A Decentralized Blockchain Framework for Tamper-Proof Academic Credential Verification in Higher Education | IJCT Volume 13 – Issue 2 | IJCT-V13I2P8
International Journal of Computer Techniques
ISSN 2394-2231
Author
Kismat Chhillar, Alok Verma, Deepak Tomar, Anil Kewat
Abstract
This study addresses persistent academic credential fraud and the inefficiencies of current verification practices in higher education by proposing a decentralized blockchain framework for tamper-proof credential issuance, management, and verification. The research adopts a design science methodology to elicit system requirements, model the credential lifecycle, and develop a consortium blockchain architecture that connects universities, accreditation bodies, students, and employers as permissioned participants. Smart contracts encode key operations such as institutional onboarding, credential issuance, revocation, and verification, while sensitive data are stored off-chain and referenced through cryptographic hashes to reduce exposure and support regulatory compliance. A prototype implementation, comprising institutional and verifier portals and a learner-facing wallet, is evaluated through controlled experiments that examine transaction latency, throughput, and scalability, alongside a comparative analysis with traditional workflows. The findings show that the framework substantially reduces verification time and manual overhead, enhances integrity and non-repudiation, and enables reliable cross-institution verification without dependence on a single trusted intermediary, providing a rigorously specified and empirically grounded architecture for future integration with decentralized identifier and verifiable credential standards.
Keywords
blockchain, academic credentials, tamper-proof verification, decentralized framework, higher education
Conclusion
This study has introduced a decentralized, consortium‑based framework for tamper‑resistant academic credential verification, in which smart contracts orchestrate issuance, revocation, and verification while privacy is preserved through zero‑knowledge proofs and off‑chain storage. The prototype achieves sub‑second latency, high throughput, and approximately 95 percent reductions in verification time compared with traditional processes, indicating readiness for deployment rather than remaining a purely conceptual design. For higher education stakeholders, the approach supports cross‑border recognition, eases administrative pressure during graduation and hiring cycles, and curtails credential fraud, while giving learners portable digital wallets for lifelong records. Remaining challenges include securing sustained institutional participation, managing residual availability risks in off‑chain components, advancing toward post‑quantum cryptography, and validating the framework through real‑world pilots and longitudinal governance studies.
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How to Cite This Paper
Kismat Chhillar, Alok Verma,
Deepak Tomar, Anil Kewat (2026). A Decentralized Blockchain Framework for Tamper-Proof Academic Credential Verification in Higher Education. International Journal of Computer Techniques, 13(2). ISSN: 2394-2231.
A Decentralized Blockchain Framework for Tamper-Proof Academic Credential Verification in Higher EducationDownload
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