What is the AQAR format?
AQAR (Annual Quality Assurance Report) format is the structured document specification published by NAAC for the yearly quality report that all accredited Indian higher education institutions must submit. The 2026 format is aligned to DCF 2025 (Data Capture Formats 2025) and covers all 7 NAAC criteria, structured as Part A (Quality Initiatives) and Part B (Quantitative Data). Institutions must submit AQAR by 31 December each year via the NAAC online portal under their IQAC (Internal Quality Assurance Cell).
In short: AQAR 2026 = Part A (Quality Initiatives across 7 criteria) + Part B (Quantitative Data with KIIs), aligned to DCF 2025, submitted via NAAC portal by 31 December 2026 for academic year 2025-26 (year ending 30 June 2026). Same 7 criteria structure as SSR, but yearly instead of cycle-end. Cross-validated against One Nation One Data Platform sources (AISHE, UGC, AICTE, UDISE+). Applies to all institutions under legacy CGPA, Binary, and MBGL frameworks.
AQAR 2026 structure: Part A + Part B
NAAC AQAR is organised into two main parts, each with a distinct purpose. Both parts must be completed and submitted together.
Quality Initiatives
Qualitative narrative of quality enhancement activities undertaken during the year, organised by NAAC’s 7 criteria. Free-form text with prescribed structure prompts.
- Criterion-wise quality initiatives
- Best Practices implemented in the year
- Outcomes and impact metrics
- Institutional distinctiveness narrative
- Plans and actions for the following year
Quantitative Data
Structured numerical data across institutional metrics, faculty, students, research output, infrastructure, and financials. Auto-validated against One Nation One Data Platform sources.
- KIIs (Key Indicators) per NAAC criteria
- Student enrolment & demographic data
- Faculty count, qualifications, publications
- Research output (papers, patents, funding)
- Infrastructure inventory & financials
- Placement & alumni statistics
The 7 NAAC criteria in AQAR format
AQAR mirrors the SSR structure across all 7 NAAC criteria. Each criterion has Part A (qualitative narrative) and Part B (quantitative data) entries. Below is what each criterion section requires under the DCF 2025-aligned 2026 format.
Curricular Aspects
Curriculum design, syllabus revision, programme objectives, employability alignment, value-added courses, certifications.
Teaching-Learning & Evaluation
Faculty quality, student-teacher ratios, ICT-enabled teaching, examination reforms, CO-PO attainment for autonomous institutions.
Research, Innovations & Extension
Research output, publications, patents, awards, faculty research output, consultancy, MoUs, extension activities, SDG alignment.
Infrastructure & Learning Resources
Physical infrastructure, library resources, ICT facilities, sports and cultural infrastructure, maintenance, expenditure.
Student Support & Progression
Scholarships, placements, alumni engagement, sports and cultural participation, grievance redressal, student welfare.
Governance, Leadership & Management
Institutional vision, governance structure, strategic planning, financial management, IQAC effectiveness, audits.
Institutional Values & Best Practices
Gender equity, environment and sustainability, value-based education, institutional best practices, distinctiveness, social responsibility.
AQAR preparation & submission timeline
The AQAR cycle runs from 1 July (start of academic year) to 31 December (deadline). Successful institutions don’t leave preparation for November-December — they maintain year-round data discipline so the November-December cycle is consolidation, not creation.
Example: For academic year 2025-26 (July 2025 - June 2026), the AQAR must be submitted by 31 December 2026. Most institutions begin serious AQAR drafting in October 2026, leaving the December 31 deadline tight. Institutions that maintain year-round data discipline can submit by mid-November 2026 with margin for revision — this is the operational best practice.
7 common AQAR submission mistakes
Mistakes that delay submission, trigger DVV (Data Validation & Verification) flags, or affect institutional accreditation status. All preventable with proper format discipline.
- Late submission past 31 December — can affect re-accreditation eligibility and trigger NAAC compliance review. The deadline is fixed; there is no rolling extension
- Part A and Part B data inconsistency — what the narrative claims (Part A) doesn’t match what the data shows (Part B), triggering DVV flags during the next SSR cycle
- Data mismatch with AISHE/UGC/AICTE — One Nation One Data Platform auto-flags inconsistencies. Faculty count, student enrolment, infrastructure data must reconcile across portals
- Best Practices section left thin or generic — Criterion 7 narrative requires institutional distinctiveness, not boilerplate. AQAR Best Practices feed into the next SSR Criterion 7 entry
- Faculty publications inadequately attributed — missing Scopus/WoS/UGC-CARE classifications, missing affiliations to current institution, undeclared retractions affecting NIRF retraction risk
- NEP 2020 alignment not captured — AQAR is increasingly the evidence trail for NEP 2020 implementation. Multidisciplinary courses, Academic Bank of Credits enrolment, FYUP transition all need explicit AQAR reporting
- Year-end scramble producing uneven criterion coverage — some criteria get rich data, others get minimal entries. Reviewer sees the inconsistency and flags it
The fundamental fix: Year-round data discipline beats year-end scramble. Maintain criterion-wise evidence trails throughout the year, validate against external sources continuously, and treat AQAR drafting as consolidation rather than creation. See our complete AQAR reference guide for the year-round discipline framework.
AQAR vs SSR: how they relate
AQAR and SSR cover the same 7 NAAC criteria but serve different cycles. Understanding the relationship clarifies what AQAR data discipline buys you when SSR comes around.
| Dimension | AQAR (Annual Quality Assurance Report) | SSR (Self-Study Report) |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency | Yearly — by 31 December each year | Cyclical — once every 3-5 years per accreditation cycle |
| Coverage | One academic year (July-June) | Entire assessment period (3-5 years for re-accreditation) |
| Length | ~50-100 pages typically | ~300-500+ pages typically |
| Purpose | Year-on-year quality tracking & evidence trail | Comprehensive accreditation/re-accreditation submission |
| Format | Part A (narrative) + Part B (data) | Detailed criterion-wise sections + executive summary + best practices |
| Submitted by | IQAC via NAAC portal | Institution via NAAC portal + DVV process |
| External validation | One Nation One Data Platform cross-check | DVV (Data Validation & Verification) + peer team or expert panel |
| 7 NAAC criteria covered | Yes (all 7) | Yes (all 7, deeper) |
| Best Practices | Section in Part A | Dedicated section + Criterion 7 |
| Continuous AQAR helps SSR? | — | Yes — reduces SSR effort by 40-60% by having year-by-year evidence already organised |
The strategic insight: Institutions that maintain rigorous AQAR cadence find their SSR preparation is consolidation, not creation. Five years of disciplined AQARs = a 5-year SSR draft that’s 70% already written. Institutions that treat AQAR as a yearly chore find their SSR cycle is a 6-month special project. Read our deep dive on NAAC + NIRF + NBA Integrated Strategy for the cross-framework data architecture that makes this scalable.
AQAR templates & downloadable resources
The official AQAR template is published by NAAC on their portal (naac.gov.in). For institutions wanting more structured support than the bare NAAC template, Edhitch maintains guided AQAR templates with criterion-specific evidence checklists.
What’s in Edhitch’s AQAR Template Pack
The Edhitch guided AQAR template pack includes: (1) Criterion-wise narrative prompts mapped to NAAC’s expected entries; (2) Quantitative data tables aligned to DCF 2025 data structures; (3) Cross-criterion consistency checklist (catches Part A vs Part B mismatches before submission); (4) Best Practices template with institutional distinctiveness prompts; (5) Year-over-year data trajectory templates (showing improvement signals NAAC wants to see); (6) DVV-defensibility annotations (flags evidence types AQAR reviewers typically request). Available for institutions actively engaged with Edhitch advisory or platform.
Official NAAC AQAR Template
The base NAAC template published on naac.gov.in. Bare-format, requires institutional customization. Download from NAAC portal
Edhitch AQAR Template Pack
Guided template with criterion-specific evidence checklists, narrative prompts, DCF 2025 alignment, and DVV-defensibility annotations.
Request Access →For institutions running the full AQAR cycle through software: The Edhitch NAAC SSR & AQAR Software automates Part A drafting and auto-generates Part B data tables from the institutional data layer. This eliminates the November-December scramble entirely — AQAR becomes a one-click submission off year-round data.
Frequently asked questions
What is the AQAR format in NAAC?
AQAR (Annual Quality Assurance Report) format is the structured document specification published by NAAC for the yearly quality report that all accredited Indian higher education institutions must submit. The 2026 AQAR format is aligned to DCF 2025 (Data Capture Formats 2025) and covers all 7 NAAC criteria, with Part A (Quality Initiatives) and Part B (Quantitative Data) structures. Institutions must submit AQAR by 31 December each year via the NAAC online portal.
What are the sections in AQAR 2026?
AQAR 2026 has two main parts. Part A covers Quality Initiatives across all 7 NAAC criteria: (1) Curricular Aspects, (2) Teaching-Learning and Evaluation, (3) Research, Innovations and Extension, (4) Infrastructure and Learning Resources, (5) Student Support and Progression, (6) Governance, Leadership and Management, (7) Institutional Values and Best Practices. Part B covers Quantitative Data including KIIs (Key Indicators), institutional metrics, faculty data, student enrolment, research output, financial expenditure, and infrastructure inventory. The format is published by NAAC and updated annually under DCF 2025.
What is the AQAR submission deadline?
AQAR must be submitted by 31 December annually for the academic year ending 30 June (so academic year 2025-26 AQAR is due by 31 December 2026). The submission is made through the NAAC online portal by the institution’s Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). Late submission can affect institutional re-accreditation eligibility under both the legacy CGPA framework (now phasing out) and the Binary + MBGL framework (operative since 10 February 2025).
How does AQAR format align with DCF 2025?
DCF 2025 (Data Capture Formats 2025) is NAAC’s standardized digital data architecture announced alongside the Binary Accreditation Framework on 10 February 2025. AQAR 2026 format is fully aligned to DCF 2025, meaning institutional data captured in AQAR follows the same structured format as data submitted for SSR (Self-Study Report), making cross-cycle consistency easier to maintain. AQAR data also feeds the One Nation One Data Platform for cross-validation against AISHE, UGC, AICTE, and UDISE+ databases.
Where can I download the AQAR template?
The official AQAR template is published by NAAC and available on the NAAC official portal (naac.gov.in). The template includes detailed prompts for each of the 7 criteria sections plus the quantitative data tables. Edhitch maintains a guided template with criterion-specific evidence checklists, narrative prompts, and DVV-defensibility annotations for institutions wanting more structured support than the bare NAAC template provides. Contact Edhitch for template access aligned to your accreditation status (Binary entry-level, MBGL Level trajectory, or legacy CGPA transition).
What is the difference between AQAR and SSR?
AQAR (Annual Quality Assurance Report) is the yearly report all NAAC-accredited institutions submit. SSR (Self-Study Report) is the comprehensive accreditation/re-accreditation document submitted at the start of each NAAC cycle (typically every 5 years under the legacy framework, or every 3 years under the new MBGL Level validity). AQAR is shorter, focused on the year just ended; SSR is comprehensive, covering the entire assessment period. Both cover the same 7 NAAC criteria but at different depths and frequencies. Data discipline maintained for AQAR significantly reduces SSR preparation effort when the next cycle comes — up to 40-60 percent effort reduction.
Who in the institution prepares AQAR?
AQAR is prepared by the institution Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) under the IQAC Coordinator. The IQAC consolidates data from all 7 criterion owners (typically department heads, registrars, deans, and unit heads) into a single AQAR document. Final approval is provided by the Vice-Chancellor, Director, or Principal before submission via the NAAC online portal. Most institutions form a small AQAR drafting committee within IQAC for the November-December preparation cycle leading up to the 31 December deadline.
How does Binary and MBGL transition affect AQAR?
The 10 February 2025 NAAC reforms (Binary Accreditation + MBGL Levels 1-5) preserved AQAR as the yearly quality report mechanism. Under the Binary framework, AQAR maintains evidence trails for the Accredited / Not Accredited determination. Under MBGL, AQAR additionally tracks year-over-year progress on Level criteria, supporting institutions transitioning from Level 1 (Basic) through Level 5 (Institutions of Global Excellence for Multi-Disciplinary Research and Education). For institutions whose legacy CGPA grades expire across 2026-28, AQAR cadence during the transition period is critical evidence for the next-cycle Binary + MBGL application.
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