Education Verification Turnaround Time

Verifying education is more predictable than an employment verification.

The normal turnaround time for education verifications is within 72 hours. There are, however, several circumstances that may cause delays.

Most notably is that the school is closed for seasonal (summer, winter, spring, fall) breaks or state and federal holiday.

The year in which the student graduated can also affect turnaround time. Older records might be in storage or the educational institution has since closed and/or consolidated records.

The level of the degree or diploma is also a factor. Generally speaking, colleges and universities respond quicker than a trade school or high school. Verifying a GED can cause the greatest challenge and the longest delays since the testing facility does not house the education records. In these cases, a verification request along with a check for the processing fee must be mailed to that state’s Department of Education or other governing body. Between the time it takes to receive the request, to the time it takes for them to process it, the delay can add on multiple days to the turnaround time.

Helpful Tip: Find out the name under which the applicant graduated. This will help speed up the turnaround time as educational institutions commonly look up the student’s records by full name and date of birth, as well as the graduation year, if known. Some educational institutions will also look up the records by social security number, but will only release the information if the full name matches the social security number they have on record.