ITMO Scholars Get First-Ever NFT Diplomas From VK

Along with their digital diplomas, ITMO University’s graduates of 2023 will also receive unique tokens for the social network VK. These NFTs will serve as further proof of their degrees and acquired competencies. In the future, graduates will also be able to upload these tokens into job-seeking services as part of their CV.

A VK NFT diploma is a unique digital token that contains data about the graduate. Stored in the user’s own crypto wallet, it can be set up via the VK NFT app. The user data encrypted in the token includes their full name, year of graduation, name of their educational program, and thesis topic.

The verification procedure is based on soulbound tokens (SBTs) – special NFTs that are issued in a single copy and are forever tied to a specific address on the blockchain. An SBT cannot be transferred, sold, forged, or assigned to another address; only its owner has access to it.

The main purpose of these NFT diplomas is to confirm that each graduate has indeed finished their university program and received a degree. As of now, owners of such NFTs can share their tokens in posts, stories, and chats – or even set them as their profile pictures. In the future, users will be able to use non-transferrable tokens to confirm the completion of training courses, various personal and professional achievements, and other accomplishments.

The technology will be integrated into job-seeking services, too: having logged in via VK, users will have the chance to display all of their NFT diplomas in their CV. This is said to significantly benefit interactions between graduates and potential employers.

“In 2022, ITMO became the first to issue digital diplomas that list not only academic accomplishments, but also internships, grants, conferences, articles, and acquired soft and hard skills. At first, the option was made available only to top graduates – but now, . This year, in addition to digital diplomas, our graduates can enjoy another advantage – a VK NFT that serves as another confirmation of their quality as a specialist. All this, no doubt, will help them stand out from the crowd as job-seekers: employers will be able to see beyond the diploma cover and learn about the potential employee’s actual accomplishments,” comments Daria Kozlova, ITMO’s First Vice Rector.