A new trend in the college application process is the requirement of a college admission criminal background check.  These background checks are used to reduce the risk of a dangerous, convicted criminal preying on the young population of a college campus.  Not every university requires the passing of a criminal background check for colleges, but more colleges are making it a requirement each year.

A college admission criminal background check can be any one of a number of different background checks.  Some colleges require the applicant to consent to a state background check while others ask the applicant for permission to obtain a nationwide background check on them.  Some high-level, high security college programs require that their applicants obtain a federal background check from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and submit it to the college as part of their entrance application.

Many people are against a criminal background check for colleges because they say that a criminal past should not bar individuals from an education.  The heads of the colleges counter that they are not excluding petty criminals from obtaining an education, but are trying to protect their students from convicted sex offenders and others that may take advantage of the young and naïve population that is typically found on college campuses.