Universities that issue, not print: towards digital native academic certification

In a context of increasing academic mobility, digital transformation and the drive for a European digital identity, universities are being called on to reinvent the way they certify knowledge. The traditional model, based on printed diplomas or PDF documents, is no longer sufficient. Today, the new standard is native digital credentials: cryptographically signed digital objects, structured under common standards and instantly verifiable, with legal validity across Europe.

These credentials make it possible to automate processes such as university admissions, professional recruitment or recognition of qualifications. They also provide an effective response to document fraud and put students back in control of their academic achievements. They are a key part of European educational interoperability as they are aligned with frameworks such as eIDAS2 and projects such as the European Digital Identity Wallet.

A native digital credential is not an image of the diploma. It is a structured object, issued by a trusted institution, that can be shared from a wallet and validated automatically, without any intermediate steps or breach of privacy.

Mini case study: A student in Zaragoza applies for a Master's degree in Berlin. They share their university degree from their digital wallet. The German university verifies it instantly thanks to its technical structure and the connection of the Spanish university to a network such as ISBE. No translations, no collating, no human intervention.

The move from the physical diploma to the digital credential represents much more than a change of format. It implies a redefinition of the institutional role of the university. It is no longer enough to teach and evaluate. Today, apprenticeships must be digitally certified, reliable and recognised across borders.

In this new scenario, the university assumes the role of trusted issuer, a recognised issuing entity within a trusted network. To do so, it must comply with technical, semantic and regulatory requirements to ensure that its credentials can be automatically interpreted and validated by third parties, without direct contact. Being part of networks such as ISBE or EBSI facilitates this recognition.

In addition to official degrees, universities should be able to issue micro-credentials: digital certifications of shorter or more specific learning. This responds to the need to recognise lifelong learning, employability and mobility. Micro-credentials are digital and structured and allow for the accumulation and transfer of learning within the framework of the European Education Area.

The ongoing transformation is based on a common architecture defined by Europe, combining technical, legal and organisational components. This allows credentials issued in one country to be interpreted and accepted in another, without the need for manual adaptations.

Verifiable Credentials, DIDs, eIDAS2 and European Wallet

Verifiable Credentials, defined by the W3C, are the technical standard underpinning this model. These are signed data structures containing attributes about the student, the degree and the institution. These credentials are signed with Decentralised Identifiers (DIDs), which allow their origin to be verified without consulting the issuing university.

This system reinforces trust, reduces the need for intermediaries and preserves the student's privacy.

The proposed eIDAS Regulation2 establishes the framework for every European citizen to have an official digital wallet, where they can store and share credentials such as academic degrees, professional certificates or identity documents. Universities issuing credentials aligned with this framework will allow their students to operate with full legal validity throughout the EU.

Projects such as EBSI (European Blockchain Services Infrastructure) and DC4EU are working on the creation of trusted issuer catalogues. ISBE acts as a national node, allowing Spanish universities to register and be recognised within the European ecosystem, ensuring that their credentials can be verified and accepted without friction.

The issuing process is automated. When a student completes their studies, the academic management system generates a structured credential. This is signed with the university's institutional DID and transferred to the student's wallet.

From this wallet, the student can decide with whom to share the credential. The recipient, a university, company or administration, can validate it instantly using a verification node connected to the ISBE network. This entire process is automatic, requires no human intervention and respects privacy principles by design.

The key to realistic adoption is integration with existing academic systems. ISBE provides standard APIs to connect the EMS with the modules for issuing, signing and delivering digital credentials.

Issue occurs automatically when a student completes a programme or module. The credential is structured, digitally signed and delivered frictionlessly. It can optionally be registered in networks such as ISBE or EBSI, not to store personal data, but to ensure traceability and compliance with standards such as ISO/IEC 18013-5 or ISO/IEC 23220.

Technical requirements

The starting point is to have a digitised academic system, the ability to generate an institutional DID and to connect to ISBE via APIs. The network architecture allows for progressive and flexible implementation.

Own or shared node

Universities can operate their own node or integrate through a shared node. Both options offer traceability, institutional control and regulatory compliance.

Distributed governance

ISBE promotes participatory governance, where each university maintains control over its identity and participates in the strategic decision-making of the ecosystem.

Spain is pioneering the issuance of verifiable digital credentials. Initiatives such as CertiDigital, promoted by the Ministry of Universities, allow public universities to issue degrees in this format. Projects such as CAD or SmartDegrees are already operating successfully, demonstrating that it is possible to integrate this technology without disrupting institutional processes.

These experiences demonstrate that the digitisation of academic credentials is technically, legally and operationally feasible. They also serve as a reference for other universities that are considering taking this step

The European DC4EU project is developing interoperable credentials with the European Wallet. Spain is actively participating in its design and piloting. This allows ISBE to align itself from the outset with the standards that will govern the future of European digital educational identity.

In addition, working together with universities, governments and technology stakeholders in other countries provides a shared vision, avoids duplication and strengthens European leadership in the field of verifiable credentials.

The main challenge is no longer technical. Solutions exist and have been tried and tested. The challenge lies in institutional leadership, coordination between actors and the willingness to modernise processes. Many universities still have to go through an internal transformation process to adopt these new models.

There are also cultural challenges. There is a need to train students, managers and academic leaders in the use of wallets, verifiable credentials and emerging standards. Building confidence in these systems will be key to their widespread adoption.

Finally, interoperability between networks, countries and platforms must be ensured. ISBE meets this challenge through an open, modular architecture aligned with the most advanced European standards.

ISBE was created as a public, interoperable and Europe-aligned infrastructure. Its permissive design ensures traceability, institutional sovereignty and legal compliance. Through ISBE, Spanish universities can easily and securely integrate into the European ecosystem of digital identity and verifiable academic credentials.

Beyond its technical function, ISBE represents a model of public-private and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Its design builds on the experience of networks such as Alastria, but incorporates the most recent European learning, from EBSI to DC4EU. The objective is clear: to make it easier for Spanish educational institutions to certify knowledge in a modern, secure and Europe-wide recognised way.

Educational interoperability is now a reality. Is your university ready?

Discover ISBE, a trusted, European and collaborative infrastructure that is redefining how we certify learning. Watch the video and join the network.