Nine tells of a fake transcript, and the check that settles it

One invented transcript, marked

Everything on the script is invented. Cover the margin first: how many of the nine can you find?⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​⁠

None of these is proof, and each note is a reason to look harder.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​⁠

What the margin is asking

Who sent it? Notes 1, 2 and 9

The National Student Clearinghouse describes an official transcript as one sent directly from the school's records office, sealed or through a secure digital exchange. Once a student downloads it and emails it on, it is unofficial.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​⁠

A link in a covering note, or an address at the foot, leads to whoever wrote it. The US Federal Trade Commission warns employers not to stop checking an unfamiliar school because someone answers the phone or sends a letter: some diploma mills run their own "verification service".⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​⁠

Margin verdict: take the registrar's details from the college's own website (College Navigator lists US ones), never from the PDF or the email.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​⁠

Who issued it? Notes 3 and 4

Search the register for the country the college claims: the US Department of Education's DAPIP database for a US college, GOV.UK's check for a UK one. Anywhere else, use that country's own register or recognition body: see how foreign degrees get checked.

DAPIP also names a US college's accreditor. The FTC warns that fake degree programmes sometimes make up an accreditor, and advises checking that the Department of Education lists it.

Margin verdict: look the college up, on its register and the government warning lists, before you look at its grades.

Does it hold together? Notes 5 to 8

Test each claim against a source the candidate didn't write. The FTC lists degrees earned in a very short time among its warning signs, and the CV education check flags impossible dates.

College Navigator also lists each college's programmes: does this one teach nursing at all?

Notes 5 to 8 deserve a fair hearing: degree-completion and accelerated programmes are short by design, transferred credit can count as earned without being attempted, electives outside the major are normal, and a CV figure may be an honest major GPA.

Margin verdict: ask, then let the college's own copy settle it.

Overall mark: F, and not for any of the nine

Examiner's comment: neat layout, confident fonts, no evidence of having been issued.

Looks are the part anyone can copy, so a transcript with none of these tells proves nothing, and an honest copy can trip several.

So the F comes from outside the page: when you ask the college for its own copy and nothing arrives, because nothing was ever issued, or when no register has heard of the college, however official its copy looks.

The mark scheme: how to spot a fake college transcript for certain

No public register lists anyone's grades, so official transcript verification comes down to one move: the college, or the service it uses, sends its own copy straight to you.

A transcript is ordered by the candidate, or by you with their signed consent where the college's transcript service takes third-party orders: in the US, FERPA generally requires it, signed and dated. You place a Hedd or Clearinghouse degree check yourself, with consent where asked.

If it arrives digitally, or on paper

• A share link from the college's transcript service, or one the graduate creates on an official platform such as My eQuals, Parchment or Gradintel, which many UK universities use for a Higher Education Achievement Report. No HEAR or digital transcript? Ask the registrar for an official one.
• It opens on that platform's own website and nowhere else. If in doubt, run it through the verification trap check.
• An attached PDF counts only once its signature checks out: a signature-checking PDF reader should show the named institution signed it and nothing has changed since.
• A Parchment document ID can be looked up on Parchment's verification page.
• On paper, it comes in a sealed envelope from the registrar's office, sent to you, not handed on by the candidate. A transcript becomes unofficial once the student opens it.

Ask for the official copy: one request for every finalist

An examiner marks only scripts from the exam office: here, the registrar. Send everyone at the same stage the same words, so nobody feels singled out and nobody slips through.

"Thank you for sending your transcript. As with every candidate, we need an official copy sent to us directly by [college]. Please order one from the registrar or the transcript service the college uses, naming [organisation] as the recipient at [secure address or upload link].

For a UK degree, please also confirm in writing that you consent to a Hedd check. For a degree from Australia or New Zealand, a My eQuals share link will do instead. If there is a fee, we will cover it. If the college has closed or your record is on hold, tell us and we'll agree a route together."

Results: when the copy arrives, or doesn't

• Pass: it matches, and the college is on the register you checked for notes 3 and 4. Say thank you: sending a copy first was never the problem.
• Fail: the grades, dates or degree differ from the copy you were given. If the only gap is a later term or a corrected grade, ask; otherwise that is your answer. Keep a record and follow your own process for a fake.
• Fail: the college is on no official register for its country. Its copy settles nothing, so follow the same process.
• Deferred: the college has closed. In the US, the state agency that oversees or licenses colleges can say where its records went; Texas and Colorado hold some themselves. For a UK degree, ask the awarding body, which may not be where the student studied.
• Deferred: a hold on the record or a slow office abroad. Agree a route and a date.
• Incomplete: it never comes, and the reasons keep changing. Offer the official routes once more, in writing. Never accept a letter, link or phone number from the candidate in their place.

Sources

• National Student Clearinghouse: Faster Transcript Ordering: what makes a transcript official
• National Student Clearinghouse: Verifications
• US Federal Trade Commission: Avoid Fake-Degree Burns (also as a PDF): quickie degrees, "verification services"
• FTC: College Degree Scams: made-up accreditors
• US Department of Education: DAPIP: US institutions and their accreditors
• GOV.UK: Check if your university or college can award a degree: UK bodies, and who awards a degree
• NCES: College Navigator: each college's website and programmes
• US Department of Education: FERPA regulations: 34 CFR 99.30
• Parchment: How it works, Support FAQ, Document Delivery Verification and Digitary FAQ: signed PDFs
• Hedd: UK degree verification, with consent
• University of Montana: Transcripts and Verifications: sealed envelopes, opened copies
• Gradintel: Student FAQs and University of Warwick: HEAR for employers
• My eQuals: FAQs for employers and verifiers
• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Colorado Department of Higher Education: records of closed colleges

Also worth reading

• Fake transcripts get people hired. Here's how they get them fired

#FakeTranscripts #DegreeVerification #HiringChecks #HRTips