UK ENIC’s Global Verification Partner
In October 2022, Qualification Check took on direct provision of verification services to universities and institutions, as UK ENIC’s (Ecctis’) verification partner, building on the QCAS product and our relationship of several years.
Qualification Check has been checking academic credentials since 2009. As global verifiers, we see thousands of verifications across every continent each month.
The Changing Face of Education
The international education sector changes every day and it is the role of our operation team to keep up with those changes. We work to build relationships with newly accredited institutions and universities as they are created, but also to understand when universities merge or evolve into different structures, when they change names or ownership. When they close we document where archives of graduate data are held and by whom.
Key to our success is improving the verification processes that reduce turn-around times. No-one enjoys waiting for a qualification to be verified or an application to study to be approved, so a quick response is always desirable. While some checks are wholly machine-processed and take seconds, others are manual processes that take longer. Improvements can involve building direct API links into a student record system, or can be as simple as understanding a university’s data issues. Qualification Check’s teams in Africa and India work to improve delivery in countries with less integrated technology.
Understanding the Data
The flip side of verification is non-verification and the many forms it can take. Qualification Check sees trends in non-verification and the reasons given by the university or institution in question. Reasons for non-verification vary. Those attempting to verify an invalid credential range from a wholly innocent student who has been the victim of a scam, through a legitimate graduate trying to ‘enhance’ their mark by one grade, to organised criminality on a large scale. Analysis can identify the countries presenting the greatest fraud risks in any given year.
The data can also show us the mobility routes of students around the globe. Analysis of verifications by nationality indicates the countries with the most prospective students, their verification rates and the most popular countries to which they migrate. External influences on the flow of students, such as covid, lockdowns, civil unrest and availability of visas can all be seen reflected in the data, all information that can be used to guide student recruitment activity.
As a team, we look forward to providing Ecctis customers with global verifications. If you would like a demonstration of our verification services, please contact Adam Rudd or Phil Dupont at [email protected] to book some time.
