Electronic transcripts available

By LILY WRIGHT

The University of Mary Washington is now offering electronic transcripts to students through the National Student Clearinghouse company, according to Kevin Caffrey, senior associate registrar at UMW.

After noticing a higher demand for electronic copies of official transcripts, UMW began looking into finding the perfect program for students.

“This is a really great service for our students as well as our alumni,” said Caffery. “One of the main reasons we implemented this service is that more and more employers are requesting students [and] graduates to submit electronic copies of their transcripts.”

The National Student Clearinghouse, established in 1993 and works with many colleges across the U.S.

“We began looking at different companies that provide this service and ultimately decided to go with the National Student Clearinghouse,” said Caffery.

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a safe, private way to send and receive academic transcripts, according to their website. It follows the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which insures that students’ academic records are kept private and protected.

A $2.25 goes to the National Student Clearinghouse to access a transcript and send it through the internet. The company helps the university office administration order and send official transcripts.

The services offered by this company include anytime access to the site, as well as the ability to request several official transcripts at one time.

So far, students are responding positively. Junior Aly Webb expressed the advantage the new system will offer for jobs and graduate school.

“Having an electronic transcript available is very convenient and will enable students to do more on their own,” said Webb. “I think the more information is online, the more students should be able to do on their own. ”