Background Check
The College of Education collaborates with various public school entities to ensure that our students have real-world experiences from the very first day they set foot in class. Students have an opportunity to do unpaid field practicum hours at local Title I schools. You must pass a background check to enroll in the following courses:
- EDU 1010 – Intro to Education Links to an external site.
- EDU 5200 – Teacher Language Awareness Links to an external site.
- EDU 5316 – Basic Intervention for Primary Grade Readers Links to an external site.
- EDU 5321 – Basic Intervention for Upper Elementary Grade Readers Links to an external site.
- *Educational Psychology majors will have a field practicum course that they will also need a cleared USBE background check to complete the course.
Please complete the background check as soon as possible so that you are able to register for the appropriate courses. We will not issue a permission code without the background check clearance. Students who are from out of state should not plan to enroll in any of the above courses as your background check will likely not be completed in time to enroll. Students should plan to complete the background check process in August when they begin at the University of Utah. Those students would then, provided a clear USBE background check and meeting any prerequisites, be eligible to enroll in the above classes in Spring 2022.
Instructions
To initiate the background check process (complete the online portion):| 1. Begin the Process. Go to www.utah.gov/teachers Links to an external site. Background Check and then Start your Background Check. |
| 2. Privacy Policy Statement. |
| 3. Licensing Procedure. Select Initial Licensure. |
| 4. User Authentication. |
| 5. Record Not Found. If you have not completed a background check with the USBE, a warning will show stating that they were unable to find a record for you in CACTUS. This is expected. If you are renewing your background check if it has expired, this screen may not display. Click continue. |
| 6. Create New Record. Please complete all of the fields. Please ensure that you answer the Institution drop down question, indicating the University of Utah as the institution that you are attending. This will help ensure the University receives your background check clearance information. If you do not complete this, the University will not be notified when your check clears. Then click continue. |
| 7. Verify New Record. |
| 8. Fingerprint Method. Please note that if you live in Utah, you will be expected to complete the LiveScan method for the physical fingerprinting. If you live out of state, you may complete the fingerprint cards. Please see the information below regarding out of state completion. Click Continue. |
| 9. Fingerprint Release. |
| 10. FBI Privacy Statement Agreement. |
| 11. Additional Statements. |
| 12. Purpose of Check. Please select the second option: “Enrolling in a University Program that will result in a Utah Educator License (student license)”. Click continue. |
| 13. Transaction Successfully Completed. |
LiveScan process
If you selected the LiveScan process: Your forms will be emailed to the address that you supplied when you created a new record. If you do not receive these forms within 24 hours of completing the online form, please notify the Urban Institute for Teacher Education at 801-581-7158 or email uite@utah.edu.
Please be sure that you check your junk mail as it may be sent there. Please print the forms and take them with you to the BCI Links to an external site. or the YUP locations Links to an external site. to complete the physical fingerprinting. Please ensure that you schedule an appointment at these locations prior to going to complete your physical fingerprinting. These forms are required to have the check sent to the USBE and to the University of Utah. If the forms are not brought with you, neither the USBE nor the University of Utah will be notified that your check has cleared. This may delay your clearance and/or result in needing to complete a new check.
Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) and Your Unique Prints (YUP)
The BCI is located at:
3888 West 5400 South,
Taylorsville, Utah 84118
801-965-4445
Hours: Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm.
A fee $15 must be paid at BCI to complete your fingerprinting.
The Salt Lake City YUP location is:
231 East 400 South #350
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Please contact the YUP locates for any fees.
Fingerprint cards
If you selected the fingerprint cards: The fingerprint cards can take 14 weeks to process once you send them in. No authorization will be emailed to you. Instead, a release form and authorized fingerprint cards will be mailed to you to take to local law enforcement to complete. You will need to mail them back to the BCI to process. We recommend students do not plan to enroll in any field practicum courses their first semester at the University of Utah if they choose the fingerprint cards as the background check is not likely to clear before classes begin. Please plan to enroll in field practicum classes in Spring 2022.
Complete in 60 days!
IMPORTANT: You only have 60 days from the time you log into the USBE system to take your form to the BCI site and get your prints taken. If you do not complete the process within the 60-day time limit, you will be taken out of the USBE system and will have to repay both fees. We strongly encourage you to complete this process as soon as possible to prevent delays in clearances which may delay enrollment in some classes.
If a student does not pass the background check, you cannot complete the field requirements of field practicum courses. To receive a permission code, students must complete the required background check.
The background check process-LiveScan
The background check process can take 4-6 weeks to complete. Students should note that background checks that cannot be verified by the Utah State Board of Education’s database will not be accepted.
If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Lindsay, kristen.lindsay@utah.edu or 801-581-7158.
Post-background Check
Your Background check is good for five years.
Background check status will be recorded by the UITE at the University of Utah and instructors in future field-based classes will be made aware of your clearance status so that you do not have to complete the check more than once within a five-year period.
Think you've completed a USBE Background Check before? Check your CACTUS!
All students must complete a USBE Background Check. Background checks completed by other entities such as the Health Department, Food Safety sometimes even school districts don't meet the standards for a USBE Background check. We can only accept those checks that appear in the USBE Background Check System.
If you think you have completed the USBE Background Check, please follow the directions here Links to an external site. to access your Comprehensive Administration of Credentials for Teachers in Utah Schools (CACTUS) account. CACTUS is your link to the USBE and eventually, you will use it for things like verifying your address, completing various licensure requirements, and accessing your teaching license information. If you have completed a USBE Background Check before, it will appear on your account and you will not have to renew it unless it has been over five years since you completed it, or it is no longer valid.
Questions: please contact Kristen Lindsay, kristen.lindsay@utah.edu