Transparent criteria
Evidence-based decisions
We apply three principles: separation between those who teach and those who assess, issuance decisions based on documented evidence, and public criteria that are the same for every candidate.
Verifiable registry number · International verificationThe verification layer for online courses
States University is the verification layer for online courses: we review the course, cross-check the data and history of each person who earns a certificate, and register every certificate with a unique number, a QR code, and a permanent public lookup. Employers confirm authenticity in seconds, for free and without signing up.
- Review before issuance
- Verification QR code on every certificate
- International verification
STATES UNIVERSITY
INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATE
Certificamos que
Certificate holder name
has successfully completed the course
COURSE NAME
Course hours: 120 hours · Format: online
Verify authenticity with the registry number
CERT-2026-8F3A21
Emitido el March 12, 2026
- courses in the catalog, across many fields
- 5,000+
- of certificates verifiable by QR code
- 100%
- public lookup, without signing up
- Free
- PDF issuance with a verifiable registry number
- Instant
The problem
How do you know whether an online course delivers what it promises?
The online learning market has grown faster than its trust mechanisms. Hiring managers can't tell a serious course from a PDF sold in an ad, and students find out too late that nobody accepts their certificate.
Reputation is not verification
Reviews and consumer complaints record the problem after it has happened, and they describe the company, not the specific certificate in front of you.
A PDF is easy to forge
A certificate without a searchable registry number is just an editable file. Changing the name, date, and course hours takes minutes in any editor.
Nobody audits the content
Most online courses have never had an independent review of their course hours, materials, or whether what they promise matches what they deliver.
Methodology
How do we review a course and validate the people who complete it?
The process has five required steps. None is skipped for volume or speed: a course that fails the review is not certified, and a student who doesn't pass the final exam doesn't receive a certificate.
Course submittedReviewVerifiable registry number
Document review of the course
We evaluate the stated course hours, the syllabus, the materials provided, and whether the sales promise matches what the student actually receives. A gap between what is advertised and what is delivered means the course fails the review.
Provider check
We verify who is behind the course: legal existence, operating history, and public complaints. The institution answers for what it issues, and that is recorded alongside the certificate.
AI data cross-check
Before issuing, our system cross-checks the data the person declared against the document history and the databases we maintain, looking for identity mismatches, duplicate issuance, and inconsistencies in the learning record.
Knowledge validation
Professional development certification requires evidence of competence: a final exam and documented proof of the learning path. We issue certificates for what was demonstrated, not what was claimed.
- Resultado
Permanent registry
Once passed, the certificate receives a cryptographically generated registry number, enters our registry of verifiable certificates, and gets the QR code that leads to its verification page. The record is never deleted afterward.
Best practices
What principles guide our process?
We didn't invent a method from scratch: we start from widely used practices for issuing certificates to people and handling personal information, and adapt them to online learning.
Non-credit · Continuing education
Non-credit continuing education courses
Our courses are non-credit continuing education. The documents we issue are private documents of States University: they document completion of the course and a passing result on a final assessment exam, and they are not an academic degree.
Personal information protection
Protection of certificate holder information
The certificate and profile are private by default. The public page and the display of the name require the certificate holder's explicit consent, which can be withdrawn at any time with immediate effect.
Open Badges · W3C Verifiable Credentials
Open digital credential standards
The format we are moving toward for verification abroad, so that the credential can be read by HR systems and institutions anywhere without depending on us.
Following the principles of a standard is not the same as holding its seal. We are not accredited by any ISO body, and we say so here rather than leave any doubt.
The registry
What makes one of our certificates authentic?
Three independent mechanisms, all verifiable by whoever receives the document, without needing to talk to us.
Cryptographically generated number
Every certificate is created with a unique code (CERT-…) from a cryptographic source, impossible to guess or sequence. Nobody can work out a "next number".
Permanent, audited registry
An issued certificate is never deleted: it is a record. Every issuance and every change is kept in an audit trail with date and origin. The certificate holder controls what the public sees, never whether the record exists.
Public verification by QR code
The QR code printed on the PDF opens the verification page for that specific certificate. Whoever receives the document doesn't have to track down the issuing institution: the path to verification is built in.
- Have a certificate in your hands? Check its authenticity now.
states.university/certificates/CERT-2026-8F3A21
Verification lookup
Certificate verification
Record found · authenticProject Management Course
- Certificate holder
- Certificate holder name
- Registry No.
- CERT-2026-8F3A21
- Issued on
- 03/12/2026
- Issuer
- States University
Free public lookup—no sign-up and no need to contact the institution.
Comparison
What's the difference between a registered certificate and a PDF?
The difference doesn't show on paper: it shows when someone tries to check it.
| Criterio | Registered certificate | Unregistered certificate | The school's own statement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Searchable registry number | Yes, cryptographically generated | No | No |
| Verification by the hiring party | Public, in seconds, without signing up | Depends on contacting the school | None |
| Independent review of the course | Yes, before any issuance | No | No |
| Validation of the certificate holder's history | Data and evidence cross-check | No | No |
| Survives the issuing institution closing | Yes: the registry is ours and permanent | No | No |
| International version with the same registry number | Yes, through the International Competency Certificate | No | No |
Who it's for
Who benefits from a verification layer?
For students
Your effort becomes a credential that holds up to checking
You finish the course with a certificate that HR can verify on their own, in seconds. If someone ever asks whether it's real, the answer doesn't depend on your word or on the school still existing.
For professionals
A verifiable record, under your control
Your certificates live in a public profile that you turn on and off, with a registry number on each one. You decide what appears, and whether anything appears at all.
For institutions
Independent review as a selling point
Passing our review is what separates your course from the ones that only promise. Students walk away with a certificate backed by another company, and that is worth more than your own seal.
Across borders
How does international verification work?
A certificate often runs into a language and verification barrier: an HR team in another country has no way to confirm the document. International verification solves both while keeping the same registry number.
Same registry numberCERT-2026-8F3A21
Reviewed issuer
The originating institution goes through our review.
Verifiable registry number
The certificate enters the registry with its own number and QR code.
One registry entry
Each certificate has a single registry number, shown on the document and the verification page.
Remote check
HR in another country can confirm it on their own, without contacting the school.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
The same answers we give to the employers and institutions that ask us.
What is States University?
It is the verification layer for online courses. We review the course before certifying, cross-check the data of each person who earns a certificate, and keep a verifiable registry number searchable. In practice: we turn a PDF into a credential that any employer can check on their own, for free and in seconds.
What kind of document is a non-credit course certificate?
These are non-credit continuing education courses. The certificate is a private certificate of completion issued by States University: it documents that you completed the course and passed a final assessment exam, and it can be verified online. It is not an academic degree and does not license you to practice a regulated profession; acceptance is at the discretion of each employer or institution.
How do I check whether a certificate is authentic?
Three ways: scan the QR code printed on the document, enter the registry number (CERT-…) on the verification page, or open the professional's public profile when they keep one active. Verification is free, instant, and never requires signing up or contacting us.
What principles guide your methodology?
Our process follows three principles: separation between those who teach and those who assess, decisions based on documented evidence, and the same criteria for every candidate. Handling of the certificate holder's personal information is based on their explicit consent.
How does AI take part in the validation?
Before issuance, the system cross-checks the data the person declared against the document history and the databases we maintain, looking for three things: identity mismatches, duplicate issuance, and inconsistencies in the learning record. Anything the machine flags goes to review: it filters and prioritizes, but it doesn't decide on its own who receives a certificate.
How does international verification work?
Certificates registered here can also be issued as an International Competency Certificate, with the same registry number and the same verification page. The goal is for an HR team in any country to check the credential without needing a translation or contacting the originating institution.
Who decides whether my certificate appears on Google?
You do. Every certificate is private by default and can only be verified by someone who has the number. The public page and the display of your name are options the certificate holder turns on and off in the portal, with email confirmation. When you turn it off, the page goes offline immediately.
What does States University NOT do?
We are a private company, not a government agency, and we do not award academic degrees: nothing we issue replaces a college education. We do not confer a license to practice any regulated profession. And we don't sell certificates without learning: a certificate is only issued after a passed review and validation of the certificate holder. We say this plainly because vagueness about what a certifier can do is usually the first sign of a problem.
Verify a certificate now
Enter the number printed on the document or scan the QR code. Verification is public, free, and requires no sign-up.