Criminal History Background Checks

Overview

Background check are required for all "security/safety sensitive positions" at the University. Hiring managers are responsible for determining if the position meets one or more of the criteria for designating a position as security/safety sensitive. All required forms and background checks should be made and completed prior to the employee’s first day.

The offer of employment to the final candidate must be made contingent upon obtaining a satisfactory criminal conviction history background check.

This requirement does not apply to UW employee applicants who have a recent background check on file from their current period of University employment, unless otherwise required by law or University policy. 

Classified, Professional, and Temporary Staff

At the time a requisition is created in Workday, it will be determined whether or not the appointee will do work that is security/safety sensitive. Your HR Partner can help make this determination ahead of the requisition submission. You will then: 

1. Complete recruitment and candidate selection, and identify your preferred candidate.
2. Consult with your HR Partner to obtain approval for the salary offer you wish to make.
3. Verify that reference checks have been completed and provide notes to your HR Partner for the record (See Reference Checks).
4. Make a written offer of employment to your candidate, contingent on obtaining a satisfactory criminal background check (use the HR-provided template or a document with similar content).
5. If your candidate accepts your offer of employment:
   1. Your Total Talent Management HR recruitment team member will then run the criminal conviction history background check. Emails to the finalist will come from noreply@hireright.com.
      • If the candidate is eligible for employment, your HR recruitment team member will initiate the hire.
      • If the candidate is not eligible for employment, the HR recruitment team member will inform you that the candidate has a disqualifying criminal conviction history, but will not reveal the details of the criminal conviction information. HR will also notify the candidate of ineligibility for employment via email.
        Remind your candidate to check the spam/trash/junk mail folder if they do not see a message in their inbox.

Student Employees, RAs & TAs, and Volunteers

Please work with the Shared Engineering Payroll and Recruiting team to determine (SEPR@uw.edu) whether the appointee will do work that meets one or more of the security/safety sensitive criteria and follow the normal employment process to identify the preferred candidate. For work that is security/safety sensitive: 

To submit a request, you will need:

• Their full legal name and date of birth
• Their email address. If a UW employee or student, you will need their NetID not personal email.
• The name of the ProCard holder and ProCard information

After you've submitted the request, the following will occur:

• Your applicant will receive an email from ttmchbc@uw.edu that includes instructions and a link for completing the online Criminal History Disclosure and Authorization (CHD). The student will receive reminder notices every 4 days until the CHD is complete, unless you send an email to cancel the background check request.
• After the CHD is completed and cleared, you and the applicant will receive an email from ttmchbc@uw.edu saying that the background check has been initiated with Sterling, the UW’s background check vendor, and that your applicant should watch out for an email from Sterling with further instructions.
• Your applicant will receive a time-sensitive invitation from Sterling (no-reply@uss.sterlingcheck.app). They must follow the instructions and submit the requested information. Sterling will send a reminder every 2 days, and the invitation will expire after 10 days.
• The applicant will receive confirmation from Sterling (no-reply@uss.sterlingcheck.app) when the background check is complete and cleared. Both you and your applicant will receive a notice from ttmchbc@uw.edu that the background check is clear. The applicant’s notice will include instructions for accessing their background check.
• Your Procard holder will receive an invoice from accountsreceivable@fadv.com. For additional information about costs and billing, see Background checks: Costs and billing.

Costs & Charge Process

The following information is copied directly from the Total Talent Management Background checks: Costs and billing page and is provided as quick reference resource.

Staff background check costs

Effective August 18, 2025, criminal conviction history background checks for staff are run by HireRight. Background checks are subject to Washington state sales tax (RCW 82.04), after an initial grace period ending April 1, 2026.

Area	Cost
Campus (includes WA State Patrol check, WATCH)	$34.65 per applicant, with tax
Medical Centers	$28.03 per applicant, with tax
Medical Centers WATCH check	$12.14 per applicant, with tax

The cost for a specific finalist may be higher if the individual’s residency history requires additional county, state and/or international reports.

Student employee, academic personnel, volunteer and contractor checks

Student employee, academic personnel, volunteer and contractor criminal conviction history background checks are run by Sterling. Sterling’s background check costs $20.73 (plus tax) and does not include the $11.00 (plus tax) cost of the WATCH check, which is run separately.