Education verification

An education verification background check helps confirm your candidate has the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position. Let Checkr take the hassle out of checking your candidate’s education history.

Why education verification background checks are important

Hire qualified candidates

Certain positions require a formal education or degree; confirm your candidate’s knowledge, skills and ability.

Identify any discrepancies

Confirm past education details provided by the candidate before you hire.

Mitigate risk to your business

Education verification mitigates the risk of hiring a candidate with false education credentials and protects against liability claims.

What you’ll learn from education verification

Checkr helps with education verification at high schools, universities, colleges, and vocational schools.

Enrollment and attendance

Verify your candidate’s enrollment history and dates of attendance.

Degree obtained

Validate the type of degree, such as a Bachelor's degree, and major completion status.

Graduation date

Confirm the graduation date provided by your candidate is accurate.

“Checkr has enabled us to improve the overall experience”

“When we made the switch to Checkr and realized that Checkr could handle education verifications, and we would never have to do them ourselves again, it was like a true light bulb moment.”
Adventure Nannies
Shenandoah Davis, CEO and Co-Founder

Checkr’s education verification solutions

With Checkr, education verification is no longer a roadblock to fast hiring. We streamline the process to save you time so you can quickly get the assurance you need that your candidates have the education background they claim. Plus, our mobile-friendly candidate portal makes a complex process easy for your candidates to complete.

US education verification

Review a candidate's academic history by verifying up to three degrees, from high school and GED equivalents through doctorates. May be used to confirm school name, degree earned, and completion date.

International education verification

Verify a candidate’s international education credentials of any educational level such as high school, college and post-grad at institutions in 200+ countries. May be used to confirm degree received, course of study, and dates of attendance.

Professional license verification

Some industries and occupations require both specific training as well as an active license. A professional license verification check confirms your candidates’ licenses and certifications are active and in good standing. Learn more.

Let Checkr conduct education verification checks for you

Frequently asked questions

Learn more about education verification

An education verification is a type of background check used to confirm a job candidate’s education history, such as the schools they’ve attended, degrees earned, and any additional training they claimed on their application or resume. An education verification allows employers to compare the information that candidates declare during the hiring process to education history records kept by schools and other organizations.

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Many employers conduct education verifications as part of the hiring process. Verifying education history confirms the information provided by candidates is accurate, so you can feel confident when extending a job offer. In some cases, your industry, state, local, or federal laws require verifying a person’s credentials or degree. Here’s a look at some common questions about the education verification process.

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Visit our Help Center for questions about Checkr's Education Verification process.

What is education verification?

Education verification is the process of confirming information provided by candidates about the schools they attended, the degrees or diplomas earned, or the certifications they obtained. 

This screening is  also known as an education verification check, degree verification, or education background check and searches student records and contacts high schools, vocational schools, colleges, and universities to corroborate a job candidate’s educational history with the information provided in a job application or on a resume. Employers may also choose to conduct an international education verification if a candidate has attended schools outside the United States.

Why should employers conduct education verification checks?

Employers should consider conducting education verification checks for several reasons, including improving pre-screening for employment, potentially reducing liability, and complying with laws and regulations.

Conducting an education verification for employment can reveal important information during pre-employment screening. By comparing the information a candidate provides to academic records from high schools, colleges, and other institutions, you can feel confident they meet the education and training requirements for your open position. The information revealed in an education verification check can empower your decision to extend a job offer to a candidate or make you aware of discrepancies that could be disqualifying  for employment.

Verifying a candidate’s education history may also help protect your company from the liability risks that hiring a candidate who doesn’t possess the required degrees or training could pose. In fact, nearly nearly half of job candidates (44%) have lied about education credentials on their resume, a ResumeBuilder survey found. 

Federal, state, and local laws may also mandate that you check education history for certain regulated positions, such as those in healthcare or finance, just as they may require a criminal background check for specific jobs. 

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How do employers verify education?

To verify education, employers ask candidates to provide school names, dates of attendance, degrees earned, and other school registration information. Employers can conduct an education background check themselves or use a background check company that offers education verification checks, like Checkr, to do so.

Employers who conduct education background checks in-house can use the National Student Clearinghouse, a national online portal that verifies education histories. To access the Clearinghouse, you must register for the service and demonstrate a valid reason for requesting the candidate’s information.

The National Student Clearinghouse connects employers with information for many schools, but in some cases, it may not have a student record on file. For example, a particular college may not appear in the database. When this occurs, employers must typically contact each school the candidate attended to confirm attendance dates, student enrollment, graduation date, and degrees earned. In some cases, employers may also request that candidates provide official transcripts from schools they attended.

Conducting an education verification can be time-consuming, but a background check company, like Checkr, can help accelerate the process. Our modern platform and advanced technology makes education verifications more cost-effective, timely, and accurate. 

In addition to streamlining the verification process, CRAs are also experienced in authenticating schools listed on a resume. They can help spot online diploma mills that sell diplomas, credentials, or degrees from fictitious schools. These mills often use school names similar to those of prestigious institutions, such as “University of Berkley” instead of “University of California, Berkeley,” to create confusion.

What does an education background check show?

An education background check shows information about a candidate’s education history, such as dates of attendance, majors, graduation date, and degrees or certificates earned. In the case of candidates who are graduates, the verification will usually focus on the most recent school attended.

For candidates currently in school, an education verification will usually confirm an active student registration status and may also provide the date of enrollment. This type of education verification is sometimes referred to as an enrollment verification. 

Education background checks are different from professional license verification. License verification confirms  a job candidate has a license or certification to work in a particular, often regulated, occupation, such as healthcare

How far back do education background checks go?

How far back education background checks go depends on the scope of the search, as defined by the employer. Employers often only complete an education verification on the highest degree, certificate, or diploma earned. Depending on the candidate’s history, this might be a high school diploma, a GED, or a college certificate or degree. Less often, an education background check may provide an overview of a candidate’s entire education history. 

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) restricts how far back many types of background screenings—such as criminal records checks—can go. However, there are no such restrictions on education verification screenings.

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How long does education verification take?

The time it takes to perform an education history verification depends on the availability of records; National Student Clearinghouse records vary from school to school. When the information requested is already in the system, education verifications typically take only a few minutes.

The process will take longer if you request information not included in the record. When this occurs, the Clearinghouse will contact a participating school directly to obtain information. A record may not be available because it is too old or because the student only started attending the school recently, in the case of a current enrollment verification. The volume of pending requests and how promptly the school replies to requests will impact the turnaround time. 

Delays may also occur if you provide incomplete or incorrect information when making a request. Using a background check company, like Checkr, can help reduce wait times associated with these types of errors by ensuring you’ve gathered all the necessary information from the candidate. Our advanced technology helps accelerate the background check process, while our mobile-friendly candidate portal gives job applicants visibility into the education verification process. They can even upload documents to confirm diplomas or certifications.

Legal regulations in the education verification process may impact what information you can access, how you can access it, and the extent to which you can use information gathered through an education background check to make a hiring decision.

Federal, state, and local privacy and background check laws, including the FCRA, regulate employment background screenings, including education verifications. These laws dictate how employers or consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) can conduct background checks, what information the background check report can include, and how employers can use the results of a background check when making hiring decisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has also created guidance to help employers avoid discrimination when assessing background check results.

Your legal counsel can help you determine what other laws and regulations may apply to your organization when you conduct education verification checks.

Do employers verify education degrees?

Yes, some employers may choose to verify education degrees. Degree verification is a standard part of an education background check. Specifically, the types of degrees earned, and the dates earned commonly appear on an education credential verification report. 

Verifying degrees earned helps employers ensure that candidates are eligible for a position, while also helps companies protect against potential liability from hiring someone without the proper qualifications for a job.

How can employers check international education backgrounds?

The way employers check international education backgrounds varies, based on the information that is accessible through databases and what laws restrict access to information. 

If you’re hiring internationally, you’ll typically need to research the process in the country where the candidate lives. However, an education verification services company, like Checkr, can greatly simplify the international education background check process. 

Is GPA included in an education verification background check?

A GPA is generally not included in an education verification background check. If knowing a student’s GPA is necessary to make a hiring decision, you can ask the candidate to share their official transcripts from the schools in question.

Get education verification services with Checkr

Whether performed on your own or through an education verification services provider, education verification can give you the peace of mind that the candidates you hire have the academic credentials necessary to succeed in their new roles. Checkr’s modern platform is able to rapidly verify candidate’s domestic and international education. The mobile-friendly Checkr candidate portal gives job applicants visibility into the education verification process; they can even upload documents to confirm diplomas or certifications, if necessary. With Checkr, education verification is quick, accurate, and compliant, so you can hire quickly and with confidence. Get started with Checkr today.

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Disclaimer

The resources provided here are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. We advise you to consult your own counsel if you have legal questions related to your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.

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