Academic credential notarization is the process of cryptographically signing a diploma, transcript, or certificate so that anyone can later confirm it is genuine and unaltered. The institution signs the document with a private key; verification checks that signature against the institution’s public key.
Unlike a traditional notary, who witnesses a signature and applies a stamp, cryptographic notarization binds the proof to the document itself. The signature covers every byte of the file. If a single character changes after signing, the signature no longer matches and verification fails.
How it works
- The issuing institution generates a key pair. The private key stays protected; the public key is used for verification.
- When a credential is issued, its contents are hashed and signed with the private key, and timestamped by an independent authority.
- The signed credential can be shared as a file or a verification link. The proof travels with the document.
- Anyone can verify it by checking the signature. A valid result means the credential was signed by that institution and has not been altered or revoked.
Why it matters
Paper credentials and plain PDFs are easy to alter and hard to check. Notarized credentials are tamper-evident: forgery requires the institution’s private key, which is never shared. Verification is cryptographic, so a verifier does not need to trust the notarization provider, only the math.
How AcadCert does it
AcadCert uses Ed25519 signatures and an independent timestamp on every credential. Document contents are encrypted at rest, and signing keys are held separately in AcadCert Vault, a dedicated Key Management Service the main application itself cannot reach into. Anyone can verify a credential for free, with no account, by uploading the file or entering its ID.