With the rapid expansion of remote learning, schools, universities, and e-learning platforms are facing new challenges—fake enrollments, exam impersonation, and attendance fraud. These issues not only threaten academic integrity but also drain resources, distort performance metrics, and damage institutional credibility.
The current state of ID verification in education reflects a major transformation: what was once an optional security measure has become a standard practice. Educational institutions worldwide are now adopting advanced identity verification (IDV) technologies to ensure fairness, accountability, and compliance in both digital and traditional classrooms.
This article explores why student identity verification matters, how it’s implemented across education systems, the privacy concerns it raises, and how Regula helps make it all possible.
Why Student Identity Verification Matters
At first glance, verifying student identities may seem less critical than in banking or border control—but for education, it’s vital to maintain integrity and trust.
Ghost Students and Fake Enrollments
Fraudsters often use stolen or synthetic identities to enroll as “ghost students,” exploiting financial aid systems and diverting funds meant for real learners.
According to the Los Angeles Times, California colleges uncovered over 1.2 million fraudulent applications in 2024, including 223,000 fake enrollments at community colleges. In response, new U.S. federal rules now require financial aid applicants to present a valid government-issued ID, either in person or via live video verification.
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Cheating by Impersonation
As online testing expands, impersonation has become a popular cheating tactic. To prevent this, many universities now require students to show an ID to the webcam and capture a selfie before exams. The system then matches the live image to the student’s record, ensuring the right person takes the test.
Absenteeism and Attendance Fraud
Attendance impacts both academic outcomes and funding. “Proxy attendance”—when someone signs in for an absent student—has long been a problem.
Facial recognition systems are now automating attendance checks. In India’s Uttar Pradesh, such systems significantly improved attendance rates for both students and teachers.
Offline ID Verification in Education
Biometric attendance is transforming in-person classrooms. Instead of roll calls or swipe cards, students and staff can check in via facial or fingerprint recognition.
- Early example: In 1997, Eagan High School in Minnesota used fingerprint scanners for library checkouts.
- Today: Regions like Telangana in India use mobile apps that require classroom selfies, automatically verified through facial recognition.
However, adoption faces privacy hurdles. In Europe, regulators have blocked or fined schools for violating GDPR. For instance, a Swedish school was fined €20,000 for using facial recognition without valid consent. Similarly, schools in North Ayrshire, Scotland, had to shut down facial recognition-based lunch payment systems after privacy backlash.
Universities are also testing AI-powered monitoring systems that analyze attendance and attentiveness—raising ethical debates around constant surveillance and data protection.
Online ID Verification for Remote Learning
In e-learning, verifying that the person behind the screen is the actual student is essential for maintaining course credibility and certification value.
- Enrollment checks: Platforms like Coursera and Pearson VUE require ID photos and selfies. Pearson VUEpartners with Regula to automatically verify document authenticity and perform face matching.
- Certificate validation: Coursera mandates identity verification for certificate-eligible courses.
- Exam proctoring: Online exams typically include ID checks, selfies, and continuous webcam monitoring.
Yet, as deepfakes grow more realistic, these systems need reinforcement. That’s where liveness detection—which confirms that a real human is present—comes in.
How Regula Powers Identity Verification in Education
Regula enables secure, seamless identity verification for both physical and virtual learning environments.
- Regula Document Reader SDK verifies ID authenticity and supports both web and mobile applications.
- Regula Face SDK performs instant face matching, detects presentation attacks (photos, videos, masks), and ensures both active and passive liveness detection.
Together, these solutions streamline enrollment, secure online exams, and ensure accurate attendance—while maintaining compliance and respecting privacy.
Final Thoughts
Identity verification in education is now essential. From eliminating ghost students to safeguarding exam integrity, IDV ensures fairness, transparency, and trust in modern learning.
However, institutions must strike a careful balance between security and privacy. The goal is not surveillance, but authenticity.
With Regula’s trusted ID verification technologies, educational institutions can confidently embrace secure learning environments—preserving academic integrity without compromising personal freedom.
