Commitment to Student Privacy

The Clearinghouse has maintained the confidentiality and privacy records covering more than 110 million students since its inception. We are scrupulous in our concern for student privacy and compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects students' privacy rights in their education records.

We require certification from all verification requestors that the student or alumnus has given permission for his/her academic information to be released. Requestors also agree not to re-release degree data to third parties (unless the requestor is a background screening firm releasing data to their employer client).

The Clearinghouse only releases directory information that confirms an individual's degrees and academic credentials. We do not confirm addresses or the accuracy of Social Security Numbers provided by requestors. To further ensure security and privacy, we maintain an audit trail of requestors' identities, including Internet Protocol Addresses (IP address), credit card numbers, and telephone numbers.