NAAC has changed fundamentally. The old framework is gone.
The familiar 7-criteria system is being replaced. A new, outcomes-driven evaluation structure is here.
In 2026, NAAC evaluates institutions on
10 key attributes. Each one is mapped to specific data points. Each one connects to your IQAC systems.
This is not a cosmetic change. It is a structural overhaul.
The Binary Accreditation framework — launched under the Dr. Radhakrishnan Committee recommendations — replaces CGPA grading entirely. Institutions are now either Accredited or Not Accredited.
For advanced recognition, NAAC introduces Maturity-Based Graded Levels (MBGL). These range from Level 1 to Level 5. Level 5 is reserved for Institutions of Global Excellence.
Understanding the
NAAC 10 criteria 2026 is no longer optional. It is the foundation of your accreditation strategy.
This blog explains every attribute clearly. It covers what NAAC evaluates, what data you need, and how to map it to your IQAC systems.
Is your institution aligned with the new 10 attributes? Talk to our NAAC experts. Book a Free Consultation with Mantech Publications’ NAAC Team today.
Old vs New: How NAAC Has Changed
| Parameter | Old NAAC Framework | New NAAC Framework 2026 |
| Criteria Structure | 7 Criteria | 10 Key Attributes |
| Grading System | A++, A+, A, B++, B+, B, C | Accredited / Not Accredited (Binary) |
| Advanced Levels | Single CGPA Score | MBGL Levels 1-5 |
| Peer Team Visits | Mandatory Physical Visit | Mostly Digital; AI-assisted verification |
| Data Platform | Fragmented / manual | One Nation One Data Platform (integrated) |
| Data Formats | SSR-based narrative | Data Capture Formats (DCF 2025) |
| Primary Focus | Input-heavy evaluation | 75% weight on Process & Output |
| Metric Categories | A, B, C, D grades per criterion | Good, Concern, Weak per metric |
| Philosophy | Point-in-time assessment | Continuous quality improvement |
💡 Key Insight: Input carries only 25% weight in the new framework. Process and Output together carry 75%. Institutions that document what they do and what they achieve — not just what they have — will score significantly better.
The 10 Key Attributes in NAAC Accreditation 2026: A Complete Breakdown
Each attribute below includes what NAAC evaluates, the key data points required, and how your IQAC must map and document this dimension.
Attribute 1: Curriculum Design and Development
Curriculum is the foundation of every accreditation system. The new framework evaluates far more than course listing.
NAAC now assesses whether your curriculum is dynamic, industry-aligned, and NEP 2020-compliant.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Integration of Indian Knowledge System (IKS) components
- NEP 2020 alignment — flexibility, multidisciplinary options, credit transfer
- Industry relevance — curriculum review frequency and stakeholder input
- Interdisciplinary course offerings and elective breadth
- Outcome-Based Education (OBE) integration at course level
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Board of Studies meeting minutes with industry expert participation
- Curriculum revision records — semester-wise with rationale
- Mapping of courses to NEP 2020 requirements
- Student feedback on curriculum relevance — analysed and acted upon
Attribute 2: Teaching-Learning and Evaluation
This attribute goes beyond timetables and attendance registers.
NAAC evaluates the quality of pedagogy. It looks for student-centred learning. It checks if innovation is embedded in classrooms.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Use of ICT and digital tools in teaching — LMS platforms, smart classrooms
- Experiential, collaborative, and flipped classroom approaches
- Student diversity and differentiated learning strategies
- Assessment quality — rubric-based, continuous, and outcome-linked
- Teacher quality — qualification, FDP participation, and peer review
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Faculty FDP attendance records — minimum 2 per faculty per year
- LMS usage data — number of courses, active student participation
- Student feedback on teaching quality — semester-wise, action-taken reports
- Sample assessment rubrics and graded answer sheets
The new Data Capture Formats require structured, real-time IQAC data. Explore Mantech Publications’ NAAC Consulting Services and get your institution aligned to the new framework.
Attribute 3: Faculty Resources
Faculty quality is non-negotiable. The new framework assesses this with greater precision than before.
Qualifications matter. But so does research activity, innovation, and institutional contribution.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Percentage of faculty with PhD — evaluated per department
- Faculty-student ratio against UGC norms
- Research publications — indexed, with DOI and citation data
- Faculty participation in funded projects and patents
- Diversity of faculty — gender, experience level, specialisation range
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Faculty credential database — degree certificates, specialisation, joining date
- Research output tracker — publications per faculty per year, journal indexing details
- FDP and refresher course completion certificates
- Faculty awards, recognitions, and industry experience records
Mantech Publications supports faculty research output through its indexed Science & Technology, Management, and Medical Science Journals — directly strengthening this attribute.
Attribute 4: Infrastructure and Learning Resources
Infrastructure is still evaluated. But the lens has changed.
The focus has shifted from square footage to learning impact. Accessibility. Sustainability. Digital integration.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Classrooms, labs, and library — adequacy and utilisation data
- ICT infrastructure — internet bandwidth, smart classrooms, digital library access
- Accessibility for differently-abled students
- Sports, wellness, and recreational facilities
- Campus sustainability — green initiatives, energy conservation, waste management
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Infrastructure utilisation reports — lab hours, library issue data, sports usage
- Internet bandwidth certificate and LMS hosting documentation
- Differently-abled accessibility compliance certificate
- Energy consumption records and green campus initiative documentation
Attribute 5: Student Support and Progression
This attribute is heavily outcome-weighted. NAAC wants to know what happens to your students.
Admission to graduation. Graduation to employment or higher study. This is the progression story NAAC reads.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Student dropout rates — year-wise, with reasons and intervention records
- Pass percentage — course-wise, semester-wise, and compared to university average
- Placement data — number placed, companies, and average salary
- Higher studies progression — students pursuing postgraduate or research programmes
- Scholarships, financial aid, and student welfare schemes
- Mentor-mentee programme coverage and outcomes
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Year-wise student enrolment, pass, and dropout database
- Placement records — offer letters, company names, salary data
- Scholarship disbursement records — government and institutional
- Mentor-mentee register with interaction logs
✅ Pro Tip: Student progression data must cover the Current Academic Year (CAY) and two previous years (CAY-1, CAY-2). Begin building this database now. Waiting until SSR submission is a costly mistake.
Attribute 6: Research, Innovation, and Extension
Research is where institutions earn significant differentiation in the new framework.
NAAC now evaluates research culture holistically. Publications, patents, funded projects, and extension activities all count.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Faculty research publications — Scopus/Web of Science indexed papers preferred
- Research funding — sponsored projects from DST, ICMR, AICTE, and industry
- Patents filed and granted — both published and commercialised
- Innovation ecosystem — incubation centres, startups, and student innovation projects
- Extension activities — NCC, NSS, UBA (Unnat Bharat Abhiyan) impact data
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Faculty publication database with DOI, journal name, indexing status, and year
- Funded project records — grant amount, duration, completion status
- Patent application and grant certificates
- NSS/NCC activity records — number of students, hours, and community impact
For institutions strengthening this attribute, Mantech Publications’ Paper Publication Services provide peer-reviewed, DOI-assigned journal publication with no publication charges for qualifying research.
Faculty research output directly impacts your new NAAC score. Submit manuscripts to Mantech Publications’ indexed journals — peer-reviewed, DOI-assigned, and NAAC-relevant.
Attribute 7: Community Engagement and Social Responsibility
This is a new, more expansive attribute. It goes well beyond traditional NSS activities.
NAAC evaluates whether your institution is a genuine community asset.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Technical clubs — hackathons, ideation workshops, domain-specific contests
- Cultural clubs — festivals, performances, inclusivity activities
- Mental health clubs — counselling cells, meditation programmes, student wellbeing initiatives
- Sports teams and inter-institutional tournament participation
- Community outreach — Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, clean village, empowered women communities
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Club registration records — membership count, activity calendar, outcomes
- UBA village adoption certificates and activity reports
- Mental health programme attendance records and counsellor credentials
- Community impact documentation — before/after data for village or community projects
Attribute 8: Governance, Leadership, and Management
Governance quality is now evaluated with significantly more depth. NAAC examines institutional systems, not just structures.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Inter-university and industry collaboration — MoUs with utilisation evidence
- Statutory compliance — AICTE/UGC approvals current and documented
- Effective leadership — institutional development plan, vision-driven governance
- e-Governance — ERP systems, digital administration, paperless processes
- Quality assurance systems — IQAC functionality, AQAR regularity
- Student and employee welfare mechanisms
- Grievance redressal — formal committee, response timelines, resolution records
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- MoU register — partner name, purpose, activity utilisation records
- Governing Body meeting minutes — frequency, resolution tracking
- ERP system screenshots and usage data
- Grievance register — complaints filed, resolved, and pending
- IQAC meeting calendar with attendance and action-taken reports
For institutions seeking governance alignment support, BGC Global’s Institutional Development Services offer structured governance audit and IQAC strengthening programmes.
Attribute 9: Financial Management and Resource Mobilisation
Financial transparency is now a standalone accreditation attribute. This is a significant shift.
NAAC evaluates not just whether funds are available — but whether they are managed wisely.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Annual budget — allocation between academic, infrastructure, and welfare heads
- Audit compliance — CAG or chartered accountant-certified accounts
- Resource mobilisation — grants, donations, consultancy income, endowments
- Financial sustainability — revenue trends over three to five years
- Scholarship disbursement — amounts, beneficiary count, sources
- Fund utilisation efficiency — planned vs actual expenditure analysis
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Audited financial statements for CAY, CAY-1, and CAY-2
- Budget allocation charts — academic vs infrastructure vs welfare breakdown
- Grant and funding receipts from government and non-government sources
- Scholarship ledger — student-wise disbursement records
💡 Note: The One Nation One Data Platform cross-verifies financial data submitted to NAAC. Discrepancies between self-reported figures and audited records attract heavy penalties under the new framework. Ensure all financial data is auditor-certified.
Attribute 10: Institutional Values and Best Practices
This final attribute captures what makes your institution distinctive.
NAAC evaluates institutional character — environmental commitment, gender sensitivity, code of conduct, and documented best practices.
What NAAC Evaluates:
- Gender equity — Women’s Cell, gender audit, anti-harassment policy
- Environmental responsibility — green audits, solar installations, water harvesting
- Code of ethics — published, enforced, and annually reviewed
- Best practices — two annually documented institutional best practices
- Distinctiveness — what makes this institution uniquely valuable to its stakeholders
IQAC Data Mapping Required:
- Green audit reports — energy consumption, waste management, carbon footprint data
- Women’s Cell activity records and Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) compliance
- Best practice write-ups in NAAC-prescribed format — clearly articulated, evidence-backed
- Institutional distinctiveness document — unique programmes, social impact, legacy
Data Capture Formats (DCF 2025): What Your IQAC Must Know
The new framework introduces Data Capture Formats (DCF 2025). These are structured digital templates.
Every data point you submit to NAAC must align with the DCF structure. Manual, narrative-only reporting is no longer sufficient.
| DCF Category | Data Required | Update Frequency |
| Student Data | Enrolment, pass %, dropout, placement | Each Semester |
| Faculty Data | Qualifications, FDPs, publications, projects | Each Academic Year |
| Infrastructure Data | Utilisation logs, IT assets, lab hours | Each Semester |
| Research Data | Publications, patents, funded projects, citations | Ongoing / Monthly |
| Financial Data | Budget, expenditure, grants, scholarships | Annual (Audited) |
| Governance Data | MoUs, meetings, compliance, e-governance | Quarterly |
| Community Data | NSS/NCC/UBA hours, club activities, impact | Each Semester |
| Best Practices | Documented write-ups in prescribed format | Annual |
The One Nation One Data Platform aggregates and cross-verifies all DCF submissions.
Institutions found submitting inconsistent or fabricated data face suspension of accreditation. This is explicitly stated in the new guidelines.
IQAC Data Mapping: How to Align Your Systems to the 10 Attributes
Your IQAC must now function as a real-time data hub. Not a year-end report compiler.
Here is a practical mapping guide for IQAC coordinators:
- Assign an Attribute Owner for Each of the 10 Attributes: One faculty member or administrative head must own data collection for each attribute. Accountability drives consistency.
- Build a Master Data Register: One integrated spreadsheet or ERP module for all 10 attributes. Updated monthly. Audited quarterly by the IQAC.
- DCF-Align Your Existing Data Systems: Map your student MIS, faculty database, finance system, and research tracker to the DCF 2025 field structure. This prevents last-minute scrambling.
- Conduct Quarterly IQAC Reviews: IQAC must review attribute-wise progress every quarter. Action-taken reports must be minuted and filed.
- Maintain a Living Evidence Repository: Digital, indexed, accessible evidence for every metric. Organise evidence attribute-wise — not document-type-wise.
- Run a Mock DCF Audit Before SSR Submission: Simulate a NAAC data verification exercise internally. Identify gaps before the platform does.
For institutions seeking structured IQAC strengthening, BGC Global’s IQAC Outsourcing and Management Services provide expert coordinators who operationalise this mapping framework for you.
Engineering institutions can additionally reference Mantech Publications’ NBA Accreditation Consulting Services to align NBA and NAAC data systems together — reducing duplication significantly.
NAAC 2026 Readiness Checklist: Your 10-Point Institutional Audit
Before your institution approaches NAAC in 2026, run through this checklist:
| Attribute | Readiness Question | Status Check |
| 1. Curriculum | Is your curriculum reviewed annually with BOS minutes? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 2. Teaching-Learning | Do all faculty use LMS and submit teaching plans? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 3. Faculty Resources | Is your faculty publication database updated this year? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 4. Infrastructure | Do you have utilisation logs for all labs and classrooms? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 5. Student Support | Is CAY, CAY-1, CAY-2 student progression data complete? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 6. Research | Do faculty have DOI-linked publications this academic year? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 7. Community | Are club and UBA activity records documented with impact? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 8. Governance | Are all MoUs active and utilisation-evidenced? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 9. Financial | Are CAY, CAY-1, CAY-2 audited accounts ready and uploaded? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
| 10. Best Practices | Are two institutional best practices documented in NAAC format? | ☐ Ready ☐ In Progress ☐ Gap |
Conclusion: 10 Attributes. One Direction. Zero Shortcuts.
The new NAAC framework is not harder to understand. It is harder to fake.
That is intentional. The 10 attributes are designed to reward institutions that genuinely build quality — not institutions that manage paperwork well.
The Data Capture Formats demand real data. The One Nation One Data Platform cross-verifies it. The MBGL levels incentivise institutions to keep improving beyond Binary Accreditation.
For institutions with robust IQAC systems, strong research output, and genuine student outcomes, the new framework is an opportunity.
For institutions that have relied on last-minute preparation, it is a clear warning.
Mantech Publications has been a trusted partner for research publishing and NAAC consulting for over 12 years. Our NAAC Accreditation Consulting Services are fully updated to the Binary Accreditation and 10-attribute framework.
For IQAC strengthening, SSR data mapping, and attribute-wise gap analysis, our partner BGC Global provides the most comprehensive NAAC consulting services available for Indian HEIs in 2026.
Students and faculty exploring course-wise NAAC-accredited institution options can also refer to BhavyaGyan for updated college and programme discovery across engineering, medical, nursing, and management streams.
Don’t navigate the new 10-attribute framework alone. Our NAAC experts will audit your institutional readiness attribute by attribute. Book Your Free Consultation with Mantech Publications — and build your 2026 accreditation strategy today.
FAQs:
The 10 attributes are: (1) Curriculum Design and Development, (2) Teaching-Learning and Evaluation, (3) Faculty Resources, (4) Infrastructure and Learning Resources, (5) Student Support and Progression etc.
Yes. The new Binary Accreditation framework operates on 10 key attributes. The old 7-criteria SSR-based CGPA grading system is being phased out. New submissions in 2026 follow the Binary Accreditation + MBGL structure.
Binary Accreditation means institutions are classified simply as Accredited or Not Accredited. There is no more A++, A, B++ grading. Advanced recognition is achieved through Maturity-Based Graded Levels (MBGL) from Level 1 to Level 5.
DCF 2025 are structured digital data templates that replace narrative SSR reporting for quantitative metrics. All data — student, faculty, research, financial — must be submitted in DCF format through the One Nation One Data Platform.
Assign one data owner per attribute. Build a real-time master data register. Align all existing MIS data to DCF field structure. Conduct quarterly IQAC reviews. Maintain an indexed digital evidence repository.
External Resources:
- NAAC Official Website — Binary Accreditation Guidelines
- UGC — NEP 2020 Implementation Guidelines for HEIs
- Dr. Radhakrishnan Committee Report on NAAC Reforms (ResearchGate)
- Ministry of Education — National Education Policy 2020
- BGC Global — NAAC Accreditation Consultancy Services
Published by Mantech Publications — Empowering Research & Knowledge | NAAC & NBA Consulting: mantechpublications.com/naac-and-nba-accreditation/ | IQAC & Institutional Support: BGC Global | Course & College Discovery: BhavyaGyan
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