Certifications and Verifications

Enrollment Certification

Stanford University has contracted with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to provide enrollment certification service to students free of charge. You will be able to generate and print an NSC enrollment certification directly from your computer. This is equivalent to an official Stanford enrollment certification. Stanford University will not fill out third party forms; students must obtain an enrollment certification and attach it to any forms.

The enrollment certification document can be used whenever enrollment certification or student status is required for scholarship purposes, medical coverage, loan deferments, car insurance, etc. For employment purposes see Degree Certification below. Due to the large number of requests, Stanford University does not provide individualized or personal requests. However, students may obtain a cover letter.  To obtain this letter to accompany the certification which explains Stanford's policy and can be attached to the certification submit a Service Request .

Stanford University certifies current or past enrollment. Stanford cannot certify enrollment for future quarters (even for the current academic year).

How do I use an Enrollment Certification?

An enrollment certification, also known as enrollment verification, contains information about your enrollment status at Stanford for each term. An enrollment certification:

• Provides confirmation of registration and enrollment

• Does NOT include individual course/grade/unit information, or GPA, or class rank

• Is provided at no charge when ordered on Axess via the Student Center tab (see How to request an official enrollment certification)

What does an Enrollment Certification show?

• Student name

• Enrollment history

  • Quarters enrolled

  • Start and end dates of each quarter

  • Status: less than 1/2; half-time; full-time

  • Expected graduation date

How does Stanford define enrollment status?

Note: Work necessary to complete units from previous quarters does not count toward the current quarter.

How often is the NSC enrollment data updated?

Stanford sends student enrollment information to the NSC at the beginning of each term.  Students should allow 1 to 2 weeks for the NSC to process data, whereby it will be available on your Enrollment Certification.  Additional enrollment information is sent throughout the remainder of the term.  If you recently made changes to your enrollment and would like an enrollment certification that reflects these changes, please allow time for the NSC information to be updated.

Degree Certification (For Employers)

Stanford University has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to act as its agent for purposes of degree verification. The NSC is able to verify degrees for only those students who have not placed a privacy block on their academic record. The student's name when enrolled and date of birth are required for identification purposes and degree verification. An eight digit Student ID number, if known, will help complete the research request faster. Contact the National Student Clearinghouse by phone or their web site for current degree verification information, instructions, and fees.

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) is a national agency that acts on Stanford's behalf to certify enrollment to most national lenders for student loan deferments. Our agreement with the NSC enables third parties to retrieve your enrollment information from the NSC directly, and should eliminate the need for you to submit an enrollment certification form each quarter. You can learn more about the National Student Clearinghouse on their web site. Contact the Student Services Center if your lender is unwilling or cannot use the services provided by the NSC.