The National Student Clearinghouse, the nation’s trusted source for degree and enrollment information, recently announced that the number of colleges using its Student Self-Service website has surpassed 500, providing access to the site to nearly five million students representing more than 25 percent of U.S. college enrollment. Student Self-Service, which is free to participating institutions, enables students to obtain enrollment and student loan information and perform a number of enrollment verification and other activities at no charge.

In 2007, both the number of institutions participating in Student Self-Service and student usage of the site increased 23 percent over the previous year. During the single largest month, January 2008, usage jumped 54 percent compared to the previous January. On average, nearly 4,000 students log onto Student Self-Service each day, which translates into reduced call volume and shorter lines at participating registrar offices. Students use the site to perform a variety of routine tasks on demand:

• Print enrollment certificates;
• View enrollment histories;
• Obtain a list of their lenders and view loan deferments sent on their behalf;
• Check enrollment verifications sent to service providers, like health insurers;
• Order transcripts (if the college participates in the Clearinghouse’s Transcript Ordering service);
• Link to real-time information on their student loans.

“Student Self-Service is one example of the many ways that the Clearinghouse works to deliver services that offer time-saving benefits to both colleges and their students,” said Rick Torres, president of the National Student Clearinghouse.

The National Student Clearinghouse is the most trusted source for enrollment and degree verification in the United States. A nonprofit organization established by the higher education community in 1993, the Clearinghouse serves as a central repository and single point of contact for the collection and timely exchange of accurate, comprehensive enrollment, degree, and certificate records on behalf of participating institutions. More than 3,100 colleges, enrolling 91 percent of U.S. college students, participate in the Clearinghouse. Student loan providers, employers, student credit issuers, student health insurance providers, the U.S. Department of Education, and others access the Clearinghouse’s registry over 100 million times annually to conduct electronic student record verifications. For a list of participating institutions and more information on Student Self-Service, please visit the Clearinghouse website at http://www.studentclearinghouse.org/colleges/sss/default.htm.