Background Screening

UNLV is dedicated to fostering a safe, secure, and supportive environment for its students, faculty, staff, visitors, and institutional resources. As part of this commitment, background screenings are conducted to help maintain the integrity, safety, and reliability of the university community. These screenings serve as a proactive measure to protect the university’s people, operations, and reputation while supporting informed hiring and appointment decisions.

UNLV's Background Screening Policies

Policy for Faculty
Policy for Classified Staff
Required Disclosure of Felony Charges and/or Felony Convictions

Disclaimers

  • Timing
    • Background screenings must be conducted prior to hire and may be conducted periodically during employment, as required.
  • Confidentiality
    • All background screening information will be handled with the utmost confidentiality and in compliance with applicable privacy laws. Background screenings will be processed through NSHE’s background screening vendor, aINSIGHT.
  • Transparency
    • All job postings must include notice of the background screening requirement.
    • When completing the Workday offer/contract questionnaire, the hiring authority or their designee must select the background screening clause.

What’s Included in a Background Screening

Background screening under the policies listed above includes:

  • NSHE Criminal History package, including National/County Criminal Felony & Misdemeanor and Federal Criminal
  • National Sex Offender Registration
  • Social Security Number (SSN) Trace
  • Credit Check (positions with centralized and primary responsibility for significant university resources)
    • Please check with your talent acquisition coordinator prior to initiating a credit check.

Who Must Complete a Background Screening

All New Employees

Background screenings are mandatory for all newly hired academic and administrative faculty, classified staff, post-doctoral scholars, and part-time instructors, including individuals returning to UNLV after any period of separation. 

Note: These policies recognize that certain departments may require additional background screening measures due to the specific nature and responsibilities of their positions. These enhanced requirements may apply to roles that involve professional licensing or regulatory compliance, such as those within University Police Services, the University Preschool, and the Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine. In such cases, departments must follow background screening protocols consistent with applicable industry standards and legal regulations.

Current Employees Transitioning to a New Position

All current employees transitioning to a new position through competitive recruitment or the search waiver process are required to complete a standard background screening if one has not been conducted within the past eighteen months, regardless of their classification. This also includes employees who obtain a part-time instructor (PTI) role.

Exceptions for Current Employees

Background screenings are not required for changes in duties of a current position, interim positions, and tenure track-promotion changes for academic faculty unless the new role or duties necessitate screenings, such as a credit check. These positions include, but may not be limited to:

  • Financial responsibility (e.g., handling money, financial records)
  • Access to sensitive information
  • Management of company assets

Background Screening Process

Pooled Jobs

Examples of pooled jobs include part-time instructors, letters of appointment, graduate assistants, temporary hourly, and student workers. Standard background screenings are required for all newly hired part-time instructors and may be required for other pooled jobs due to specific regulatory requirements for their position.

  1. If your department does not have a background screening account, set up your aINSIGHT account:
    1. Identify a department representative to initiate all background screenings for the department.
    2. Contact Recruitment to initiate the account setup process.
  2. Initiate background screening
    1. First-time users should attend HR’s background screening training and/or review the HR - Background Screening Tutorial to learn how to initiate the background screening.
    2. After the department representative obtains the client login credentials, they can initiate the background screening at aINSIGHT’S Client Login Page.
    3. If necessary for the job, initiate credit check in aINSIGHT during this step.
  3. Await applicant action
    1. Once the background screening has been initiated, the applicant will receive an email with a link to the applicant web form. The applicant must complete and submit the form with required information including their SSN and date of birth to proceed.
  4. Receive and process results
    1. Once the background screening is completed, the department representative will receive a notification email with the subject line “Report for Last Name, First Name”
    2. The department representative must forward the email to the Temporary Employment & HCM Support team.
    3. The Temporary Employment & HCM Support team will review the results.
  5. Receive notification from Temporary Employment & HCM Support
    1. The department will receive a notification of the results and next steps from the Temporary Employment & HCM Support team. See the Background Screening Results section for more details.

Process for Recruited Position Management Positions

Examples of position management positions include academic and administrative faculty, classified staff, and post-doctoral scholars.

  1. Primary recruiter must initiate background screening in Workday
    1. After a candidate accepts their offer letter in Workday, the primary recruiter moves the candidate to the "Pre-Employment Check" stage.  This action will automatically prompt a background screening in Workday.
    2. The primary recruiter initiates a background screening by selecting the appropriate background screening package.
    3. If a position requires a credit check in addition to the background screening, the department representative must inform the primary recruiters so that it may be initiated.
  2. Await applicant information
    1. Once the background screening has been initiated in Workday, the candidate will receive an email with a link to the Applicant Web Form. The candidate must complete and submit the form to proceed.
    2. Once the candidate has completed the required information, the background screening will begin immediately
  3. Receive and review results
    1. Once the background screening results are finalized, the primary recruiter will receive a notification confirming completion of the background screening
    2. The primary recruiter and the Business Partners will review the background screening results in Workday
  4. Receive notification from primary recruiters
    1. The primary recruiters will take action in Workday according to the results. See the Background Screening Results section for more details.

Processing Time

  • Background screening typically takes 4-7 business days to complete
  • Background screenings may take longer than typical if a background includes:
    1. International locations
    2. AKAs (alternative names a person may use or may have used in the past)
      1. UNLV receives three (3) free AKA screenings
      2. The price for additional AKA is $34, and it needs approval from the department before proceeding
    3. A candidate has lived in many different states
    4. California, New York, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas

Billing and Invoice

  • The cost for a standard background screening is $34.
  • The cost for a standard background screening plus a credit check is $38.50.
  • The hiring department is responsible for fees associated with background screenings and credit checks. The invoice will be sent to the contact person associated with the Cost Center.

Background Screening Results

Interpretations and Next Steps

Clear Result
  • The candidate meets the background screening requirements.
  • For position management positions, no action is required from the department.
  • For pooled jobs, the Temporary Employment & HCM Support team will advise the department of the candidate’s background screening result with instructions to initiate the hiring, change job, or add job process in Workday. The following language must be included in the comments: “Background screening is completed and clear. Tracking number: xxxxxxx”
Pre-Adverse Result
  • Potentially concerning information was found, and the employer is required by law (FCRA) to:
    • Notify the candidate of the findings
    • Provide a copy of the report
    • Allow the candidate time to dispute or correct the information
  • This does not mean the candidate is disqualified. It’s a required step before taking any action. If the result is “Pre-Adverse,” Human Resources will review and determine the next steps.
Adverse Result
  • After reviewing the background screening and giving the candidate a chance to respond during the pre-adverse stage, the employer has decided not to move forward due to findings in the report.

Who Can Review the Results

  • HR Business Partner
  • Temporary Employment & HCM Support
  • Talent Acquisition

Candidate Dispute Rights

Candidates have the ability to dispute the results of a background screening if the content is inaccurate. Candidates will receive a notification via email with instructions on completing this process. Disputes will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Note: Time constraints do apply.

Refer to the background screening policy for faculty and background screening policy for classified staff for more details.

Support

Background Screening Training

The Human Resources team offers training on background screening procedures. Upcoming training sessions can be found on the HR Training Calendar.

Additionally, the online course How to Initiate a Background Screening in aINSIGHT is available on demand.

Questions and More

For questions regarding background screenings for position management positions, please email UNLV HR Recruitment.

For questions regarding background screenings for pooled jobs, please email the Temporary Employment & HCM Support team.

For more information about the background screening policies, please visit UNLV’s Policies page.