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The Current State of ID Verification in Education

Since the shift to remote learning, schools, universities, and online learning platforms have been facing new challenges—most notably fake enrollments and exam cheating. Ghost students drain funding intended for real learners, while impersonation during tests undermines academic integrity. Even in traditional classrooms, absenteeism among both students and teachers has long been a concern.

To address these issues, more institutions are turning to advanced identity verification (IDV) technologies to ensure students are exactly who they claim to be.

This article explores

how identity verification is applied in education⁠

, why it matters, and the privacy concerns it raises.

Why Identity Verification in Education Matters

At first glance, identity verification might not seem as critical in education as in finance or travel. But for institutions committed to protecting academic standards, ID checks are becoming increasingly important.

Key reasons:

Ghost Students Fraudsters create fake accounts using stolen or synthetic identities to access grants, scholarships, and resources without attending classes. These accounts can also gain unauthorized access to institutional systems.

In 2024, Los Angeles Times reported that California colleges detected over 1.2 million fraudulent student applications, including 223,000 fake enrollments at community colleges.

To combat this, first-time federal student aid applicants are now required to present a valid government-issued photo ID in person or via live video.

Cheating by Impersonation Online learning has made exam impersonation easier. Many “how to beat online exams” guides openly promote it.

To prevent this, universities often require students to show a photo ID to their webcam and take a selfie before an exam begins, ensuring the face matches the student on record.

Absenteeism Attendance directly affects funding and salaries in some school systems. Proxy attendance—where someone else answers roll call—has long been an issue.

Biometric attendance, such as facial recognition, makes it nearly impossible to fake presence. In Uttar Pradesh, India, facial recognition in residential schools significantly improved attendance for both students and teachers.

ID Verification in Offline Education

The most common offline use of IDV in education is biometric attendance systems. Instead of roll calls or ID card swipes, facial recognition cameras verify identity in seconds.

Early Adoption – In 1997, Eagan High School in Minnesota used fingerprint readers for library book checkouts—an early foray into biometric systems.

Mass Adoption in South Asia – In India’s Telangana state, a facial recognition app now requires students and teachers to take an in-class selfie to mark attendance. The app compares images to stored profiles and flags absentees.

Regulatory Pushback in Europe – GDPR restrictions have blocked many such systems in EU schools. In Sweden, a school was fined €20,000 for using facial recognition to track attendance, as regulators deemed it a disproportionate privacy intrusion.

Other offline uses: In 2021, North Ayrshire Council in Scotland trialed facial recognition in cafeterias for cashless lunch payments, scanning over 2,500 students. The project was halted after privacy concerns from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

ID Verification in Online Education

Remote learning requires robust IDV at enrollment, during classes, and especially for online exams.

Enrollment Verification – Platforms like Coursera require learners to submit an image of a government ID along with a selfie to confirm authenticity before issuing certificates.

Exam Proctoring – Systems like Pearson VUE (partnered with Regula) check ID authenticity and match faces in real time. Remote proctoring may include:

Showing ID to the webcam

Taking a live selfie

Continuous monitoring to ensure the same person remains present

Countering Deepfake Threats

Deepfakes could be used to trick facial recognition systems. To counter this, advanced solutions like

Regula Face SDK⁠

employ:

Active liveness detection – User performs prompts like blinking or head turns.

Passive liveness detection – Detects natural facial cues (skin texture, micro-movements) to confirm a live person.

Balancing Security and Privacy

While IDV improves security and integrity, it must be implemented in compliance with local privacy laws—particularly when dealing with minors. Overly invasive surveillance, especially continuous facial monitoring, can create legal and ethical concerns.

How Regula Supports Education IDV

Regula provides integrated solutions for secure, compliant identity verification:

⁠

Regula Document Reader SDK⁠

– Authenticates documents in both online and offline scenarios.

Regula Face SDK – Performs instant facial recognition, liveness checks, and prevents presentation attacks (e.g., photos, video replays, masks).

These tools integrate with web or mobile applications to streamline enrollment, attendance tracking, and exam security—without compromising compliance.

Bottom Line

Identity verification in education is moving from a niche practice to a standard requirement. By combining document authentication, biometric verification, and privacy-conscious design, institutions can safeguard integrity, protect resources, and ensure that every student is exactly who they say they are.

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