You can combat fraudulent applications by requiring applicants complete a Stripe-powered identity verification process.

How it works

Send the applicant a link

Send applicants a link to the identity verification page at any point in their application.

When applicants agree to the Stripe terms, they’re directed to continue on a smartphone if they aren’t on a device with a camera. They don’t need to create a Stripe account.

Initiating a verification (selecting Agree and continue) charges your default account 2 Slate credits.

Applicants provide documents + a selfie

Stripe asks applicants to

• Take pictures of their identification document (driver license, photo ID, or passport)

• Provide part of their government ID number, like the last four digits of a Social Security Number

• Take a selfie

Stripe verifies

Stripe compares the card’s information (ID number, expiration, and so on) against government and 3rd-party databases. It also confirms the physical object’s legitimacy, and can verify hundreds of different document types from around the world. Identity verification validates identities for individuals age 16 or older.

The selfie portion compares the subject to the photo on the ID and can detect digital layering techniques.

📖 Learn more about Stripe Identity.

Results are on the record

Verification results are displayed immediately on the applicant’s profile tab.

Before you begin

Before you can start verifying applicant IDs, you must have Slate Credits in your account.

➡️ Purchase Slate Credits

Step 1: Configuring the application page

You can override the default page title and add custom instructions to the Identity Verification application page:

1. Go to Database → Application Editor.

2. Select Person Scoped Configuration.

3. Select verify.

4. Select General Settings.

5. Configure the following settings:

   • Custom Title: Enter a custom title. Defaults to Identity Verification.

   • Instructions: Enter custom instructions. Defaults to:

     • You have been requested to complete an identity verification process. This process will only take a few minutes and requires that you have access to a smartphone and your identity documents, such as a driver's license or passport.

6. Select Save.

Step 2: Creating the checklist item

To create a checklist item for the act of ID verification:

1. Go to Database → Checklists.

2. Select Insert.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Status: Active

   • Folder: Keep your checklist items organized by placing them in folders. Select Other to create a new folder.

   • Scope: Person/Application

   • Section: Select Other. In the text box, enter Identity Verification or similar.

   • Subject: Enter Identity Verification or similar.

   • Key: Enter id_verification or similar.

   • Type: Public

   • Optional: Required

   • Optional for Reading: Required for reading

     

4. Select Save.

📖 Checklist item settings

Step 3: Creating the checklist rules

We want to:

• Assign this checklist item to applicants, potentially based on some criteria

• Mark the checklist item as completed when the applicant has completed their verification

Assignment

To create the assignment rule:

1. Go to Database → Rules.

2. Select New Rule.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Filters: Create filters to target a subset of the applicant population, if required. To apply this checklist item to all applicants, do not create any filters.

   • Checklist: Select the Identity Verification checklist item you created in the previous section.

   • Action: Add New

4. Select Save.

📖 Add checklist items to an application

Fulfillment

To create the fulfillment rule:

1. Go to Database → Rules.

2. Select New Rule.

3. In the Filters section, select Subquery Filter.

4. Configure the following settings:

   • Name: Enter Verification exists or similar.

   • Type: Dependent subquery

   • Aggregate: Exists

   • Exports: Configure the following:

     1. Select Export.

     2. In the Direct Exports section, in the Verifications group, select Verified.

     3. Select Continue.
        

5. Select Save.

6. In the Action section, configure the following settings:

   • Checklist: Select the Identity Verification checklist item you created in the previous section.

   • Action: Mark Existing as Received

   • Force Update Status: Do not update checklist items with an existing (non-awaiting) status

7. Select Save.

Step 4: Copy the verification link

Now, we need to locate the link that takes applicants to the identity verification page in their application.

This link uses the following format:

https://YOUR-UNIVERSITY.edu/apply/verify?account=YOUR_SLATE_CREDIT_ACCOUNT_GUID

To get this link:

1. Go to any person record.

2. Select Profile.

3. Select Verifications.

4. Configure the following settings:

   • Mode: To test this feature, select Test, otherwise select Live.

   • Account: Default Account

   • Link: Copy this link.

Impersonating a verification

Here you’ll also find an Impersonate link. You can test the verification process for that particular record here.

📝 Initiating a verification in Live mode incurs a charge of two Slate credits.

Step 5: Deliver the link to the applicant  you want to verify

With the link to the verification page in hand, we’ll provide it to an applicant whose identity we want to verify.

You can place the link in:

• a Deliver mailing

• the applicant status portal

• a form

• a text message

The applicant experience

However you decide to communicate the link to the applicant, when they follow the link, they’ll arrive at your application login page.

Once they’ve logged in, they arrive at the verification page.

When they select Start Verification, they’re brought to the Stripe-powered identity verification tool. They do not need to create a Stripe account.

Multiple attempts

Applicants who fail the identity verification and require another chance should be instructed to contact the admissions office.

The failed verification can be deleted, and the student can start over. This will incur a second charge.

Step 6: Viewing and approving verification results

🔒 Viewing verification information requires the Identity Verification permission.

When the verification is complete, results appear on the applicant’s record in Profile → Verifications. These results are scoped to the person: applicants who re-apply retain their verification status.

Verification

The first section on this page is Verification, and includes the following fields:

• Created/Updated: Timestamps from when the verification was first initiated and last updated, respectively

• Verification: The status of the applicant’s verification according to Stripe. Statuses include:

  • In-Progress

  • Processing

  • Verified

  • Unverified

• Matched: Whether the identity verified by Stripe matches the record. Statuses include:

  • Matched

  • Unmatched

• Approved: The verification is automatically Approved if both Verification and Matched are satisfied.

  • Otherwise, this appears as Pending Review, and you must decide whether to approve it.

  • Select Update Approval to approve or unapprove the verification attempt.

• Notes: You can add notes to your approval decision.

• Delete Verification: Deletes the verification.

The remaining sections on the Verifications page describe the success or failure of the components of the Stripe verification.

Document

• The validity of the applicant’s ID document as determined by Stripe.

• If the document is determined to be invalid, its status is Unverified.

• This section also includes the images that the applicant provided of their ID document.

📖 Learn which forms of ID Stripe can validate.

ID Number

• The validity of the applicant’s government issued ID number as determined by Stripe.

• If the ID number is determined to be invalid, its status is Unverified.

📖 Learn which government ID numbers Stripe can validate.

Selfie

• The validity of the selfie as determined by Stripe.

• If the selfie doesn’t match the photo in their ID document, its status is Unverified.

• If any of these components fail verification, the overall status of the verification is returned as Unverified.

💡 Tip

To make this information accessible from the Reader, pull in the applicant’s verification exports  as a merge field in an HTML-enabled dashboard.

Deleting a verification

At any time, you can select Delete Verification on an existing verification.

When you delete a verification in Slate, we:

• Redact all personal information, including biometric data, from Stripe

• Delete the verification entry in Slate

📖 Stripe privacy policy