Background Checks
Background Check Says "Unverifiable Education": What It Means and What to Do
A background check returns "unverifiable" for an applicant's education more often than most hiring managers expect. It does not automatically mean fraud — but it does require action before you make a hiring decision. Here is what unverifiable education means, why it happens, and how to resolve it.
Key takeaway
"Unverifiable" means the background screening company could not confirm the credential through its normal channels — not that the degree is fake. Common causes include closed schools, foreign institutions, very old records, and schools that require direct contact. Before taking adverse action, give the candidate a chance to provide documentation.
What "unverifiable" means on a background check
When a background screening company marks education as "unverifiable," it means one of two things:
- They attempted to verify the credential through their standard process and hit a dead end
- The institution or record source did not respond within the screening window
This is different from a discrepancy (the credential doesn't match what was claimed) or a negative result (no record found at a valid institution). Unverifiable simply means the verification process could not complete — for reasons that may have nothing to do with the applicant.
Most consumer reporting agencies define unverifiable in their reports as: "Unable to confirm this information through available sources." It is a process limitation, not a verdict.
Five reasons education comes back unverifiable
1. The school has closed
Thousands of colleges have closed over the past 30 years. When a school closes, its records are transferred — sometimes to the state higher education authority, sometimes to a records custodian, sometimes to an acquiring institution. Background check companies may not have the forwarding contact on file, causing the request to fail.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) maintains a database of closed institutions and can point you to where records were transferred. The candidate's state higher education agency is usually the fastest path.
2. The institution is outside the US
Foreign universities often require direct contact in the local language, formal written requests, or may charge fees that standard background check workflows are not set up to handle. Many background screening companies have limited international verification capability, particularly for institutions in Asia, Africa, or Latin America.
For international degrees, you typically need a credential evaluation service (such as WES, ECE, or NACES member organizations) rather than a standard background check company. See our guide to verifying foreign degrees.
3. Records are very old
Degrees earned before digital records were common (generally pre-1990, sometimes pre-2000) may only exist in paper archives. Some institutions have incomplete or partially digitized historical records. When the graduation date is more than 30 years ago, unverifiable results are more common even at legitimate institutions.
4. The school does not participate in automated verification
The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) covers roughly 3,600 US institutions, representing the majority of enrolled students. But many smaller colleges, community colleges, trade schools, and religious institutions are not NSC participants. For these schools, verification requires direct contact — which some background check timelines do not accommodate.
5. Name, date, or degree mismatch causes rejection
If the applicant's name on the resume differs from their legal name at graduation (marriage, name change, or transliteration differences for international names), the NSC or registrar may reject the query rather than return a partial match. This is a process problem, not necessarily fraud.
What employers should do when education is unverifiable
The FCRA governs what you can and cannot do when a consumer report comes back with a derogatory or unclear result. Unverifiable education generally falls into a gray area — it is not automatically adverse information. Here is the correct sequence:
Ask the candidate for documentation
Request an official transcript, diploma, or degree verification letter directly from the applicant. For degrees from closed or foreign schools, a credential evaluation report from a NACES member organization is acceptable. Give a reasonable deadline — 5–10 business days is standard.
Check the institution's accreditation status
Use the Department of Education's accreditation database and the VerifyED diploma mill database to confirm whether the school is legitimate. An unverifiable result from a real, accredited institution is very different from one involving a diploma mill.
Contact the institution directly
If the candidate provides documentation but you want independent confirmation, contact the registrar's office directly by phone or formal written request. This works for schools not covered by the NSC and often resolves cases faster than routing through a screening company.
Document your individualized assessment
If the credential is genuinely required for the role and cannot be verified through any channel, document your hiring decision and the steps you took. This protects you in any future negligent hiring claim.
Follow FCRA adverse action if you decide not to hire
If you choose not to hire based partly on the unverifiable education result, you must follow the two-step FCRA adverse action process: pre-adverse action notice (with a copy of the report and Summary of Rights), then final adverse action after the waiting period (typically 5–7 business days). See our guide on education verification discrepancies and FCRA adverse action.
How to retrieve records from a closed school
When a school has closed, records are typically transferred to one of these places:
| Where to Check | What They Have | Contact Method |
|---|---|---|
| State higher education agency | Most closed in-state institutions; records custodian referrals | State DOE website |
| NCES College Navigator | Closed institution profiles with records transfer info | nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator |
| Acquiring institution | Records from merged or acquired schools (common in for-profit closures) | Registrar of acquiring school |
| National Student Clearinghouse | Some closed institution records where the school participated | studentclearinghouse.org |
| Accrediting agency | May have records or can refer to custodian | Regional accreditor website |
Note: For-profit college closures (ITT Tech, Corinthian Colleges, DeVry campus closures) often involved state-coordinated record transfers. The Department of Education maintains a specific guidance page for closed for-profit schools.
When unverifiable is actually a red flag
Most unverifiable results are process problems, not fraud. But some patterns are genuine red flags:
- The school name is not found in any accreditation database or NCES records
- The institution appears in the VerifyED diploma mill database
- The candidate cannot produce any documentation — no transcript, no diploma, no official communication from the school
- The claimed graduation date is very recent but the school has no online presence
- The school's address, website, or contact information is untraceable
- The candidate claims the school "doesn't release records" — this is sometimes true for old records, but legitimate schools have always released transcripts to the student
If the institution appears to be a diploma mill, the unverifiable result is not a process problem — it is the background check company correctly failing to find evidence of a legitimate credential. In that case, treat it as a negative result and follow the FCRA adverse action process.
For candidates: what to do if your education came back unverifiable
If you receive a pre-adverse action notice citing unverifiable education, you have a right to dispute the report and provide documentation. Act quickly — you typically have 5–7 business days before the employer can take final adverse action.
- Contact your school's registrar immediately and request an official transcript or degree verification letter, even if you attended years ago
- If your school closed, locate the records custodian through your state's higher education agency or NCES
- For name differences, provide documentation linking your current name to the name on your academic records (marriage certificate, court order)
- For international degrees, obtain a credential evaluation report from a NACES member organization such as WES or ECE
- Dispute the report with the consumer reporting agency (the background check company), providing copies of your documentation
The CRA must investigate your dispute within 30 days and correct the report if your documentation supports a verified result. Under FCRA Section 611, this is your right.
How to prevent unverifiable results proactively
Employers can reduce unverifiable outcomes by improving their verification process upfront:
- Collect official transcripts at the offer stage rather than relying solely on background check companies
- Use a verification tool (like VerifyED) to instantly check whether a school is accredited before running a full background check
- For international hires, require credential evaluation as part of the onboarding package rather than as a background check add-on
- Flag old graduation dates (pre-1990) early and build in additional verification time
- Use the National Student Clearinghouse DegreeVerify for candidates who consent — it covers most recent US graduates
Related guides
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