VerifyStudents is genuinely embedded in health science programs — the UAMS College of Nursing, for example, requires all students in all programs to complete a criminal background check and drug screen through verifystudents.com on entry and then each year of enrollment thereafter, with results current before registering each semester. Corporate Screening built VerifyStudents into a fixture of health science compliance — student-initiated, student-funded background checks, drug screening, and immunization tracking for health professions programs. That work was good, and the product still runs. The question for a program director isn't about features: when your compliance vendor is one line of business inside a publicly traded screening company that reports over 33,000 customers worldwide, where does your 40-student cohort sit?
What consolidation changes
- Support routing. First Advantage's pages direct legacy Corporate Screening and VerifyStudents customers to select their platform from a menu — options include “Corporate Screening Services – EASE” and “Verify Students” — and connect through live chat.
- Roadmap priority. First Advantage also bought Sterling Check for $2.2 billion in October 2024. Enterprise hiring volume dwarfs student compliance revenue; that shapes where engineering attention goes.
- Fewer real quotes. With DISA holding CastleBranch and Complio, and First Advantage holding VerifyStudents and Corporate Screening, a “competitive bid” can quietly become two divisions of two conglomerates.
The independent comparison
| VerifyStudents / Corporate Screening (First Advantage) | Drug Free Schools | |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Part of First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA) since 2021 — 33,000+ customers worldwide | Same family since 1995 — never acquired |
| Student compliance is… | One line of business among many | The entire business |
| Document review | Platform-based verification | Trained staff, every document, within 24 hours, specific fix-it notes |
| On-campus screening events | — | On-site drug collection and N95 fit testing, $25/student |
| Published pricing | Varies by school package | $30 portal · $40 Quest drug screen · $35–$70 background check · $25 fit test |
| Contracts & seats | Enterprise agreements | No long-term contracts; unlimited free admin/faculty seats |
Switching without breaking anything
Most programs change compliance vendors between terms in about a week of actual work: send us your requirement list, we build the portal in 24–48 hours, you export existing records and we load them, and students upload anything outstanding from their phones. Keep your placement platform if you like it — we're the compliance and screening layer underneath.
Get a quote or a 20-minute demo — from a human
Every inquiry goes straight to the owners. No ticket queue, no call center, no "your request has been received."
Prefer to talk? Call or text (901) 517-7450 · josh.smith@drugfreeschools.net
Frequently asked questions
What happened to VerifyStudents?
Its parent company, Cleveland-based Corporate Screening, was acquired by First Advantage — announced November 8, 2021 and completed December 1, 2021. First Advantage's site today states that VerifyStudents and Corporate Screening are part of the First Advantage family and routes existing customers to its logins and support.
Who is First Advantage?
A publicly traded global background screening company (NASDAQ: FA) that reports serving over 33,000 customers worldwide. It also acquired Sterling Check for $2.2 billion in October 2024. Student compliance is one line of business inside a much larger enterprise screening operation.
Why does this matter for schools?
Because the independents were absorbed quietly, over years. Corporate Screening (VerifyStudents) went to First Advantage in 2021. CastleBranch went to DISA in 2024, and DISA also owns Complio's maker, American DataBank. Fewer independent vendors means fewer genuinely competing quotes.
What's the independent alternative?
Drug Free Schools — family-owned since 1995, never acquired. $30/student compliance portal with unlimited free admin seats, human review of every document within 24 hours, on-site drug screening and N95 fit-testing events, Quest-network testing at $40, and Checkr background checks at $35–$70.
We use ACEMAPP with VerifyStudents. Can we still switch?
Yes. Many programs keep their placement or scheduling platform and change only the compliance and screening vendor. We don't require you to replace systems that already work for you.
CastleBranch, DISA, DISA Healthcare, Complio, American DataBank, Bridges, Verified Credentials, Viewpoint Screening, Med+Proctor, Magnus Health, Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp, and Checkr are trademarks of their respective owners. Drug Free Schools is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by these companies. Third-party prices, policies, and events referenced on this page come from public announcements and published school and vendor materials as of July 2026 and may have changed; verify current terms with the vendor. Nothing on this page is legal or medical advice.