for mid-way course correction or modification, as per their talents and interests;

NCrF also recognizes blended and online learning, thus promotes extensive use of technology in teaching and learning, especially in vocational education, training and skilling for removing barriers while also improving access and opportunities for Divyangs.

Implementation of NCrF will promote Internationalization of education by enabling equivalence of courses and qualifications, provisions of credit transfer, and encourage international exchange of students and faculty with foreign universities.

NCrF has provisions for educational acceleration for gifted students with special learning abilities as also for Recognition of Prior Learning for workforce those have acquired the knowledge and skills informally, through family inheritance, work experience, traditional or other methods, thereby allowing them progression and mobility into the formal education and learning ecosystem.

iv. Establish academic equivalence between Vocational and General Education at all levels.

v. Develop the unified credit framework for integration of vocational education and training/ skilling into school and higher education in line with the National Education Policy 2020 to enable vertical and horizontal mobility between education and skilling

vi. Identify the mechanism for accumulation and storage of credits through a Credit Bank

vii. Any other matter relating to the development and functioning of the unified credit framework

a national credit accumulation and transfer system which will integrate both general & vocational education while ensuring mobility of candidates between the two systems

The National Credit Framework (NCrF) shall be an inclusive umbrella Framework to seamlessly integrate the credits earned through school education, higher education and vocational & skill education

The implementation of NCrF would be a game changer in realising the vision and intent of NEP by removing distinction, ensuring flexibility & mobility and establishing academic equivalence between general and vocational education.

The National Credit Framework (NCrF) provides for Assignment, Accumulation, Storage, Transfer & Redemption of Credits.

The NCrF paves way for multidisciplinary education and empowers students through flexibility in choice of courses for choosing their own learning trajectories and programmes, and thereby choose their paths in life with appropriate career choice, including option for mid-way course corrections, according to their talents and interests

The total Notional Learning Hours for assignment of credits across school education, higher education and vocational education /skilling have been agreed to be 1200 Hrs per year for which the students/ learners shall be awarded 40 Credits.

NCrF recognises no hard separation between different areas of learning, i.e. arts and sciences, vocational and academic streams, curricular and extra-curricular for the purpose of assignment of credits and credit levels.

Under the National Credit Framework (NCrF) every learning can be creditised subject to its assessment.

In addition to the credits for higher education, the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) shall also be expanded for credits earned through school education, vocational education and skilling, apprenticeships, internships, project work etc.

ABC could digitally store the academic and other credits earned from recognized institutions so that credits could be redeemed and the relevant award granted taking into account the credits earned at various NCrF levels.

The credits may also be linked to Digi locker for easy verification and portability

Thus, there would be only one credit Framework for higher education, school education and skill education, namely the National Credit Framework (NCrF) which would be the mother framework document notified for integrating the creditisation of learning in various dimensions of academics, skilling and experiential learning including relevant experience and professional levels acquired and only single credit system would be operationalised through Academic Bank of Credits (ABC)

NCrF will enable transformation of India by providing high quality education opportunities integrated with effective skills to reap the demographic dividend making education and skilling truly aspirational.