Education verification is a systematic due diligence process used to confirm academic claims made by an individual on a resume, application, or professional profile. This involves cross-referencing claimed credentials against official records maintained by the educational institution. Confirming educational attainment is a foundational step in establishing professional credibility and ensuring individuals possess the necessary knowledge for a given role.
Why Education Verification is Necessary
Verifying educational claims is a fundamental practice for mitigating risk in professional and academic settings. A significant number of applicants exaggerate or falsify their credentials, leading to negative consequences for organizations. Hiring an under-qualified individual due to fraudulent claims can result in poor productivity, damage to a company’s reputation, and create safety concerns in specialized fields. Many compensation structures rely on formal education levels, making the verification of degrees a necessary step to justify pay and title. This process helps maintain a baseline of trust and competence within the workforce.
Understanding the Legal Framework
Compliance with privacy laws is required before initiating any education verification. In the United States, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs how educational institutions handle student records. This federal law dictates that a school may not release personally identifiable information from a student’s education record without explicit written consent from the individual.
The party requesting verification must obtain a signed authorization from the applicant before contacting the school. This consent form must specify the exact records that may be disclosed, the purpose of the disclosure, and the recipient of the information. While some basic information like dates of attendance or degree awarded may be classified as “Directory Information,” many institutions still require formal consent to avoid legal complications. This consent ensures that the verification is both comprehensive and legally sound.
Required Information for Verification
A successful verification request requires providing accurate and complete identifying information to the educational institution or service. The full legal name of the individual is necessary, including any previous names, such as a maiden name, that may have been on record. The date of birth is also a common identifier used to distinguish between individuals with similar names. The request must clearly state the specific achievement being verified, including the institution’s name, the claimed degree or certification, and the date of conferral or graduation.
Primary Methods for Verification
Direct Contact with Educational Institutions
One reliable method involves directly contacting the school or university. The request is typically submitted to the Registrar’s Office or the Student Records department, which are the official custodians of academic data. While this approach offers primary source verification and the highest degree of accuracy, it can often be slow due to varying institutional response times and internal processes.
Utilizing Third-Party Verification Services
For organizations handling a high volume of requests, third-party screening services provide a more efficient, scalable solution. These commercial background check firms often maintain access to centralized databases, such as the National Student Clearinghouse for US institutions. Using a service like the Clearinghouse allows for rapid verification of degrees and attendance at thousands of participating schools through a single platform. This method streamlines the process, often providing a faster result than individual outreach.
Reviewing Applicant-Provided Documentation
Examining documents provided by the applicant, such as a physical diploma or academic transcript, can serve as a supplementary step. However, this method should not be considered a definitive confirmation due to the high risk of forgery and modification. Modern technology makes it simple to create convincing fake documents, including those with official-looking seals and watermarks. A thorough verification strategy relies on confirmation directly from the credential-issuing source, not merely reviewing a copy provided by the applicant.
What Information Institutions Will Release
Once the required consent has been secured, educational institutions are permitted to release a specific scope of information. The most common confirmed details include the dates of attendance, the specific degree or certificate conferred, the date the degree was awarded, and the major or field of study. This information confirms the fundamental claims of an individual’s academic history. Institutions are generally restricted from releasing detailed academic performance data, such as Grade Point Average (GPA) or specific course grades. These details require a distinct, specific waiver of rights from the individual.
Handling Complex Verification Scenarios
Closed or Non-Accredited Institutions
Verification is challenging when the educational institution has closed or lacks recognized accreditation. If a school has shut down, its records are generally transferred to a custodian, which may be a state education department, another university, or the school district itself. Locating the current record holder often requires contacting the state’s postsecondary education agency to determine where the archives are maintained.
Non-accredited institutions, particularly those known as “diploma mills,” present a different problem because they do not adhere to recognized academic standards. Verification of credentials from these sources is difficult and often impossible, as they lack the legitimate record-keeping required for primary source confirmation. The U.S. Department of Education maintains a database of accredited institutions that should be consulted to confirm a school’s legitimacy before proceeding with verification.
International Degrees
Verifying a degree earned outside of the domestic system requires an additional step to establish its academic equivalency. This process necessitates the use of a professional credential evaluation service. Organizations like the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) specialize in assessing foreign academic records.
These services compare the individual’s coursework, institution, and grading system against the standards of the domestic education system. The resulting report provides a clear determination of what the foreign degree is equivalent to, such as a US bachelor’s or master’s degree. This evaluation ensures that the credential holds the appropriate value for employment or further academic pursuit.
Verification of High School Diplomas and GEDs
The process for verifying secondary education is separate from that for postsecondary degrees. High school diploma verification typically involves contacting the specific school’s registrar or the central office of the local school district. The National Student Clearinghouse also offers a DiplomaVerify service for participating high schools, providing a faster, centralized option for confirmation.
Verification of a General Educational Development (GED) certificate is handled by the state-level testing administrator. Most states maintain a centralized database accessible through the State Department of Education or a specific GED testing service. A requestor must contact the relevant state agency where the certificate was earned to confirm the equivalency status.