Prospects Hedd

Hedd provides a streamlined solution for employers, recruitment agencies, embassies, councils, university postgraduate admissions and HR teams to authenticate candidates' degree qualifications.

Hedd verifies academic credentials, including subject of study and degree classification, and confirms dates of attendance. The Hedd database states whether a university or college is a recognised degree-awarding body and includes records of institutional name changes and mergers.

Key benefits for Hedd partner institutions

Hedd is a global platform that connects employers and verification agencies with higher education institutions. We receive enquiries from over 147 countries, with agencies reaching out directly to universities and adding to the administrative workload of institutions throughout the UK.

When your university joins Hedd, all degree verification enquiries are routed through the system. The Hedd customer service team manage all communication with enquirers, alleviating the pressure on your teams.

This solution has proven invaluable to our partner institutions. For example, thanks to our partnership with the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) Hedd has facilitated the verification of more than 400,000 students returning from the UK to China, all without direct contact between institutions and CSCSE.

Hedd partner universities receive a range of significant benefits, including:

Free subscription: no cost to join Hedd as a partner institution
Revenue share: Hedd partner institutions receive a 25% revenue share on all enquiries submitted through Hedd
Dedicated support: a specialist customer service team manages all communication with third-party enquirers
Free partner-to-partner enquiries: Hedd partner institutions can access enquiries between partners at no additional cost
Automated verifications (optional): streamlined processes for degree verification, with the option for automation
Increased efficiency: a centralised system designed to reduce administrative burden and improve operational workflows
Comprehensive reporting and workload management: Hedd partner institutions gain access to the Hedd dashboard, offering efficient tracking, reporting and workload management tools

Since Hedd’s inception in 2011, we have rebated more than £2.2 million back to our partners as part of the revenue share agreement.

For more information on how your institution can join Hedd free of charge and take full advantage of these benefits, please contact your account manager David Males at david.males@jisc.ac.uk.

Key benefits for enquirers

Trusted and reliable
Hedd is the UK higher education’s official degree verification service. Trusted by more than 140 UK universities and the global background screening industry, we have completed more than 1.5 million verifications to date.

Efficient and centralised
Hedd provides a centralised platform to efficiently verify degree qualifications. Supported by an expert customer service team, we simplify the verification process, eliminating the need for multiple institutional contacts and ensuring rapid results.

Protected from fraud
Hedd ensures the qualifications candidates provide are authentic, helping protect your organisation from degree fraud.

How we’re combating degree fraud in the sector

Degree fraud is a significant and growing issue, involving fake universities, forged certificates, essay mills, and individuals misrepresenting their qualifications.

We have expanded our efforts to tackle degree fraud both domestically and internationally, safeguarding the reputation and integrity of UK higher education. Our key initiatives include:

Collaborating with regulatory and enforcement bodies to investigate fraudulent activity. This partnership has led to the identification of more than 400 bogus institutions and the closure of more than 80 of them
Integrating with HESA data and forming strategic partnerships with other data sources, further enhancing our ability to spot and prevent fraudulent degrees
Streamlining the verification process to help institutions and employers quickly detect fake qualifications
Raising awareness of degree fraud through informative content and marketing campaigns
Providing toolkits to enhance member efficiency and effectiveness
Hosting an annual qualification fraud awareness week, bringing together sector and industry partners to raise awareness and discuss best practices
Offering expert advice and guidance to higher education institutions, employers, student, and graduates
Attending key industry events to stay informed on the latest trends, share insights, build partnerships and deliver thought leadership around degree fraud