Frequently Asked Questions

Electronic Transcript Exchange is a highly secure application that enables participants (i.e., high schools, colleges and other educational organizations) to exchange electronic transcripts with each other via the Clearinghouse secure network.

Yes, because your students' transcripts can be immediately accessed by other educational institutions, such as graduate schools.

 

Electronic Transcript Exchange enables you to automate transcript delivery/receipt between your school and other educational institutions and organizations. You'll realize many benefits, including the ability to:

• Speed transcript delivery 
• Reduce the cost and time involved in printing and sending paper transcripts 
• Deliver transcripts in a safer format than paper
• Decrease transcript fraud

After you join our Electronic Transcript Exchange network, you select the format you want to use to send and retrieve files (e.g., EDI, XML, PDF). Your school and any other entity with which you plan to exchange transcripts must agree on the file format to be used for your exchanges.

When you are ready to send a transcript, you simply sign onto your Clearinghouse secure FTP account, upload the file, and specify the recipient. Each time you successfully upload a file, a file delivery receipt will be emailed to you. As soon as a transcript is posted for you to download, you will receive an email with the URL where you can login and retrieve the file.

Contact the Clearinghouse as soon as possible. If the recipient hasn’t uploaded the transcript, we can recall the transcript for you.

You can logon to your secure FTP account to view the status of any file you've uploaded.

A transcript can be downloaded an unlimited number of times from the secure FTP server. The recipient can delete the file at any time. Files are permanently deleted after 90 days, whether they have been downloaded or not. A copy of each file is also stored in the recipient's archive folder on the secure FTP server. These files can be downloaded at any time and are permanently deleted after 180 days.

No. Transcript files are only stored in the recipient's secure FTP account, where they are automatically deleted after the retention period has expired.

• Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) XML High School and Postsecondary Transcript 

• ANSI X12 TS130 Student Educational Record 

• All system or statewide standard data record formats

• All graphical formats (including PDF), which look like your paper-based transcripts.

Yes.

No. All file uploads and downloads are performed by accessing your secure FTP account via a Web browser. Automated options are available, which require scripting the file upload/download commands. The Clearinghouse can provide sample scripts.

Yes, if you select a file format, like XML, that is compatible with your system.

Yes. Authorized senders and recipients are validated before a transcript is exchanged. In addition, the Clearinghouse uses secure computer systems and transmission protocols, encrypted files and operational safeguards for all of its services. We also take active defensive measures that limit the risk of lost or stolen data.

Yes. Like all Clearinghouse services, Electronic Transcript Exchange is fully compliant with FERPA.

Yes. You can use Electronic Transcript Exchange to deliver electronic transcripts to participating institutions regardless of the delivery method specified by the student. A future enhancement to our Transcript Ordering service will enable students to request electronic transcript delivery to participating Electronic Transcript Exchange schools.

Electronic Transcript Exchange is free to schools that participate in our free Transcript Ordering service. Otherwise, the annual fee is 10¢ times your school's enrollment to send transcripts via Electronic Transcript Exchange.* There is no cost to receive transcripts.

* Enrollment is equal to the fall enrollment (headcount) as reported to the federal government (IPEDS). Minimum annual fee is $300.

For questions or to obtain an Electronic Transcript Exchange agreement, please contact the Clearinghouse at 703-742-4200 or service@studentclearinghouse.org.