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Guide for employers and HR

Verify a candidate's degree, the right way

A certificate proves nothing on its own. Here is how to confirm a degree with the institution that awarded it, and how to avoid the traps that fake-degree sellers set for employers.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​⁠

1. Verify through the official channel

  • United States: most colleges confirm degrees through the National Student Clearinghouse. Others confirm through their registrar.
  • United Kingdom: HEDD (Higher Education Degree Datacheck) is the UK's official degree verification service.
  • Australia: many universities issue digital records through My eQuals. You can also contact the university directly.
  • Other countries: contact the registrar or examinations office, using contact details from the university's official website. The verification trap check lists official channels we know of, country by country.

Ask the candidate for written consent first. Many verification services and universities require it.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​⁠

2. Avoid fake verification services

Degree sellers know employers check. Some run their own "verification" websites, email addresses and phone lines that confirm the fake degrees they sell. To stay clear:

  • Never use a phone number, email or website printed on the certificate or supplied by the candidate.
  • Find the university's official website yourself, then use the contact details it gives.
  • Check that the verification website belongs to the university or a recognised service. The verification trap check does this for you.
  • Be wary of replies from free email accounts, or from domains that imitate a university's name.

3. Red flags in the education section of a CV

  • A degree completed in an impossibly short time, or before the institution existed
  • An institution that does not appear in the official register for its country
  • An accreditor that is not recognised by the relevant authority
  • An institution named on a government warning list
  • A degree title the institution does not award, or a level that does not match

The CV education check looks for these in seconds, and tells you how to verify the degree officially.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​⁠

4. Degrees from another country

For degrees awarded abroad, first confirm the degree with the awarding institution, then, if you need to know its level in your country, use a recognised credential evaluation service. An evaluation describes the level of a degree; it does not prove that the degree is genuine.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​⁠

"I authorise [employer name] and its appointed screening provider to contact the institutions I have listed, and their official verification services, to confirm my enrolment dates, the qualifications awarded and the dates of award. I confirm that the information I have provided is true and complete."

This is a starting point, not legal advice. Check your local data protection and employment rules.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​⁠

6. If you find a fake degree

Follow your own disciplinary and legal process, and keep a record of how you verified. In many countries, presenting a fake degree to get a job is a criminal offence. See what a fake degree can cost for laws and cases by country.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​⁠

©⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​⁠ 2026 Accredited University. All rights reserved.General information, not legal advice. Every fact links to its source.

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