Background Screening Solutions
Built for Higher Education

Trusted by
Career Colleges and Universities Nationwide

When it comes to screening students and staff, higher education institutions face unique demands like tight budgets, shifting enrollment strategies and the need for seamless, compliant processes. Shield Screening delivers fast, affordable and reliable background checks tailored specifically for the higher education environment. 

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We Understand the Challenges You Face 

From financial pressures to fragmented technology, colleges and career schools are often stuck using multiple systems or with unreliable vendors. Schools report rising costs, inconsistent communication and a lack of transparency from their current background screening providers. 
At Shield Screening, we’re changing that with solutions that can be seamlessly implemented across all departments.

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Why Higher Ed Institutions Choose Shield Screening

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All-in-One Platform Combine criminal background checks, drug screening, immunization tracking, and even fingerprinting, all in one place.

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Student-Pay, Hands-Off Setup Let us take the administrative burden off your team. Our vID technology simplify the student experience and keep them on track without tying up your staff. 

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Competitive Pricing Shield Screening offers some of the most competitive rates in the industry without sacrificing speed or service. We understand the budget pressures in higher education, which is why we offer the most competitive rates that never sacrifice quality or service.

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Dedicated Account Support You’ll always have a direct point of contact, not just a generic support inbox. Real service, from real people who understand your needs.

Types of Background Checks That Are Essential for Higher Education Institutions

Designed for Both Student & Staff Screening

Whether you’re verifying immunization records or conducting employment verifications on faculty hires, Shield Screening supports your institution with: 

  • Criminal Background Checks
  • Drug Screening
  • Immunization & Vaccine Record Tracking
  • Employment & Education Verifications
  • Fingerprinting Services
  • Compliance-Ready Reporting
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Customize your employment screening
Pay for the checks you need, skip the checks you don’t.

ID Verification

vID

Shield partners with Cerebrum to deliver a multi-layered biometric-based identity verification solution that provides a clear, verified foundation for background screenings.

SSN Trace

A social trace reveals the name(s), DOB and addresses associated with a submitted SSN. This product also indicates if the SSN appears on the SSA's death index registry. While the contents of an SSN trace do not appear in a report, we use this information as a pointer file to begin the first layer of a background investigation.

CBSV

This service verifies if the SSN holder’s name, date of birth, and SSN match SSA’s records. CBSV returns a match verification of “yes” or “no.” If records show that the SSN holder is deceased, CBSV returns a death indicator.

Fingerprinting

A fingerprint background check is a method of verifying an individual's identity and researching their criminal history by matching their fingerprints against criminal and civil databases, primarily the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). This process uses fingerprints collected via traditional ink or electronic "live scan" methods to search for a "rap sheet" of arrests, charges, and dispositions, along with other biographic information like name, date of birth, and residence. The check is used for employment, licensing, and other legal or personal reasons.

I-9

Hire with confidence and stay compliant. This essential service verifies both the identity and employment authorization for every new hire in the United States. It's not just a form; it's your assurance that your workforce is legally authorized to work, protecting your business from day one.

Driving & Transportation

Motor Vehicle Report

Query the state DMV repository to ensure the driver's license is current and valid. Get access to the date of issuance, status and restrictions, and available information about infractions and suspensions.

MVR Monitoring

Query the state DMV repository to ensure the driver's license is current and valid. Get access to the date of issuance, status and restrictions, and available information about infractions and suspensions.

Commercial Driver’s License Search (CDLIS)

This service provides known commercial driver's licenses and records. Includes confirmation of commercial status, expiration dates, restrictions and known previous licenses held.

FMCSA Clearinghouse

This service provides the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), State Driver Licensing Agencies (SDLAs), and State law enforcement personnel with real-time* information about drug and alcohol program violations involving commercial driver’s license (CDL) and commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders.

DOT Employment Verification

This service provides Department of Transportation (DOT) employment verification is a mandatory DOT background check on a driver prior to hiring. Verifies start date, end date, title, salary and re-hire eligibility.

PSP Report

This report provides crash and inspection history from the FMCSA records database. A PSP report includes a driver’s 5-year crash history and 3-year roadside inspection history. This includes all serious safety violations that are cited during an inspection. Conviction information is not included on the PSP report.

References & Verification Services

Employment Verification

Verify that your applicant's previous employment history was reported accurately. Includes the dates of employment, position held, rehire status, and salary (where available).

Professional References

Verification of an applicant's previous professional history. It can be tailored to address and identify key characteristics your organization supports, such as timeliness, creativity, completion of projects, and overall competencies.

Professional License Verification

Obtain validation of your applicant's certifications and credentials. Get access to hundreds of databases and organizations to prove that your applicant is licensed and certified to hold a position with your company.

Employee Credit Report

Get credit information on your candidates and evaluate their financial history to determine their ability to manage fiduciary responsibilities.

Personal Reference Report

Obtain insights into your applicants' integrity, character and essential traits to determine if they are a fit for your organization.

Education Verification

Verify an applicant's level of education, and cross-reference elements like dates of graduation, areas of study, and degree obtained (where available).

Social Media Screening

With just the right mix of software automation and experienced social media analysts, our social media search identifies a candidate's potentially problematic online activity and provides you with an FCRA-compliant report to use in your hiring decision.

Business Credit Report

This search provides business names including DBAs, Key Facts about the organization, Industry classification, corporate registration, corporate linkage, credit summary, banking, insurance, leasing, payment summary, collections summary, judgments, tax liens, bankruptcies, credit rating score, collections detail, inquiries, UCC detail, Corporate financial information & Industry benchmark report.

Credit Report

A name, date of birth and social security number-based retrieval of credit history for an applicant. Includes tax liens, collections, open accounts, accounts under bad debt collection, inquiries and date of birth confirmation. Restricted in many jurisdictions to applicants with specific fiduciary responsibilities.

Criminal Background Checks

National Criminal

Our system scours national, state, and county-level repositories to determine if an applicant has ever been charged with a felony, misdemeanor or major traffic citation. Includes sex offender registry searches and civil records, such as protective orders. Screen once upon hiring or regularly with ongoing monitoring to keep lawbreakers from infecting your company culture.

State Criminal Search

Misdemeanor and felony searches reported by state agencies, police, or the Bureau of Investigation. A name, date of birth and, where available, identity-based criminal record search for a selected state's bureau of investigation records. Includes all available, reportable records, including felonies, misdemeanors and serious traffic violations.

Sex & Violent Offender Search

Check your applicant's name, SSN, and date of birth against all state and nationwide sex offender repositories.

Federal Criminal Search

This search is essential to discovering convictions of federal crimes. These records are not filed at county or state courts. Because federal criminal records have limited identifiers on file, a name search is conducted first, followed by a more in-depth review of court files to obtain additional identifiers.

Continuous Monitoring

Provide real-time or regular, automated updates on an employee’s criminal records, driving violations, or license status post-hire. Unlike one-time pre-hire screenings, this approach reduces liability by alerting employers immediately to new arrests or convictions, enabling proactive risk management.

County Criminal Search

In-depth misdemeanor and felony search/most accurate up-to-the-minute data directly from county courthouse records. A name, date of birth and, where available, identity-based education verification for institutions located outside of the United States. Includes all available records for that institution's system.

Federal Civil

This service provides federal civil records indicating if actions were filed against an individual.

Drug, Alcohol &
Occupational Health Screenings

Drug & Alcohol Testing

Get access to a wide range of drug and alcohol testing services and seamlessly implement them into your recruiting process. Includes both high-level testing and in-office testing for all industries.

Health Screening Services

Occupational Health Services, BAT and Physicals.

Breath Alcohol Testing

A breath-based alcohol test for applicants in post-accident or suspicion-based testing – DOT and Non-DOT testing available.

Immunization & Vaccine Record Tracking

Manage and track employee immunization and vaccination records. This service simplifies compliance for health and safety mandates, providing a clear, centralized view of your workforce's status.

OIG Inspector General Sanction

Protect your organization from serious compliance risks. This search checks the Office of Inspector General's list to identify individuals and entities excluded from participating in federally funded healthcare programs. Hiring a sanctioned person can lead to significant penalties.

FACIS®

A check of over 800 sources from all 50 states for fraud and abuse within the healthcare field. Includes a list of disciplinary actions ranging from exclusions and debarments to letters of reprimand and probation. If an applicant is banned, the FACIS III® report will alert you.

Healthcare Exclusions Monitoring

Compliance is not a one-time check. This service provides continuous monitoring of federal and state exclusion lists to ensure your healthcare employees remain in good standing throughout their employment.

Worker’s Compensation Report

This service provides workers' compensation records for a selected state. Includes all available, reportable information, including filings, settlements, compensation, and representation.

International Searches

Global Watchlist

Database searching across thousands of sources, including terrorist watchlists, OFAC, DEA, ATF, Interpol, sanctions searches, etc.

International Criminal Search

Criminal search options are available in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Search options include either repository searches or direct searches of law enforcement agencies, government offices, and courts.

International Credit Report

An identity-based credit report for an applicant from a country outside of the United States. Includes all available records for that country's credit system.

International Employment Search

A name, date of birth and, where available, identity-based employment verification for institutions located outside of the United States. Includes all available records for that institution's system.

International Education Verification

A name, date of birth and, where available, identity-based education verification for institutions located outside of the United States. Includes all available records for that institution's system.

OFAC

This service can help confirm if a candidate is a potential threat to national security and if they are allowed to do business in the United States. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list of designated nationals and blocked persons is commonly referred to as the terrorist watch list. This check includes economic and trade sanctions based on US foreign policy primarily against countries and groups of individuals, such as terrorists, narcotics traffickers, recreating weapons of mass destruction or anyone who could threaten national security.

International MVR

Verify driving qualifications on a global scale. This search checks international motor vehicle records to confirm the status and validity of an applicant's driving license outside the United States. Screen international hires who will be driving for your business, have a clean record and meet your safety standards, no matter where they are from.
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See the Shield Difference for Yourself 

Whether you're currently using one system or a patchwork of providers, there’s a better way. Shield Screening brings modern tools, unmatched service and peace-of-mind to your campus. 

Let’s Talk.

Schedule a quick consultation to see how we can support your student and staff screening needs. 

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