Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru

Mangaluru, July 20: In a major relief to thousands of students, Mangalore University has finally begun issuing consolidated physical mark sheets to graduates who studied under the National Education Policy (NEP) framework and completed their degrees in the academic year 2023–24.

Around 22,000 students, who were part of the first NEP batch starting from 2021–22, had earlier received their academic transcripts only through DigiLocker, as per government guidelines. However, many students—especially those pursuing opportunities abroad or applying for scholarships—faced difficulties due to the lack of a physical mark sheet, which is still preferred in several academic and professional settings overseas.

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Despite mounting pressure from the student community, the university had delayed issuing physical copies. Now, responding to persistent student demands and after consultations with government bodies and the university syndicate, Mangalore University has started dispatching unified mark sheets to respective colleges.

Registrar (Examinations), H Devendrappa, confirmed that a consolidated mark sheet—which combines scores from all semesters into a single document—is now being prepared and distributed to the outgoing batch. "The decision was taken after prolonged discussions. Students will now receive a degree-level mark card containing semester-wise aggregated marks," he stated.

Concerns over mark discrepancies
The mark sheets are being generated through the UUCMS software maintained by the Department of Higher Education. However, discrepancies have been reported by some students, who claimed mismatches between original results and the marks printed. Students and parents are now urging the university to cross-verify data thoroughly before final issuance.

Adding to this, university officials are said to be taking strict precautionary measures to prevent forgery or misprints, recalling past controversies where allegations of fake mark sheets had surfaced.

What is a consolidated mark sheet?
Traditionally, students received semester-wise mark sheets, but for NEP batches, marks were available only digitally via DigiLocker. The new consolidated mark sheet presents the academic performance across all semesters in one unified document, thus simplifying formal procedures for graduates.

Digital mark sheets and their limitations
The government-mandated process required mark sheets to be stored in the Karnataka State Data Center (KSDC) and uploaded to the National Academic Depository (NAD) and DigiLocker platforms. However, students seeking international admissions or employment faced non-acceptance of digital-only certificates, hampering their academic and career progress.

In some cases, students were even unable to open PAN-based digital accounts or apply for scholarships, as physical documents were mandatory.

Next phase for outgoing 2024–25 batch
Following this move, university officials are also holding discussions regarding issuing similar mark sheets to the second batch of NEP students, who are expected to graduate in the coming days for the academic year of 2024–25.

With the new system now rolling out, students and institutions alike hope for a more streamlined and secure certification process in the coming years.