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Is your job applicant being honest about his/her educational background? One of the most important elements of education verification is accreditation. Accreditation is a standing granted to an educational institution or program that meets or exceeds stated criteria of educational quality. Voluntarily sought by institutions and programs, accreditation is awarded by non-governmental bodies. Accreditation extends across state lines, assuring students, parents, employers and the public that a given school adheres to high quality standards based on the latest research and successful professional practice.

American universities are usually accredited at the regional level. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) recognizes the following regional accrediting bodies for colleges and universities in the United States:

   Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

   New England Association of Schools and Colleges

   North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

   Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges

   Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

   Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Institutes that do not have such accreditation can exist legally by meeting the state requirements, and are known as "state licensed" or "state approved" universities. The Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education Training Council (DETC) is also authorized to grant accreditation status.

Most professional bodies and states will only allow licenses to practice a profession to those holding qualifications from universities that are accredited by recognized accrediting bodies. This is due to the existence of unrecognized (by the US Department of Education) accrediting bodies and unaccredited institutions, which can give rise to misleading statements or even fraudulent activities.

One such fraudulent activity is providing a prospective employer with a fake degree from a diploma mill as a way to get around the pre-employment screening process. A diploma mill (or degree mill) is often defined as an illegal institution that grants phony degrees in exchange for money, without requiring any significant coursework or testing. With the advent of the Internet, diploma mills have become a severe problem for employers trying to accurately evaluate prospective employees.

Consequently, Inquest Pre Employment Screening takes verification one step further than most employee screening suppliers. After verifying the degree obtained by an applicant and the dates of attendance, Inquest also confirms the accreditation status of the institutions that we contact. This provides our pre employment screening clients with an assurance that their employees have truly completed a degree from a reputable institution.

Sample Education Verification Report with Accredited  Educational Institution:

  

School Name: SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY

Location: SAN JOSE,CA,USA

Phone: 4085551212

	APPLICANT REPORTED	SCHOOL REPORTED
	---------------------------	---------------------------
Start Date:	08/27/2000	08/27/2000
End Date:	06/15/2004	06/15/2004
Major:	BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION	BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Degree:	BS	BS
GPA:		UNAVAILABLE

Additional Information:

Information Provided By:	D WOODS
Title:	RECORDS

***This educational institution has been accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.***

Sample Education Verification Report with Non Accredited  Educational Institution:

WORLD UNIVERSITY COLLGE -  Completed