Identify whether your institution submits degree data to the National Student Clearinghouse and confirm submission frequency; Clearinghouse data depends on institutional reporting cycles, typically one to four times per year
Access the DegreeVerify service as a verifier by registering with the Clearinghouse and obtaining API or web service credentials for automated verification
Submit a verification request with the candidate's name, date of birth, and institution information; the Clearinghouse matches against its database and returns degree type, completion date, and institution name
Integrate the Clearinghouse response into your verification workflow; a successful match confirms the degree is on record, but a no-match does not necessarily mean the degree is fraudulent — data submission lag is common
For e-diploma verification via platforms like Parchment, request that the candidate share their digitally signed e-diploma; validate the digital signature and confirm the issuing institution's identity against the Clearinghouse or an equivalent authoritative registry
Known gotchas
National Student Clearinghouse data reflects what institutions have submitted and is subject to reporting lag; a recent graduate may not appear in the database for several months after completion
Clearinghouse verification confirms the degree is on record but does not verify the specific major or GPA unless the institution has opted into those data fields; over-reliance on match results without understanding data scope leads to false confidence
e-Diploma digital signatures are only as trustworthy as the issuing institution's key management; a compromised or expired issuer key means the digital signature still appears valid but the credential may be fraudulent
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp