Enrollment verification goes online

Students can now submit enrollment verification requests online and improvements have shortened the time it takes to release the documents.

The feature is part of the Webcenter, and allows students to have enrollment verifications sent directly to a third party by mail or e-mail. They can also collect the documents in Dowling Hall.

Last year, Student Services started printing enrollment verifications on one printer at the student services desk, which tended to be a lengthy process. Now, at least ten people in Dowling Hall have the ability to print enrollment verification requests. This change alone reduced the time it took to release enrollment verifications from over a week to one or two business days.

"With this new enhancement, students will no longer have to wait in line at Dowling to request the information," JoAnn Smith, Acting Registrar and Manager of the Student Services Desk said.

Students applying for car insurance, outside employment, internships, scholarships, and credit cards are often required to prove their student status. The online request takes only about two minutes to complete. If students choose to e-mail their enrollment verification information, the message is sent immediately.

"It's significantly easier than the old system," said sophomore Caitlin McGarty.

Last year, in a continuing effort to streamline student services, Dowling outsourced its enrollment verification service to the National Student Clearinghouse, which verified students' status for third parties, such as insurance companies and employers.

The University soon stopped using the National Student Clearinghouse because, as Smith said, "they could not provide the level of service we were looking for."

Although Clearinghouse did provide a prompt e-mail service, the website was difficult to navigate and required students to pay a $2.50 processing fee for each request. The processing fee irked students and was the main reason the University cancelled the arrangement, Smith said.