Background Check Policy Highlights

Background checks are required for:

  • All new hires (and rehires)
  • Current employees in positions for which background checks are required by law
  • Current employees under voluntary consideration for Sensitive Positions for which background checks are required
  • Student workers in positions that require background checks
  • Volunteers, consultants, and employees of auxiliaries, outside entities, and independent contractors in positions that require background checks

Background checks are not required for:

  • Any employee who has successfully cleared a background check in the previous twelve (12) months
  • Current Employees, unless under voluntary consideration for a position in which a background check is required by law or for a position that has been designated as sensitive
  • Student Workers, unless being considered for a position with duties that would require a background check if performed by a CSU employee, for a position that has been designated as sensitive, or for a position in which a background check is required by law
  • FERP Employees, unless they are moved into a sensitive position that would otherwise require a background check
  • Employees Re-appointed to the same Class (classification) & Campus within Twelve (12) months (are not considered rehires)
  • Background check notifications must be on all job postings
  • Depending on the type of hire, background checks will be accomplished either with the on-campus Live Scan process, or through a third-party vendor, Accurate Background, Inc. Live Scan is on-campus fingerprinting performed by Campus Public Safety and will be used for a narrow range of background checks where fingerprinting is required:
  • Sworn CSU Police Personnel (California Government Code §1029 and 1031)
  • Police Officer Cadets (California Government Code §1029 and 1031)
  • Police Dispatchers (Commission Regulation 1959)
  • Positions with direct contact with minor children at a camp operated by the CSU (Education Code §10911.5)
  • Positions with access to stored criminal offender record information (11 CCR §703 and 11 CCR §707)
  • Positions with access to patients, drugs or medication (California Labor Code §432.7)