Is
my transaction secure?
How do I obtain attendance dates for a degree I already verified?
I've gotten more information on the student, how do I resubmit my request?
The student claims another degree from the same school, can you verify that?
Is the Clearinghouse a "primary source" for education verifications?
Is the Clearinghouse approved for credentials verification by the Joint Commission?
Yes. All transactions meet international PCI (payment card industry) compliance standards for data security. In addition, the information that you enter is encrypted for your protection using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology provided by the VeriSign Secure Site Program. You can view our current certifications by clicking the TrustWave and Verisign logos at the bottom of the credit card page.
What
schools/vendors can I verify?
The lists of participating schools and professional certification vendors are located on www.degreeverify.org.
List of participating schools for degree and past attendance verifications
List of participating schools for current enrollment verifications
What
payment options are available?
Clearinghouse account holders have two payment options:
Monthly invoice: You will receive an invoice each month, subject to a minimum of $50*. Payment by check or credit card is due within 30 days of receipt of the invoice. Electronic payment via ACH (Automated Clearing House) is also available. Overdue payments will be assessed a late fee of five percent of the invoice amount or $10.00, whichever is greater.
Pre-authorized credit card payment: You can authorize the Clearinghouse to automatically charge your quarterly invoice payments to your credit card, ensuring uninterrupted access to Verification Services. There is no additional cost for this service, which you can initiate by submitting a credit card authorization form.
Opening a Clearinghouse account is recommended for organizations that perform frequent verifications. Users that have only an occasional need to verify academic credentials can purchase academic verifications online via credit card.
The Clearinghouse accepts these major credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
* The $50 minimum does not apply to accounts without activity.
Can
I use a debit card to pay for my verification?
Yes. Verifications can be purchased with a valid MasterCard or Visa debit card.
What
information is available through the Find Past Verifications tool?
Transaction History shows when each request was submitted and completed, the current status, and each verification's fee. If you have a Clearinghouse account, you can view all requests made by each individual user at your organization. Additionally, you can use the monthly transaction summaries to reconcile your credit card statement or monthly invoice.
What
is the cost to verify information?
See our Verification Services Pricing page.
Refunds are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. To request a refund, email degreeverify@studentclearinghouse.org. Please include your Verification Services transaction ID (located on your credit card receipt email).
Why
am I being charged sales tax?
Verification Services transactions are classified by state and local tax authorities as Information Services, which are subject to sales tax if the customer's billing address is in any of the following states: New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and West Virginia. If you are exempt from sales tax, you will NOT be charged sales tax for your order. In order to do so, you must complete a resale or tax exemption certificate and submit it to the Clearinghouse. Until your certificate has been reviewed and processed by the Clearinghouse, your transactions are still subject to sales tax.
If you are not located in one of the taxable states, you will not be asked to fill out a tax exemption certificate or be charged sales tax. However, if your billing address is in one of the taxable states, you will be charged sales tax. (Clearinghouse account holders will be charged sales tax if their billing contact's address is located in one of the six applicable states.)
To claim exemption from sales tax, you must update your account and complete a certification using Avalara (AvaTax). For more, read the Sales Tax Exemption topic.
How
does Verification Services work?
Schools participating in Verification Services provide the Clearinghouse with electronic copies of their historical degree and attendance records, as well as periodic updates. Employers and their agents request academic records at www.degreeverify.org, entering personal information about the subject of their search (e.g., subject's name, Social Security number, birth date, etc.). The Clearinghouse uses this information to find the exact subject in question and provide the requestor with an immediate verification of the subject's academic credentials.
How
do I use Verification Services?
Verifications can be obtained for a nominal fee at www.degreeverify.org via major credit card or a Clearinghouse account. Requestors can verify as many verifications as they want from as many institutions as they want in a single session.
If you are a registered or nonregistered credit card user, you will be required to agree to the Verification Services terms and conditions before placing a request. If you choose to create a personal profile, you can click Create an Account. If you like, you can opt to save your credit card information for future requests. To update your personal profile, click Account Management then the "Edit My Account" link (you can also select the "My Account" link at the top-right corner of the page). Unregistered users can proceed without creating an account.
The
school I want isn’t listed, what can I do?
Try the following steps:
Enter more specific information, such as the school's full name.
Use the "Advanced Search" option to enter a partial school name.
Many schools are similarly named. Use the location to narrow your search.
Review the participating school lists. If the school is not on this list, contact the school's registrar office for assistance.
To review the participating school lists:
Visit www.degreeverify.org.
Under "Check Participating Schools/Providers," select one
of the links: Current Enrollment,
Degrees/Past Attendance, or
Professional Certifications/Licenses.
Why
don't I always get an instant verification?
The record you requested may predate the school's electronic records, you may have entered incorrect information, or the applicant may have falsified his or her credentials. If Verification Services cannot instantly verify your degree or dates of attendance verification request, you will be asked to provide additional information (e.g., birth date, year or approximate year of degree, etc.) and your research request will be immediately sent to the school. Schools prioritize verification requests from the Clearinghouse. You will receive an email with the verification results. Remember, the more identifying information that you can provide about the subject and his or her academic achievements, the faster the school can track down the applicable records or confirm a case of credentials fraud.
What
is the status of my verification request?
To check the status of an outstanding verification request, you can log on to www.degreeverify.org (if you need assistance, please refer to our troubleshooting topic, Forgot User Name or Password). Select Find Past Verifications under the right menu, and complete the form to search for past transactions. If the status is "Pending — School Research," be assured that we are working with the school to obtain the verification as quickly as possible. The results will be sent to the email address you provided when you submitted your request. Older degree records may require additional research time in order to retrieve archived information.
If you are a guest (or unregistered) user, you can go to www.degreeverify.org and click the Verify Now! button to access the service. Select Find Past Verifications under the right menu and enter your email address and order ID or the transaction ID to locate the verification request.
How
do I obtain attendance dates for a degree I already verified?
First, log on to www.degreeverify.org
(if you need assistance, please refer to our troubleshooting topic, Forgot User
Name or Password). Click Find Past
Verifications under the right menu, and complete the form to search
for the transaction. If attendance information was provided as part of
the verification response, they will appear when you click the 
green arrow button. If the attendance dates were not provided, email the
transaction ID of your request along with the exact dates claimed by the
student to degreeverify@studentclearinghouse.org.
We will research your request with the school and email the results to
you.
I’ve
gotten more information on the student, how do I resubmit my request?
If your verification request has already been completed and the result was "Unable to Confirm," then you will need to resubmit your request, using the additional information on the student, as a new verification at www.degreeverify.org.
If your verification request is still in a "Pending" status, please email the additional information, along with the transaction ID, to degreeverify@studentclearinghouse.org. A Verification Services representative will review the information and determine the next course of action.
Can
I add my own tracking number to a verification request?
Yes. You can enter your own alphanumeric case or billing ID (which will
appear on your verification results) for your organization’s internal
tracking purposes in the “Your Reference
ID” box. This option is located under the "Who
Would You Like to Verify?" section of the Request a Verification
page. Account holders now have the ability to search for past verifications
using the Reference ID function.
Why
do I need to fax a copy of the student's consent?
In accordance with the Clearinghouse's service terms and conditions, you must obtain the student’s signed and dated consent before submitting an online verification. In some cases, schools will not research their records for the student’s information until they see the signed consent. As the school’s agent, the Clearinghouse may require you to fax a copy of the student’s consent to us. Upon receipt of our request, you must fax a copy of the signed consent to us within two (2) business days. If we do not receive the faxed consent from you within two business days, your request will be closed without verification.
If you need a generic consent form, click Find
Past Verifications under the right menu. Locate the request that
is currently in "Pending" status. Click the
green arrow button to expand the results of the transaction and select
the "consent form" link.
Why
do you have my degree information?
Verification Services is provided by the National Student Clearinghouse, a non-profit organization, which provides educational reporting, verification and other services to colleges and universities throughout the U.S. As the authorized legal representative of its participating educational schools, the Clearinghouse is considered a primary source for enrollment, degree, and attendance data and confirms this data on behalf of its participating schools to requestors without additions or changes.
Can
I verify the exact date of graduation?
It depends on how the school maintains the information. Many schools only maintain the month and year of the degree award date, particularly for older degree records. If your verification response only contains the month and year, then that is the format the school uses to maintain degree award dates and it should be considered complete information.
The
student claims another degree from the same school, can you verify that?
Yes. A requestor can verify degrees for more than one school when they
create a new verification request. On the Request a Verification page,
check the "Degree or School Certificate"
box and click the 
button to add an additional school.
You can also verify an additional degree after completing the original
request. When you get to the Verification Summary page, which shows the
results of the first degree verification request, select the "Request
Another Verification" link to verify another degree. You can
also email degreeverify@studentclearinghouse.org,
and we will research your request with the school and send you an update
via email.
Is
grade point average (GPA) provided?
No. Schools do not provide GPAs to the Clearinghouse.
Is
the Clearinghouse a "primary source" for education verifications?
Yes. As the authorized legal representative of its participating educational institutions, the Clearinghouse is considered a primary source for degree and enrollment data. This allows the Clearinghouse to supply student data to the U.S. Department of Education, state student loan guaranty agencies, and organizations performing verifications for professional licensing and credentialing. The Clearinghouse confirms the degree and enrollment records provided by schools to requestors without additions or changes. To comply with Department of Education requirements, the Clearinghouse is subject to an annual audit by an independent accounting firm, which it has never failed.
Is
the Clearinghouse governed by any federal regulations?
Clearinghouse services are designed to facilitate an institution’s compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), The Higher Education Act, and other applicable laws.
Is
the Clearinghouse approved for credential verifications by the Joint Commission?
Yes. The Joint Commission has approved the Clearinghouse to serve as an agent for colleges and universities participating in Verification Services, enabling them to use us as a primary source for academic credential verification.
Does
the National Committee For Quality Assurance (NCQA) accept verifications performed by an agent, like
the Clearinghouse?
You can verify credentials through an agent as outlined in CR 1: Credentialing Policies Standard to provide requested credentialing information. The Clearinghouse has a contractual relationship with each school that participates in Verification Services, appointing it as the school's agent for the purpose of verifying degree or enrollment information.
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