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As many as 75% of employers have caught job seekers lying on their resumes. Candidates often embellish their educational background to land better jobs. False reporting can cause serious harm to any business, both reputational and monetary.

Education background check services can help you protect your organization from dishonest and unqualified employees. We curated a list of the most reliable education verification providers using a rigorous selection process. Scroll down to discover the best educational background verifiers you can hire.

The Top Education Verification Services

How We Handpicked the Most Reliable Educational Background Check Services

We developed comprehensive criteria to select the most reliable education verification companies. Below, you can find out more about our selection process. 

Verifying Reputation and Track Record

We start our research process with an in-depth website check, evaluating the security, functionality, and overall experience. We click on every social button along the way to examine their web presence. We take notes of what companies advertise as their biggest strengths and later verify their accuracy by going through customer feedback from reputable third-party review sites, Google ratings and reviews, social media profiles, and other places. Only education background check companies with verified reviews and overall positive rank are considered for further evaluation. 

Verifying Compliance

Agencies that perform education verification for employment must respect the requirements outlined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) that protects student records. All of the companies featured on our list respect these requirements along with local laws and best practices.

While you can find education credentials on people search sites, this information is not equivalent to education verifications you can receive from FCRA-compliant consumer reporting agencies. You can use public records sites only for personal purposes, not to make hiring decisions.

Employers, on the other hand, must obtain candidates’ written consent to perform an education records background check and additional pre-employment verifications. Then, should you decide not to hire someone based on the results, you must follow the FCRA adverse action process. Your company of choice should make you aware of all the laws and requirements related to screening applicants and ensure the entire procedure is conducted in accordance with those rules. We, therefore, made sure that the companies we feature abide by all applicable legal requirements.

Service Evaluation

Most education background check providers are, in fact, FCRA-compliant employment background check companies or other consumer reporting agencies. Some of these firms offer a full suite of services and verifications for employers, lenders, and property owners, while others limit their offering to pre-employment screening. Education verifications are usually available as an add-on to pre-employment background checks. Some companies also include these verifications in their premium packages. These agencies typically offer the following services besides education verification services: 

• Identity verification
• SSN trace
• Address history
• Employment verification
• Professional license verification
• Reference checks
• Social media background checks
• Civil records check
• Criminal records searches (county, state, federal, national, international)
• Sex offender registry check
• Domestic watchlist search
• Global watchlist search
• Pre-employment drug screening
• Motor vehicle record checks
• Credit reports
• Healthcare sanction checks
• Military records verification
• International background screening
• Ongoing monitoring services

FCRA-compliant firms can also provide tenant screening services, including previous addresses, employment history, credit score, credit reports, eviction history, and other searches. 

Ease of Use and Quality

After reputation and compliance verification and detailed services evaluation, we continue to examine the education verification services companies that made it this far for their functionality, accuracy, and overall quality. 

We interview companies’ long-year clients, asking them if they have experienced any irregularities and mistakes in the reports and how often. Is it easy to navigate through the client portal and order background checks and other verifications they need? Are the reports easy to process and do they provide valuable insights? We additionally ask for sample reports to see for ourselves. 

We also present ourselves as prospective clients and ask companies multiple questions about their academic background check research process and practices. Do they verify the candidate’s identity with an SSN trace and by searching all names and aliases? Do they go beyond three attempts when verifying educational credentials and professional licenses, and if they do so, do they disclose that? Many subpar companies conduct three attempts for education and employment verifications, marking “no data available” if no one responds. This means that data might be available but you’ll receive an incomplete education history background check because of a lack of effort or transparency. 

We filled our list with trustworthy companies with access to reliable and up-to-date databases to verify education-related information like schools, attendance dates, degrees, diplomas, and certifications. These FCRA-compliant agencies can confirm the accreditation of each educational institution and recognize sneaky diploma mills. 

Speed

Typically, education verifications are delivered within 72 hours, for domestic search. That said, factors like seasonal school closures, federal holidays, older records that need to be obtained from educational institutions that went out of business, level of the degree or diploma, international verifications, and other circumstances can slow down the process. Additionally, International educational verification usually takes between five and 10 business days. 

Customer Service

Consumer reporting agencies are usually reachable via phone, email, and in some cases, live chat. We contact them via all possible channels to ensure they provide prompt and high-quality support. We intentionally ask multiple questions to see if their representatives are knowledgeable, attentive, and willing to offer personalized solutions. Excellent customer support is a critical factor in our selection process. Every company on our list has earned its spot by proving they care about both existing and prospective clients. 

Pricing

Education verification services are available as an add-on to employment background checks. If you need an entire employment screening program, many top companies will allow you to create a custom package where you can add all the verifications you need and possibly receive a discount for the bundle. Many background check companies are also willing to lower their prices if you commit to ordering a certain number of checks per year.

The cost of these services goes from $7 to $20 per single school/institution, plus any fees that may apply. The education verification clearinghouse fees range between $0 and $20. Note that if you need verifications from multiple schools and institutions, you must pay separately for each. Given that 85% of job seekers lie on their resumes, spending a few more dollars on a more comprehensive background check and overall screening is better than losing thousands of dollars because of an unqualified employee.

How to Choose the Best Education Verification Services Provider for Your Organization

Any company that has passed our rigorous selection process can deliver reliable education verifications, but which one is the most fitting for your business and budget? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to recognize the real deal.

Define Your Needs

Since these services are most often sold as add-ons to employment background checks, look at the bigger picture. How many background checks per year do you need? Do you want to create a personalized background checking program, or are you better off ordering pre-made bundles? Do you need basic or more comprehensive background screening? Are you operating in a highly-regulated industry that requires advanced screening? Outline your education background check and overall screening needs and non-negotiables before discussing offers with potential companies. 

Compare Packages and Services to Find the Best Overall Deal

Most companies in this sector have pre-made packages along with add-ons, leaving room for personalization. If you need a higher volume of background checks, most firms can help you create a custom screening program and automate your workflows. 

Compare offers before making the final decision. Are the vendors willing to go the extra mile to confirm educational credentials? Do they have access to reliable databases and can they recognize diploma mills? Some packages might seem a better deal because they include the most services and verifications at a discounted price, but do you need all of them? For some employers, a high school education background check is enough. The best deal is the one that pairs the best value with everything you need.

Select the Best Overall Value Within Your Budget

Once you understand the costs of background screening and education verification, you can set a realistic budget. Review your top choices and ultimately choose the one company that provides the highest value for your business.

Bonus Tips on How to Spot a Fake Degree on a Resume

A fake degree, diploma, or certificate isn’t necessarily immediately apparent during an education background check, but some signs indicate false reporting. Here are the red flags you should be aware of when reviewing someone’s academic history: 

• Degrees earned over suspiciously short periods

Students need at least three to four years to earn a Bachelor’s degree, while Master’s studies can take one to two years. A Ph.D. meanwhile takes four or more years to complete. If a candidate lists multiple degrees earned over a short period or during the same years, don’t take their word for it. Use reputable education verification services to verify that is indeed so. 

• Degrees listed in the wrong order

A person that has reached certain educational levels would know in which order those achievements took place. When listing education credentials, a high school diploma/GED should come first, followed by an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree and Master’s or Doctoral degree. If an applicant has provided this information in the wrong order, it’s wise to take a closer look or have an education background check company do it for you.

• Names similar to those of prestigious schools and educational institutions

To make their fake educational claims more convincing, applicants often use names similar to well-known educational institutions. While some universities indeed have similar names, it’s better to conduct further investigations to verify the claims.

• Degrees earned at institutions far away from the applicant’s location

An applicant might claim they earned a degree in a state or city far away from the geographical locations where they are born or live and work. You want to check if the listed institutions are accredited or diploma mills.

Education Background Check FAQs

Why should employers verify education?

The main reasons why you should verify the education of your prospective employees include: 

• Identify qualified applicants
• Avoid negligent hiring lawsuits
• Identify diploma mills 
• Verify an applicant has the required certifications, degrees, and licenses for the job
• Make confident hiring decisions based on verified data.

How do background checks verify education?

First, the employer needs to obtain basic information from the applicant, including the full name they graduated under, name and address of the educational institution, dates of attendance, title and field of the degree, and written permission for background screening. From here, employers can choose the DIY route, which is more time-consuming and less reliable. 

Most employers rely on third-party education verification services to confirm the educational credentials sans the hassle. These companies have access to multiple databases and use the listed educational institutions and the National Student Clearinghouse to provide quick and accurate verifications.

How is international education verified?

Employers receiving claims of degrees earned abroad should be extra careful, as many candidates use it as a way to embellish their educational background falsely. The international education verification process is the same as domestic education verifications but you have to ensure you hire a company that has access to reliable foreign databases. International credentials typically require more time and effort to verify, making these services more expensive.

What does an education background check show? 

An education background check includes information on whether a candidate attended the educational institutions they claimed in the application, proof of degrees, diplomas, certificates, and dates of attendance. In some instances, employers can also request to see GPA and honors earned. Professional license verification is a separate process that isn’t included in education background checks. 

Do background checks show GPA?

The grad point average is not disclosed in a standard and education background check for employment or otherwise. For positions where GPA is necessary, like higher education teaching jobs, candidates are usually asked to submit a transcript or give legal permission to companies to contact their universities. 

How far back do education background checks go?

While criminal background screening companies can report most criminal records for seven years, the FCRA doesn’t have any time restrictions regarding educational verifications. The education background check can go as far back as needed to confirm accreditations and accuracy.