Blockchain set to transform academic credentials, but global adoption remains slow

Blockchain applications in higher education are rapidly expanding, but widespread adoption remains elusive due to persistent challenges in standardization, scalability, cost, and data privacy. A comprehensive systematic review titled “A Systematic Review of Blockchain-Based Initiatives in Comparison to Best Practices Used in Higher Education Institutions,” published in Computers in April 2025, evaluates the global landscape of blockchain projects for diploma and certificate management. The study examines 28 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2024 and categorizes each project by development stage, implementation scope, and the key barriers hindering integration.

Conducted by researchers Diana Laura Silaghi and Daniela Elena Popescu, the review offers one of the most detailed examinations to date of how universities worldwide are exploring blockchain to combat diploma fraud, streamline academic records, and support lifelong learning portfolios. Yet despite the growing volume of pilot projects and prototypes, only a few initiatives, such as Block.co in Cyprus and Blockcerts from MIT, have reached full production and global usage.

Which Blockchain Applications in Higher Education Are Operational, and Which Are Still in Testing?

The review finds that most blockchain solutions for academic credentialing remain at early stages of development. Of the 28 applications studied, only a handful have reached full-scale deployment. Block.co, developed by the University of Nicosia, and MIT’s Blockcerts platform stand out as global best practices, having issued thousands of blockchain-based diplomas and earned adoption from over 100 institutions. These systems rely on Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains to ensure tamper-proof, verifiable credentials.

Other systems, including CredChain in Bangladesh and CertEdu in Kazakhstan, are live but regionally confined. Meanwhile, five pilot programs are testing platforms such as QualiChain and EBSI for use across national or institutional networks. Prototypes like AlgoCert, BCert, and UniverCert offer functional systems built on Ethereum, Algorand, and IPFS but have not scaled beyond controlled environments.

Many academic efforts are currently confined to conceptual frameworks or proof-of-concept models, lacking the funding, standardization, or regulatory support needed for real-world implementation. The review emphasizes that the fragmentation of solutions—each based on varying blockchains like Ethereum, Hyperledger, and EBSI—further slows progress by limiting interoperability across institutions and borders.

What Are the Key Focus Areas Driving Blockchain Integration in Education?

The study identifies four primary application domains for blockchain in higher education. The most prevalent involves issuing, managing, and verifying academic credentials to prevent fraud. A majority of reviewed projects focus on building immutable records of diplomas, transcripts, and certifications, often using cryptographic hashes and smart contracts.

A second focus area involves cross-border credential verification and student mobility. With the rise of international academic pathways like Erasmus and global online learning, systems such as EBSI aim to ensure credentials issued in one country are accepted and verifiable in another. Prototype systems allow students to accumulate and share records from multiple institutions, streamlining processes for international graduate programs and job applications.

The third area centers on lifelong learning and achievement tracking. Systems like UniverCert and BCSC-Dapp propose consolidated digital portfolios that capture not only degrees, but also short courses, professional development, and MOOCs. These applications address the growing need for dynamic skill records in an evolving labor market.

Finally, several initiatives are expanding beyond credential management to include end-to-end tracking of the educational process. This includes logging admissions, exam results, and thesis defenses on blockchain to detect internal fraud within universities. Smart contracts are increasingly proposed to enforce academic integrity at every stage of a student’s journey.

What Barriers Are Preventing Widespread Blockchain Adoption in Higher Education?

Despite the promise of blockchain, the review outlines several critical roadblocks to broad integration. The first is a lack of standardization. Diverse platforms and architectures mean credentials stored on one blockchain are often unreadable on another, limiting transferability and employer verification. While Blockcerts and SELI have made strides toward interoperability, most systems remain siloed.

Scalability is another challenge. As educational systems grow, so do the computational and financial demands of blockchain networks. High transaction fees, particularly on Bitcoin and Ethereum, make mass issuance of certificates prohibitively expensive without cost-efficient scaling models. Emerging platforms like Solana and Algorand offer improvements in speed and energy efficiency but are still under-evaluated in this context.

Data privacy poses further complications, especially under laws like GDPR. Blockchain’s immutability, while a strength for integrity, conflicts with regulations that require users to delete or modify personal data upon request. Some systems use off-chain storage and hash referencing to mitigate this, but legal ambiguities remain. The use of NFTs for academic credentials, as seen in models from Delgado-von-Eitzen and Tahlil, offers potential GDPR-compliant alternatives but requires further scrutiny.

Financial cost is a fourth concern. Only a few studies in the review offer detailed economic analyses, and those that do highlight significant expenses related to gas fees, infrastructure, and maintenance. Institutions in low-income regions may struggle to justify the investment unless platforms are developed with clear cost-benefit frameworks.

Beyond these technical and legal barriers, the review notes the absence of widespread institutional collaboration. Most initiatives are isolated, with little coordination between universities, governments, and employers. This fragmentation hinders the establishment of common verification platforms and delays the creation of trusted global ecosystems.

What Does the Future Hold for Blockchain in Academic Certification?

The authors conclude that blockchain holds immense potential to reshape academic credentialing but warn that without unified action, its impact will remain limited. They call for future research on copyright-secure exchange of educational content, blockchain-AI integration for personalized learning, and unified credential portfolios that capture a learner’s entire academic and professional history.

To move beyond pilots and models, the study suggests adopting smart contracts for automating credential issuance and validation, developing revocation protocols for erroneous diplomas, and prioritizing modular systems that can adapt to national standards without sacrificing global compatibility.