How to Use the National Student Clearinghouse for Education Verification

Key takeaway

The Clearinghouse covers the majority of US colleges and universities and provides instant, primary-source degree verification at $14.95–$19.95 per check. It does not cover all high schools, community colleges, or international institutions. For anything outside its network, you'll need an alternative approach.

What is the National Student Clearinghouse?

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1993 and based in Herndon, Virginia. It serves as the primary repository of enrollment and degree data for US higher education institutions — about 3,600 colleges and universities report their data to the Clearinghouse, representing roughly 97% of US students enrolled in degree-granting institutions.

Schools report enrollment and degree data to the NSC as part of their normal administrative operations. The NSC then provides that data to authorized third parties — employers, background screening companies, lenders, and admissions offices — on demand.

It's not a background check service in the traditional sense. It verifies one specific thing: whether a specific degree was awarded by a specific institution to a specific person. It doesn't assess qualifications, evaluate accreditation, or flag diploma mills.

The three verification services

DegreeVerify

$14.95–$19.95 per check

Confirms that a specific degree was awarded by a participating college or university. Returns the degree type, major, and graduation date when a match is found. 75% of requests are confirmed instantly; the remaining 25% go into a pending queue for manual review by the institution (typically 1–3 business days).

Best for: Verifying bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees from US colleges and universities.

EnrollmentVerify

$4.95 per check

Confirms that a student is currently enrolled at a participating institution. Used primarily by lenders, insurance providers, and student discount programs that require proof of active enrollment.

Best for: Current enrollment confirmation, not degree verification.

DiplomaVerify

$19.95 per check

The only service offering immediate high school diploma verification. Coverage is more limited than DegreeVerify — only high school districts that participate in NSC's StudentTracker for High Schools program are included. You must sign a DiplomaVerify agreement and obtain written consent from the individual.

Best for: High school diploma verification where the district participates. If the district isn't listed, use direct registrar contact instead.

Note: School surcharges may apply on top of the base fee. Some schools charge an additional fee for verifications using their data. No charge is assessed if the Clearinghouse cannot confirm the credential.

How to run a verification: step by step

1

Go to nscverifications.org

The Clearinghouse's verification portal. Select the type of verification you need: Degrees & Attendance, Current Enrollment, or High School Diplomas.
2

Enter the individual's information

Required: full name and institution. Optional but recommended: degree title, major, graduation year, date of birth. The more information you provide, the higher the instant-verification rate.
3

Pay and submit

Pay by credit card. You're only charged if the credential is confirmed — no charge for unconfirmed results. High-volume requestors can set up a contract for volume pricing.
4

Review the result

A confirmed result shows degree type, major, and graduation date. A "not found" result means either the school doesn't participate, records weren't reported, or the credential is invalid — not necessarily fraud. Pending results typically resolve in 1–5 business days.
5

Follow up on unconfirmed results

Contact the institution's registrar directly using independently sourced contact information — not from the applicant's documents. Allow 3–5 business days.

Coverage gaps: where the Clearinghouse doesn't help

The NSC is the best single source for US college degrees, but it has meaningful coverage gaps worth knowing:

High school diplomas

DiplomaVerify only covers districts participating in StudentTracker for High Schools. Many districts — particularly smaller and rural ones — are not enrolled. For gaps, contact the district registrar directly or check the state education department database.

International institutions

The Clearinghouse only covers US institutions. For foreign credentials, use NACES-member evaluation agencies (WES, ECE) or contact the institution's registrar directly.

Historical records

Older records may not be digitized. The Clearinghouse's data depth varies by institution. Pre-1990 credentials often require direct registrar contact.

Diploma mills

The Clearinghouse doesn't flag diploma mills — it simply reports whether a specific school's data shows a degree. If a diploma mill isn't in the system (most aren't), you'll get a "not found" result, which doesn't tell you the school is fraudulent. This is why checking the institution first matters.

Professional certifications

The NSC verifies academic degrees, not professional licenses or certifications (CPA, bar admission, nursing licensure). Those require separate verification with the relevant licensing board.

When a "not found" result isn't fraud

A result of "not found" or "unable to verify" from the Clearinghouse means one of several things:

—The school doesn't participate in the Clearinghouse's verification services
—The degree was awarded before the school began reporting data electronically
—The applicant's name or other details were entered with slight discrepancies
—The school reported data with an error or omission
—The credential is fraudulent

"Not found" is a trigger for further investigation, not a conclusion. The next step is direct registrar contact using independently sourced contact information, not from the document being verified.

Combining the Clearinghouse with a school database check

The Clearinghouse verifies the credential. It doesn't verify the institution. A more complete workflow checks the school first:

1 Verify the institution in a school database (NCES, VerifyED, or country equivalent). Confirm the school exists and is not flagged as a diploma mill. If it fails here, stop.
2 Run the Clearinghouse check via nscverifications.org. A confirmed result is a strong positive signal.
3 If not confirmed, contact the registrar directly using the institution's contact info from step 1 — not from the applicant's documents.
4 For international credentials, bypass the Clearinghouse and use a NACES-member credential evaluation agency (WES, ECE, Josef Silny).

Check the institution before you check the credential

VerifyED searches 912,000+ schools from verified government sources and flags 2,592 known diploma mills — the first step in any verification workflow.

Search a school free