GAPC v4.0 stands for Graduate Attributes and Professional Competencies Version 4.0. It is the National Board of Accreditation's framework defining the Programme Outcomes (POs) that engineering graduates from NBA-accredited programmes must demonstrate. GAPC v4.0 is aligned to the Washington Accord 2021 Review, ensuring Indian engineering graduates remain mutually recognized across signatory countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and others).
When GAPC v4.0 became mandatory
NBA's SAR 2025 format aligned to GAPC v4.0 became mandatory for Tier-I (Autonomous) engineering programmes from January 1, 2025. For Tier-II (Affiliated) programmes, the new format is also effective January 2025 with a transition window allowing the previous format until June 2025. After the transition window, all engineering programmes seeking NBA accreditation must use the GAPC v4.0 structure.
What changed from GAPC v3.0
The most significant change: Programme Outcomes were reduced from 12 to 11. Under GAPC v3.0, Sustainability (PO7) and Ethics (PO8) were standalone Programme Outcomes. Under GAPC v4.0, these concepts are woven into Design (PO3), Investigation (PO4), and Analysis rather than existing as separate POs. The reasoning: real engineering practice integrates sustainability and ethics throughout decision-making, not as separate compliance checks.
The 11 Programme Outcomes under GAPC v4.0
PO1 Engineering Knowledge; PO2 Problem Analysis; PO3 Design / Development of Solutions (with Sustainability woven in); PO4 Conduct Investigations of Complex Problems (with Ethics woven in); PO5 Modern Tool Usage; PO6 The Engineer and the World; PO7 Ethics and Sustainability (integrated reasoning); PO8 Individual and Collaborative Team Work; PO9 Communication; PO10 Project Management and Finance; PO11 Lifelong Learning. Each PO must be demonstrated through Course Outcomes mapped to the appropriate POs.
Implications for institutions
Institutions must restructure CO-PO mappings to align with the new 11-PO structure. This is not cosmetic — every Course Outcome that was mapped to old PO7 (Sustainability) or PO8 (Ethics) must be re-mapped to the appropriate restructured PO. CO-PO attainment calculations using the old 12-PO structure will produce invalid SAR outputs. OBE software platforms must be updated for the new framework.
What WK means in GAPC v4.0
WK (Washington Accord Knowledge) is a set of standardized knowledge profiles defined under the Washington Accord. The Indian NBA framework adapts these into specific knowledge indicators that programmes must demonstrate. SAR 2025 expects CO-PO-WK mapping — connecting individual Course Outcomes to Programme Outcomes and to specific Washington Accord Knowledge indicators. This builds global equivalency for Indian engineering degrees.