Applying for a new job often involves a background check, and many applicants wonder about the investigation into their academic record. For professional positions, verifying educational claims is a standard and expected component of the hiring process. Employers rely on this step to ensure the integrity of the candidate pool and confirm that applicants possess the necessary qualifications for the role. This verification bridges the gap between a resume claim and a confirmed credential.
Educational Verification is Standard Practice
Degrees and educational achievements appear on background checks, especially for roles requiring a specific level of education. Companies conduct these checks to confirm a candidate’s qualifications, maintain quality standards, and ensure regulatory compliance. This verification safeguards against misrepresentation and mitigates hiring risk.
More comprehensive background checks routinely incorporate thorough educational verification. This process establishes trust by confirming the candidate possesses the knowledge and skills claimed during the application. For regulated industries, such as finance or healthcare, confirming formal education is often a mandatory requirement.
The Mechanics of Degree Verification
Degree verification is a systematic process involving several entities. Most employers contract with a third-party Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) to manage the background screening. The CRA acts as an intermediary, collecting the necessary information and producing a formal report for the hiring company.
The CRA often uses centralized databases that aggregate student data nationwide. The National Student Clearinghouse is a major resource, serving as an automated point of contact for verifying enrollment and degree records from most US colleges and universities. If database verification is not possible, the CRA or employer contacts the university registrar’s office directly. This direct outreach requires the applicant’s explicit authorization for the release of academic information, which is legally mandated.
Specific Data Points Checked by Employers
During educational verification, the employer or agency focuses on confirming core data points provided by the applicant. The primary goal is to authenticate the institution attended and confirm the successful conferral of the degree.
Investigators verify the following information:
- The exact name of the educational institution.
- The dates of attendance.
- The type of degree earned (e.g., Bachelor of Science or Master of Arts).
- The specific major or minor declared.
- The official date the degree was conferred or the expected graduation date.
Standard verification reports generally do not include the applicant’s Grade Point Average (GPA), specific course listings, or details about disciplinary actions. If an employer requires GPA information, they typically ask the candidate to provide an official transcript.
Legal Protections and Applicant Rights
Job applicants have specific legal protections governing how employers conduct background checks, primarily under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This federal law mandates transparency and fairness when a third-party CRA is used to compile a consumer report, which includes educational verification. Before an employer can initiate any background check, they must provide the applicant with a clear written disclosure stating their intent to obtain the report and secure the applicant’s written consent.
The FCRA outlines a specific procedure that employers must follow if they intend to use information from the report, such as a verified discrepancy, to deny employment. This process begins with a “pre-adverse action” notice, which involves providing the applicant with a copy of the background check report and a summary of their rights under the FCRA. The applicant must then be given a reasonable amount of time, generally interpreted as at least five business days, to review the report and dispute any inaccurate or incomplete information. Only after this period has passed, and the employer has considered any potential explanation or correction, can they issue a final “adverse action” notice confirming the decision to deny the job.
What Happens When Discrepancies Occur
When an educational verification returns a result that does not align with the information provided by the candidate, the consequence depends heavily on the nature of the discrepancy. Minor variances, such as a slight difference in the dates of attendance or a small typo in the degree name, are often clerical errors that can be easily clarified. In these cases, the employer will usually request documentation or a simple explanation from the candidate to resolve the inconsistency.
A more significant finding, such as a candidate claiming a degree that the institution confirms was never awarded, constitutes a material misrepresentation. This type of intentional falsification can lead to the immediate withdrawal of a contingent job offer. Because the hiring process is built on the foundation of trust, a failure to confirm a claimed degree is often viewed as a breach of integrity. Applicants should always double-check the information they provide to ensure it precisely matches their official academic records to prevent unnecessary complications.