Over the past several months, the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse has unveiled several technology enhancements to assist high schools, prospective student-athletes and member institutions with Clearinghouse communications.

The first of the enhancements, online registration for prospects, went live August 1 on the Clearinghouse Web site (www.ncaaclearinghouse.net).

Both domestic and international students are able to complete the Clearinghouse student release form online, as well as access their information through the Clearinghouse Web site, through a PIN-protected system. The online registration has been successful thus far, with nearly 50 percent of all registrations having been completed online.

In January 2003, high schools will be able to submit changes to their lists of NCAA-approved core courses (formerly form 48-H) through the Clearinghouse Web site. This process will permit high-school personnel, through a PIN-protected site, to add courses, delete courses and change the titles of courses on their lists at any time, without having to fill out and mail paperwork. This new streamlined process also will be a considerable cost savings for the Association because of the elimination of expensive materials and mailing costs.

On January 1, 2003, the Clearinghouse no longer will accept paper submissions for changes to institutions' recruiting lists, or Institutional Request Lists (IRL). Currently, more than 85 percent of institutions add or delete prospective student-athletes' names from their IRL via the Web and have been able to do so since April 1999. Formerly, institutions could not submit IRL changes for international students via the Web because international students do not have Social Security numbers. Such changes had to be done via mail or facsimile. Because institutions are now able to add and delete international students from the IRL via the Clearinghouse Web site, paper IRL submissions are no longer needed.

Finally, by January 1, Clearinghouse constituents (high-school personnel, prospective student-athletes and institutional administrators) will be able to correspond with Clearinghouse staff members via e-mail. The e-mail access will be located behind the PIN access for all groups, which will ensure that only registered prospects, high-school administrators and institutional administrators will be able to query Clearinghouse staff via e-mail. Others may still contact the Clearinghouse by phone via the following toll-free numbers: 877/262-1492 (customer service line) and 877/861-3003 (24-hour voice response).