Verifying school information is a mandatory step before every advising session, and also the step most often skipped because the advisor assumes they already know it well.
The problem is that information about a school changes constantly: tuition is adjusted yearly, entry requirements are revised, programs are discontinued, and accreditation status can change. Information that was correct eighteen months ago may be wrong now.
This guide sets out the order of sources to use, the seven items that need verifying, and how to organize the process so that checking does not take too much time.
Order of sources by reliability
Not every source carries the same weight, and the order below should be followed.
Tier-one source: the education regulator of the host country. This is the only source with authority over the legal status and accreditation of an institution.
Tier-two source: the institution’s official website. Reliable for programs, tuition and entry requirements, provided you are on the correct page for international learners and the correct academic year.
Tier-three source: direct contact with the institution’s relevant department. Necessary for content not available on the website, and should be kept on record in writing.
Tier-four source: materials the institution provides to partners. Often more detailed than public information, but the issue date needs to be checked.
Sources that should not be used as a basis for advising: forum content, information from other intermediaries, and compiled tables without a stated source.
The overarching rule: every figure used in advising must be traceable to a tier-one or tier-two source.
Seven items to verify
One: legal status and accreditation. Whether the institution is recognized by the host country’s regulator, and whether degrees it issues are recognized. This is the most important item and also the one where a mistake has the most serious consequences.
Two: whether the program is still admitting students. Many programs have been discontinued or suspended for admissions while the old information remains online.
Three: entry requirements for the academic year being advised on. Including secondary requirements that are easy to overlook.
Four: tuition and other mandatory fees, along with the year it applies to. What is not included needs to be clearly stated.
Five: application deadlines and related milestones, specific to the intake the learner is targeting.
Six: language of instruction and language requirements, broken down by skill if applicable.
Seven: conditions related to post-graduation outcomes, if the learner is interested. This falls under the authority of the government agency, not the institution, so it must be checked at the corresponding official source.
Of the seven items above, the first and the seventh must be verified at a tier-one source; no other source is acceptable.
Verifying school information in seven steps
The process below takes about thirty minutes for a school not previously worked with, and about ten minutes for one that already has a record.
Step one: check legal status at the regulator. Save a screenshot along with the date checked.
Step two: open the official website and identify the correct section for international learners. Many schools have different information for domestic and international learners.
Step three: identify the academic year of every piece of information being viewed. If the page does not state it clearly, that is a sign direct contact is needed.
Step four: record the seven items above into a standard form.
Step five: send a confirmation email for anything unclear, and wait for a written response before using it in advising.
Step six: cross-check against the information currently in internal records. If there is a discrepancy, update the internal records immediately.
Step seven: record the date checked and who checked it.
This final step determines the value of the entire process. A record of information without a check date leaves no one knowing whether it is still valid.
Recheck frequency
Not every item needs to be checked at the same frequency.
Legal status and accreditation: check at least once a year, and immediately whenever there is any unusual sign.
Tuition and entry requirements: check at the start of every admissions season, since these two items change most frequently.
Application deadlines: check before every intake.
Program list: check every six months.
Beyond the regular schedule, a recheck is needed immediately in three situations: the institution changes its contact person, unusual information comes from any source, or an application is rejected for a reason related to entry requirements.
The third situation is the clearest signal that the information in use has become outdated.
Warning signs
Certain signs should make an advisor stop and check more carefully before recommending an institution.
Cannot be found at the regulator, or the information found does not match what the institution publishes.
No clear physical address, or the address does not match the scale claimed.
Unusually low entry requirements compared with equivalent institutions in the same system.
Time pressure. Reminders that spots are about to run out or that an offer is about to expire are a pressure tactic, not information.
Cannot provide documentation in writing for content already discussed.
This last sign is the most reliable in practice. An institution operating in good faith always has official documentation available and has no hesitation providing it.
Organizing the information record
Verification only has value if the results are kept on record and shared.
One record per institution, containing the seven items above along with the date checked.
Save a copy of the source, not just the link, since content on a page can change.
Store it where the whole team can access it, not on a personal computer.
Flag items whose check has expired, so the advisor knows to recheck before using them.
Keep a record of written correspondence with the institution, as this serves as evidence in case of a dispute over information provided.
This way of organizing turns verification from a task repeated by each individual into a shared asset of the organization.
When cross-referencing degree and academic-result recognition across systems, the The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the reference worth citing.
framework applies. With comparative data on the education systems of different countries, the data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) helps place information about a specific institution into broader context.
Summary
Every figure used in advising must be traceable to a tier-one source, the host country’s education regulator, or a tier-two source, the institution’s official website, and no other source should be accepted as a basis.
The seven items to verify are legal status, whether the program is still admitting students, entry requirements, cost, timeline milestones, language requirements and post-graduation conditions, of which the first and seventh must be checked at a tier-one source.
Recording the check date and who performed the check determines the value of the entire process, because a record without a date leaves no one knowing whether it is still valid.
Next Steps
Choose the three partner institutions your school refers most often and run the seven-step process for each.
If you find any content that diverges from the documents currently in use, that is a signal to review your entire information record, not just the three cases you checked.
