Are college degrees public or private record?

January 28, 2009 4:21 PM

Are college diplomas public record? Are transcripts the only method of proof of college work completed? Don't some web sites have a listing of names of the graduates of that year?

I've had employers ask me to bring them the physical degree and also other schools ask for transcripts. But, if I want to find proof of somebody's college education, where could I find it without those things or somebody find that one me?

posted by ilovehistory to education (7 comments total)

You can call the college and request a "degree verification." This is a service that every college and university will provide.
posted by jayder at 4:29 PM on January 28

Usually it's the registrar's office that does this.
posted by jayder at 4:29 PM on January 28

Some schools have degree verification online, but I don't think it's that common. The University of Texas does, for example (not that I checked it regularly waiting for mine to show up after I graduated or anything).
posted by fructose at 4:31 PM on January 28

Just FYI, some schools charge to verify degrees. The University of California system, for example, charged me a small fee (I believe it was $11) a few years ago when I had to verify that a job applicant had graduated from one of their schools.
posted by decathecting at 6:48 PM on January 28

When I checked my alma mater out of curiosity they pointed me at the National Student Clearinghouse. I haven't signed up but it looks like a free service with many upsells which aggregates queries to many colleges and universities.
posted by abulafa at 6:51 PM on January 28

Some schools have degree verification online, but I don't think it's that common. The University of Texas does, for example (not that I checked it regularly waiting for mine to show up after I graduated or anything).

Yes, however (at least at Texas) students who have had access to their records "restricted" will not show up in online records such as the one at UT, so they can't always be relied upon for definitive proof.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 8:28 PM on January 28

I have verified the college degrees of potential employees by calling the Registrar's office at their alma mater. It is a simple process.
posted by meremere at 9:09 AM on January 29