NCAA Now Accepts Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange Records

CHICAGO—Illinois high schools with students who plan to play college athletics have one more reason to utilize the Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange (ILTE) system provided by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).  That's because the NCAA Eligibility Center is now accepting electronic transcripts sent through IllinoisMentor.org.

"The electronic transcript process is both time-saving and secure because transcripts are sent directly from the high school to prospective colleges and the NCAA offices," said ISAC Executive Director Andrew Davis.  " Just select the NCAA Eligibility Center from the list of institutions and the student's academic records are made available to the NCAA Clearinghouse."

Recently, ISAC announced record usage of its Illinois Electronic Transcript Exchange service (ILTE), with 2,086 transcripts sent in 2008.  Increased outreach efforts resulted in a 30 percent increase in colleges and universities accepting official transcripts in electronic format.  With 108 Illinois high schools now participating in the program, counselors sent more than 2,000 official electronic transcripts to 45 colleges and universities in Illinois this past year.

"A growing number of high schools throughout Illinois are discovering that ISAC's electronic transcript exchange simplifies the transcript sending process and allows them to save time and money on paper, printing and postage without any financial investment on their part," continued Davis, citing a study that estimates a 50 percent reduction in costs of electronic distribution versus the traditional paper "snail-mail" process. "It simplifies the college admissions process for students, parents and counselors."

For students, the electronic transcript exchange found on IllinoisMentor.org means a simplified application process.  When submitting an online application to a college participating in the transcript exchange program, transcripts may be now released to the NCAA and other institutions at the same time the online application is submitted.  Last year, 38,495 online applications were submitted to 56 colleges and universities.

"We anticipate continued growth in both online applications and electronic transcripts sent as the number of institutions using ILTE to send and receive transcripts grows," Davis continued.  "It is great to see the NCAA has recognized this simplifies the process for prospective student-athletes while reducing operating expenses for participating institutions."

Illinois' electronic transcript exchange system is offered at no cost, courtesy of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.  For further information on electronic college applications and the electronic transcript exchange, visit  www.IllinoisMentor.org/ AdmissionApp/

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission provides students of all ages and backgrounds with the resources and support to obtain financial aid for higher education.

A state agency, ISAC has paved the path to post-secondary education with innovative programs for more than 50 years. Last year alone, ISAC continued its mission to make college affordable for Illinois students by issuing 185,000 grants and scholarships totaling more than $448 million. 

The Commission coordinates educational funding with student loans, as a loan guarantor and via numerous public programs such as the successful Monetary Award Program (MAP), the Illinois Veteran Grant and College Illinois!sm the Commission's groundbreaking 529 prepaid college tuition program. Students and families have free access to a wealth of financial aid and college planning information at ISAC's family of websites available at www.knowhow2GOIllinois.org.