Why Some Requests Take Longer

Approximately 75 percent of verification requests are immediately confirmed. Those that aren’t are sent to the schools for additional research and fall into a “pending” status. Some pending requests take longer than others. The Clearinghouse constantly works with schools to improve pending turnaround times. However, schools have limited resources and staffing varies by school, which can impact resolution time frames. The time it takes a school to research pending transactions has many contributing factors and can vary throughout the year.

Our data has shown that there are some request characteristics that can impact pending turnaround time, which include:

• Associates degrees, certificates, and other miscellaneous degree types take an average of 33 percent more time to resolve.
• Degrees issued within the last two years can take 15 percent longer to resolve.
• Historically, our data shows that the average turnaround time for pending requests has been longer at for-profit schools, particularly two-year for-profit institutions.
• Holidays can slow pending turnaround times. This is especially true for requests submitted around Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day, which can take nearly three times as long to resolve.

While several of the factors listed above may be out of your control, we think it’s helpful for you to understand the top reasons that impact resolution time. This information can help set your customer’s expectations as well as your own.