An unverifiable degree is not a fake degree. Most failed education checks come from a name change, a privacy block or a school that has not reported the record. Resolve those before you treat the check as a finding.
Short answer: "unable to verify" is not "fake"
A failed education check usually means a discrepancy such as a different program or different dates. Checkr notes that a failed check does not automatically disqualify a candidate.
Why degrees fail to verify
The National Student Clearinghouse lists several reasons. A FERPA privacy block stops the release unless the requester certifies the subject's signed consent. A financial or other school hold can freeze the record. The school may not have reported the degree. No record may exist. A request that does not exactly match goes to pending until the school responds.
A married name supplied instead of a maiden name is a named cause of pending verifications. Under FERPA, degrees, honors and dates of attendance can be designated directory information, but an opt-out made while enrolled stays in effect after the student leaves unless the student rescinds it. Education discrepancies in background checks covers how these show up on a report.
Foreign degrees add a step. A NACES member agency can evaluate a degree earned abroad.
Steps to resolve
- Confirm the exact name on the degree, including a maiden name.
- Confirm the program name and the graduation date.
- Get signed consent if a FERPA block is in play.
- Ask the candidate for a certified transcript.
- Contact the registrar directly when the clearinghouse cannot confirm.
- For a foreign degree, request a NACES evaluation.
- Check the school in the Department of Education accreditation database and the accreditor against CHEA's list.
Education verification is often the step that delays a report. How long a Verified First background check takes sets out the usual timeline before you treat a pending match as a problem.
The FTC says the applicant must show the credential came from a legitimate institution. Red flags include tuition per degree, degrees for work or life experience, degrees earned implausibly fast, an advanced degree without the prerequisite, names resembling known schools, and a foreign degree from a country the applicant never lived in. Some mills run verification services that send phony transcripts.
If you rescind based on the report: FCRA pre-adverse and adverse action
You need written disclosure and authorization before ordering the report. If the report leads to a rescind, send a pre-adverse notice with a copy of the report and the FCRA summary of rights. Then send an adverse action notice that names the reporting company, states that it did not make the decision, and explains dispute rights and the free report within 60 days.
Proceed, wait, or rescind
Wait when a school hold or a pending match is still open. Ask for the transcript. Rescind when the school confirms no record and the credential was a stated requirement.
Apply the same rule to every candidate regardless of protected traits, as the EEOC requires.
Tools such as AI Candidate Evaluation score every candidate on the same criteria, so a credential question gets a consistent review.