How to Issue and Manage NFT Credentials on eGAB: A Non-Technical Guide

Let's be honest: isn't the traditional paper diploma starting to feel a bit outdated? It's slow to issue, costly to replace, and in an age of rampant education fraud , it’s getting harder for employers to trust that a certificate is real-a challenge highlighted by the latest diploma forgery statistics. So, how can you give your graduates a credential that's as forward-thinking as the education you offer? One that instantly builds confidence and opens doors? The answer is issuing secure, verifiable digital credentials on the blockchain. This process turns your degrees and certificates into NFT diplomas : unique, tamper-proof digital assets. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can instantly verify them, which completely eliminates the risk of forgery from diploma mills (fraudulent organizations selling fake academic degrees, like in the infamous Axact case). This guide gives you a complete, step-by-step walkthrough, showing you exactly how to use a credentialing platform . We'll cover everything from the first account setup and data upload to the final minting and management of your institution's digital credentials.

📘 This post is part of our comprehensive guide to "eGAB:The Global Academic Blockchain Ecosystem for Digital Credentials". Explore it to find answers to all your questions ;)

How Do You Register and Set Up Your Institution's Account?

Jumping into the eGAB platform is surprisingly simple, even if you're not a tech expert. You can think of it as setting up your institution's official, trusted digital headquarters. This guide is your straightforward eGAB account setup and tutorial on how to use a credentialing platform effectively. Let's face it, we live in an age where education fraud and diploma mills (fake universities that sell degrees) are a real and growing threat. This reality begs the question: what is the best way to prevent diploma fraud? Because this problem is so widespread, establishing that trust is more important now than ever.

Your first move is to complete a quick registration process , where you'll just share a few basic details about your organization. From there, our support team will contact you through your favorite messenger to get you started. This quick process is our method of digital identity verification , which is crucial for making sure only legitimate organizations can join the platform. They’ll give you a verification code and your login credentials, and just like that, you've firmly established your verified institutional identity.

Once you log in, you'll land on your personal Dashboard . Think of this as your mission control center for all your digital credentials. The very first thing you'll want to do is set up your institution's public profile page, since this is the official face that your graduates, employers, and other verifiers will see. It’s worth noting that even authorities like the U.S. Department of Education agree that having a credible digital presence (a trustworthy and official online identity) is exactly what separates legitimate schools from sketchy operations. This is your chance to make a fantastic first impression, so go ahead and upload your logo, add a stunning cover image, and write a bit about your institution. Consider it your digital storefront. Just keep in mind that updating it uses one of your valuable "project credits."

How Do You Prepare and Upload Graduate Data for Issuance?

Alright, your account is set up and you're ready to issue your first official NFT document -a unique, secure digital certificate verified on the blockchain. What's great is that you can use this exact same process to upload graduate data for digital badges , which are perfect for smaller certifications or professional development achievements. First, there’s just a little prep work to do. The platform runs on "project credits," which you can buy right from your Dashboard, making the cost of issuing digital NFT credentials completely transparent. The easiest way to think of these credits is like digital "certificate paper." Each credit lets you issue one verifiable credential. This streamlined process completely eliminates the hidden costs of traditional verification, turning a pricey, time-consuming job into just a few simple clicks.

This is where the platform's real power shines, showing you just how flexible and efficient it is. You have two easy options for getting your graduate data into the system:

1. Manual Entry: Perfect for one-off certificates or special awards. Just type the graduate’s information directly into the platform.

2. Bulk Import: This is a real game-changer for graduation season. All you do is download our Credly Basic Template.xlsx , fill it in with your graduates' details (like their name, degree, and issue date), and import it. This simple process lets you prepare hundreds of secure digital documents in minutes. It’s a huge upgrade from the slow, old-school paper systems.

To make sure your data imports perfectly every time, there’s just one simple step to follow. Simply export your completed spreadsheet as either a .txt or .tsv file. This crucial step protects the data's integrity , ensuring all the information stays accurate and unchanged during the upload. In fact, maintaining data integrity is the single most important part of this whole process. It's what guarantees every final credential is based on the right information. And what if you're short on time? No problem. We offer a handy "done-for-you" service. Just send us your completed spreadsheet, and our team will securely handle the entire data setup for you.

How Are NFT Credentials Created and Finalized on the Platform?

Ready for the exciting part? Let's walk through how to issue NFT credentials . The goal here is simple: to create verifiable digital credentials that look professional and are rock-solid secure. Once you've uploaded your graduate data, you’ll see each credential appear on your dashboard as a "Project" in "Draft" status. Think of this as your final, critical proofreading stage. You can click into any draft, double-check all the important details, and make any last-minute edits you need. This is also your chance to add a unique, personal touch. While you can always use a standard template, the platform also gives you the flexibility to upload a custom image for each credential, making sure it perfectly matches your institution's unique branding and style. This level of customization is a key part of secure document issuance for graduates , as it cleverly adds another layer of visual verification.

Happy with how the drafts look? Perfect. Now it's time for the most important step of all: the "signing." Let's be crystal clear-this is the point of no return. The act of signing a project finalizes all its data and sends it off to be "minted" (the process of creating a unique digital token) on the CREST Chain , our specialized blockchain for credentials. In other words, the information is about to be permanently recorded. This crucial action is irreversible because it cryptographically seals the data on a distributed ledger -a shared database synchronized across many computers, which makes it extremely difficult to tamper with. The result of this process is a permanent and immutable record of the achievement, which is exactly why blockchain and NFTs are essential for credential verification. This level of security, which explains why a PDF diploma doesn't protect against fraud, naturally leads people to ask, is it possible to fake an NFT certificate? The answer is a resounding no; the cryptographic security makes forgery impossible. This brings us to a core question that has a simple explanation: what is an NFT credential , and how do you put a certificate on the blockchain? This is the magic moment; it's when a simple digital file is transformed into a secure, tamper-proof, and globally verifiable NFT credential (Non-Fungible Token credential). Leading tech experts at Educause explain this concept perfectly. They say that blockchain's core value lies in its unique ability to create a permanent, shared record of information that simply cannot be altered. Think of it like this: it's the moment your digital document becomes a permanent asset and, more importantly, a truly trustworthy credential for your graduate.

How to Manage and Share Credentials After They're Issued?

This brings us to the final, crucial step: long-term NFT credential management . Once you've issued a credential, you'll need an easy way to manage digital diplomas and certificates . So, what happens right after a credential gets minted on the blockchain? Its status on your Dashboard instantly changes to "Document." From there, you have complete control to manage these brand-new digital assets right from the "My Projects" section.

For every NFT diploma or certificate, you can simply copy its unique, shareable link and send it straight to your graduates. It's important to remember that this link works just as well for digital badges as it does for full diplomas. For your graduates, this is where the real power of this technology shines. They can add this verifiable link to their résumés, proudly post it on their LinkedIn profiles, or share it instantly with potential employers. But you're probably wondering, how do employers verify a digital credential , and what does an NFT diploma look like in practice? It’s incredibly simple. They just click the link, and a verification page instantly opens, showing the credential's details and confirming its authenticity straight from the blockchain. This isn't just a gimmick; it provides real-world value that showcases the benefits of using NFTs for educational documents. In fact, a compelling study by Pearson VUE found that a staggering 91% of people who earned digital credentials would recommend them. Why? They reported a significant boost in their professional pride and industry recognition.

What's more, you always have complete control over each document's visibility (who gets to see it). This feature is perfect for staying aligned with your institution's specific data privacy policies -the rules for how you protect and share student information. You can easily set its access level to one of the following:

• Public: Anyone with the link can view it.

• By Link: Only those with the unique, secure link can access it.

• Private: The credential isn't publicly viewable.

The bottom line is you can manage privacy with total ease, all while empowering your graduates with a lasting record of their incredible achievements. This record is permanent, secure, and instantly verifiable anywhere in the world.

Next Step: Ready to make your first issuance incredibly smooth and efficient? Here's a pro-tip for you: start organizing your graduate data into a spreadsheet today. You can even do this before you register for an account. Having the names, course details, and issue dates ready to go in our template format will give you a huge head start. That means you can go from initial setup to signed, verifiable credentials in record time.

Summary: Mastering the Digital Credential Lifecycle on eGAB

Let's break it all down. We carefully designed the entire eGAB process for one core reason: to build a new foundation of trust and efficiency for both academic and professional achievements. We’ve just walked you through a journey that all starts with a simple, secure eGAB account setup .

This first step is crucial because it sets up your institution's verified digital identity, which is your first line of defense in combating education fraud . It instantly separates your legitimate credentials from the noise of diploma mills. Think of it as your trusted headquarters for everything you issue.

From that strong foundation, the platform gives you total flexibility and integrity. We built the system for maximum efficiency, whether you're entering a single honoree by hand or using the bulk import feature to upload graduate data for digital badges for a whole class. By converting your data into a standard format, you guarantee its data integrity . This step makes sure the information we're about to record permanently is absolutely perfect. This careful preparation is the bedrock of every secure, reliable credential you create.

The real transformation, however, happens when you "sign" the credential. This is the moment you create verifiable digital credentials by locking them onto the CREST Chain forever. It’s so much more than just saving a file; it’s a deliberate, irreversible action that cryptographically seals the data. This creates an immutable record -one that can't be faked or changed. So, if you've been wondering, "how do you put a certificate on the blockchain?" -this is it. This is how you turn a simple record into a powerful, secure NFT credential .

Finally, the system empowers both you and your graduates with seamless NFT credential management . For you, this means effortless control. You can manage every NFT diploma and certificate you issue, right down to its privacy and visibility settings. And for your graduates? They get a portable, globally verifiable asset they can share with a single click, giving employers instant, blockchain-verified proof of their skills. This entire lifecycle replaces outdated, insecure paper processes with a streamlined, trustworthy, and modern solution-one that gives every achievement the permanent, verifiable recognition it deserves.

➡️ So, what does the final product look like? Now that you know how to issue credentials, you’re probably curious about the result. Check out a real-world example of an NFT diploma on the eGAB platform.