How to Verify Junior College Degrees

A junior college is a school that offers a variety of associate degrees and certification options for students. Many students complete their first two years of post-secondary education at a junior college and then transfer to a four-year university. Having a degree from a junior college is definitely beneficial to a job applicant. However, if you are a supervisor or a hiring manager, it is always important to verify an applicant's academic credentials before hiring that person. Fortunately, there are a few ways that you can verify junior college degrees.

Things You'll Need

• Applicant's full legal name, date of birth and social security number

Instructions

1. Contact the college to verify the degree. You will need to speak to someone in the registrar's office in order to verify the applicant's degree. Be sure to have the applicant's full legal name, date of birth and social security number available to give to the registrar or other office personnel.

2. Ask the applicant for an official college transcript. The applicant will need to contact the junior college himself for an official transcript, and he should have the school send the transcript directly to you. The official transcript should contain the registrar's signature, and the envelope should be sealed when you receive it. Do not accept a copy of the transcript from the applicant.

3. Use a degree verification company. A degree verification company can easily verify an applicant's academic credentials (see Resources). This particular type of company can save you an abundance of time and energy by doing the work for you. Please note that there is normally a fee involved for this type of service.

4. Speak to the applicant's previous employer. Perhaps you can verify the applicant's degree by simply speaking to her former supervisor--or speak to someone in the human resources department at the previous place of employment. If you choose to use this method, make sure you find out whether someone actually verified the applicant's degree. You need to be sure that the previous employer did not simply look at a photocopy of the applicant's transcript or diploma.

Tips & Warnings

• Always take the time to verify an applicant's college degree. It could cost you more time and money in the long run if you fail to do so.

• Please be aware that many people lie on their resume and job application about their credentials.

References

• Federal Trade Commission: Avoid Fake-Degree Burns by Researching Academic Credentials

Resources

• National Student Clearinghouse: Degree Verification & Enrollment Verification