New Criminal Background Check Service Provider for 2023-2024 CASPA Cycle

The PAEA Admissions Team is pleased to announce that we have engaged Certiphi Screening as our new Criminal Background Check (CBC) service provider for the 2023/24 CASPA cycle.   

Certiphi Screening is already doing similar work for other health-related organizations and successfully implements and provides ongoing administration of centralized student CBC programs for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC/AMCAS); the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP/PharmCAS and PharmGrad); the American Dental Education Association (ADEA/AADSAS, PASS, CAAPID, and DHCAS); the American Physical Therapist Association (APTA/PTCAS); the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO/OptomCAS); the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC/VMCAS); and the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM/AACOMAS).

Certiphi also manages background checks, drug testing, and immunization tracking programs for individual schools. 

PAEA is aware that many programs may be in the middle of multi-year contracts with our former partner CastleBranch or other CBC providers. PAEA’s engagement of Certiphi Screening does not prevent PA programs from continuing their individual relationships with other CBC providers and obtaining CBC services directly from those providers. However, beginning in the 2023/24 CASPA cycle, programs will only be able to initiate a CBC within the WebAdMIT platform through Certiphi. Programs that elect to use a CBC service provider other than Certiphi will need to initiate CBCs directly through the platform-specific to their service provider.   

Upon applicants being assigned the “offer accepted” status in WebAdMIT, they are automatically notified and prompted to visit the Application Station: Student Edition website to complete the necessary forms and authorize the background check. Payment is collected directly from the student via credit card or PayPal.

Once the background check is completed, the student has ten days to review the report securely online. During that time, the student can dispute any data in the report directly with Certiphi.

After the ten-day review, the report is released to the PA program and accessible in Certiphi’s client portal, myCertiphi.com.

PAEA has worked with Certiphi to create a base Criminal Background Package. The average cost of a criminal background check, for the applicant, is $75.

The Certiphi Background Check includes: 

• Social Security Number Validation and Verification 
• County Criminal Records Search 
• Statewide Criminal Records Search (where available) 
• Federal Criminal Records Search 
• National Criminal Database Search 
• National Sex Offender Registration Search 
• Office of Inspector General / Systems for Awards Management Excluded Parties List Search 
• Sanctions Screen 

PAEA, in conjunction with Certiphi and Liaison, will host a webinar to discuss how to use the platform and address any questions or concerns you may have. The date of the webinar, along with details for joining it, will be announced when all details are finalized.

If your program is interested in learning more, using, or already used Certiphi Screening to conduct CBCs at your institution, please contact CASPA@PAEAOnline.org and a member of the Admissions Team will connect with you with our Certiphi Representative. You can also contact Suzi Arant, National Sales Executive at Certiphi, directly via phone at 888.260.1370, ext. 2012 or by email sarant@certiphi.com.