Education

Verify Academic Credentials

Education verification confirms that a candidate holds the degree, diploma, or certificate they've listed on their application. Research Services contacts the academic institution directly — or via the National Student Clearinghouse where available — to verify the claim on your behalf.

This service covers all levels of education, including high school diplomas, associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, graduate degrees, and professional certifications from accredited institutions.

Domestic and international institutions
All education levels: diploma through doctoral
Minimum 3 contact attempts per verification
FCRA-compliant reporting

Turnaround Time

Most education verifications are completed within 1–4 business days, with a minimum of 3 contact attempts made to the institution.

Turnaround may vary based on institution response times, particularly for international schools or institutions that process verifications manually.

1–4 Business Days

What's Returned

Dates of attendance

Degree type & field of study

Graduation date

GPA (if released by institution)

Credit hours completed

Honors or distinctions

Certificate or diploma confirmation

Major & minor subjects

Discrepancy flags if information doesn't match

Diploma Mills & Credential Fraud

Diploma mills are organizations that sell academic degrees with little or no coursework required. A candidate may list a degree from a real-sounding institution that is actually unaccredited or fraudulent. Education verification will surface these discrepancies.

Research Services verifies accreditation status and confirms credentials through direct institution contact, protecting you from hiring candidates who misrepresent their academic background.

Close-up of an official diploma with raised seal representing employer education verification and credential check

Who Should Order Education Verification

Any role where a specific degree or certification is a legal, regulatory, or operational requirement warrants education verification. The most common use cases include:

Healthcare — nurses, physicians, therapists, and technicians are required to hold verified credentials. Hiring an unqualified candidate creates direct patient safety risk and serious liability exposure.
Education — teachers and administrators are required to hold valid degrees. Connecticut's 16-67 verification process covers employment history, but education verification adds a separate layer of credential confirmation.
Finance & Accounting — roles requiring CPA licensure, finance degrees, or specific certifications carry fiduciary responsibility. A misrepresented credential in this space can expose organizations to regulatory and legal risk.
Engineering & Technology — technical roles where degree requirements are part of the job specification or professional licensure.
Legal — paralegal, law clerk, and attorney positions where educational background is a core qualification.

How Common Is Education Fraud?

More common than most employers expect. Studies consistently find that a significant percentage of resumes contain some form of misrepresentation — and education credentials are among the most frequently inflated claims. Candidates may exaggerate their degree level, list a degree they started but never completed, or in more serious cases, fabricate credentials entirely.

The National Student Clearinghouse, which Research Services accesses where available, provides a fast and reliable database for verifying U.S. degrees. For institutions not covered by the Clearinghouse — including many international schools — our researchers contact the institution directly to confirm the information on record.

International Education Verification

Verifying credentials from international institutions adds complexity. Academic systems, accreditation structures, and recordkeeping practices vary significantly by country. Some institutions require written requests, others charge retrieval fees, and response times can be considerably longer than domestic verifications.

Research Services has experience verifying credentials from institutions across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and beyond. If an applicant attended school outside the United States, we coordinate directly with the institution to obtain the information needed — so you get a complete picture regardless of where they studied.

How long does education verification take?

Verifications run through the National Student Clearinghouse return most results same day but can take 1–3 business days. Verifications that require direct contact with an institution can also come back same day but may take up to 1–3 business days depending on the school’s records office response time.

What if the school no longer exists or has closed?

When a school closes, its records are typically transferred to a state archive, a successor institution, or a third-party custodian. Research Services locates the appropriate records holder and submits the verification request through the correct channel. This process takes longer than a standard verification but is almost always resolvable.

Do you verify international degrees?

Yes. We verify credentials from institutions outside the United States by contacting the school directly. Requirements vary by country and institution — some schools require a copy of the diploma or official mark sheets from the applicant, and certain institutions charge higher request fees than domestic verifications. We coordinate those requirements on your behalf and keep you updated on turnaround.

Will you find out if a candidate didn’t finish their degree?

Yes. If a candidate lists a degree they did not complete, the verification will return the actual dates of attendance and confirm that no degree was conferred. This is one of the most common discrepancies we find—candidates who attended school but did not graduate listing themselves as degree holders.

Does education verification include GPA?

Not by default. Standard education verification confirms degree type, major, graduation date, and dates of attendance. GPA is generally not reported unless the candidate provides an official transcript directly. If GPA is a requirement for a specific role, we can note that in the request.

What happens if the education verification fails or returns a discrepancy?

We report exactly what the institution confirms on record — no more, no less. If the information doesn’t match what the candidate provided, you receive a clear discrepancy notation in the report. A common example: a candidate lists a high school diploma but actually completed adult education or received a GED. In those cases, rather than returning a flat discrepancy, we can reach out to you or the applicant directly — whichever you prefer — to clarify which institution issued the credential and verify from there.

Education Verification