What's New
Welcome! This document will be maintained in our online User Guide and provides you with the latest information concerning the Recruitment & Admission website and SSS. If you have questions or comments about what is contained in this document, please contact Search Customer Service at searchcustomerservice@collegeboard.com.
Introducing College Board Search - Fall 2013
Highlights of newly available prospects – January 2012
The PSAT/NMSQT Search cycle is based on students who took the test in October of the academic year. You can search these students today. Some key facts about these students in SSS:
- 2.7M students who took the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2011 are available in SSS.
- 68% have both a verified mailing and a verified email address, 20% have a verified mailing address but do not have a verified email address and 11% have a verified email address but no verified mailing address. Think about your communication needs to decide which students to target, and click here for more information about search order criteria.
- 47% are currently in their junior year, 43% are in their sophomore year and 9% are freshmen.
- About half of the students taking the PSAT/NMSQT in their sophomore year take it again in their junior year.
- There is a progression in percentiles and mean scores for sophomores and younger students compared to juniors – for more information and to accurately set your score range criteria, refer to the white paper – Understanding 2011 PSAT/NMSQT scores (refer to page 2)
Highlights of newly available prospects – January 2011
SAT first-time test takers
Over 257,000 students took the SAT for the first time in October and November 2010 – names that are now available in SSS. These are students who answered over 40 questions on the SAT Registration Questionnaire and have opted-in to hear from you.
Pattern shifts in PSAT test taking population
In planning your PSAT order this winter, consider these noteworthy facts about the 3.5 million most recent test takers:
- 2.53 million students provided their email address this year, an increase of 25% over last year
- This is the first year in the PSAT's 51-year history that sophomore volumes exceeded junior volumes
SSS Version 2.16 – Released December 16, 2010
SAT® Subject Test-Takers Now Available!
As of December 16, 2010, SAT Subject Test-Takers are available as an additional data source in SSS. This data provides you with access to students who have chosen to demonstrate their mastery of specific subjects falling under 5 broad categories: English, History, Mathematics, Science, and Foreign languages. SAT Subject Tests are taken by nearly 500,000 students, across six administrations throughout the year. SAT Subject Tests are closely linked to the high school curriculum and have a proven track record of providing colleges with a highly reliable objective assessment of student readiness for college-level work.
Learn more about SAT Subject Tests here: Search Data Sources - SAT
AP® Score Range Expanded
An AP score of “1” is now included as a searchable score range in SSS’s College Board Exam Scores. Even though these students have scored in the lower score range on an AP exam, they show an interest in pursuing college - and show initiative by taking a challenging course; two excellent reasons to seek out these students!
General Enhancements and Fixes
Enhancements: Administrative enhancements only; none client-facing.
Fixes:
- AP Exam Codes: AP exam codes/ranges are retained and carried over to EPS® when View in EPS is selected (in an ALL Students order).
- ALL Students Order End Date: The Order End Date clears when a new data source is selected.
- AP Orders: Previous year order volume displays correctly in the “Estimate” column; Prior year order volume displays correctly in the “Actual” column.
- Delete Order: Orders in “P” (“Processed”) status can be deleted.
- EPS Interaction Indicator: The EPS Interaction Indicator clears when the Data Source is changed from ALL Students to any other data source.
SSS Version 2.15 – Released September 2, 2010
Annual Update
Effective the first Thursday in September (this year the date is September 2, 2010), the SSS website undergoes an annual update. This includes the following:
- Updating available student cohorts (freshmen through seniors and one year out of high school, 2010 through 2014)
- Pricing update (see below)
- Purging orders (not submitted) that reflect a “N”ew or “C”omplete status
- Stopping all ALL Students standing orders to accommodate the new cohorts. ALL Students orders will stop fulfilling regardless of whether maximum volumes have been met on September 1, 2010.
- Updating the “Search year” reflected on the My Orders page to display “2011” for the new academic year (2010-2011)
New Pricing
Effective September 2, 2010, SSS user fees will be $0.33 per name—regardless of criteria used. This is an increase of one cent per name and it’s the first increase in price since 2008. Email addresses, Internet Delivery Service (IDS), NCOA and data cleansing are automatically included.
Intended Majors Changes
Effective with the October 2010 SAT exam administered on October 9, 2010, students were able to select from a revised list of intended majors. There were a total of 46 majors added (SAT); 11 of these majors were added for PSAT test-takers. There were 26 majors deleted and 19 intended major descriptions were changed. A complete list, including the highlighted revisions, can be found in our online User Guide.
Learn more about the Intended Majors changes here: Intended Majors Crosswalk_Sep 2010
General Enhancements and Fixes
Enhancements:
- Integration with EPS was improved for users with multiple system accounts. Users will now be prompted to select an account when transfering an order from SSS to their EPS Interactive Reports. This change applies only to users who subscribe to EPS’s Interactive Report service (and who are also associated to multiple accounts).
Fixes:
- Major codes 990, 998 or 999: Majors can now be selected either by using the list provided and checking the box, or keying them into SSS manually.
- Intended Major selections: Intended Majors are now saved and retained when the data source is changed and a “new” Order Form is created.
- Dashboard timeout: The Dashboard now loads and populates with information instead of presenting a blank screen or timing out.
- International addresses and ZIP codes: Use of 5-digit ZIP codes correctly selects domestic addresses only and does not include international addresses.
SSS Version 2.14 – Released June 29, 2010
General Enhancements and Fixes
Enhancements: Administrative enhancements only; none client-facing.
Fixes:
- Dashboard: Order volume estimate now matches the volume displayed in the Dashboard for orders in which “States” were selected.
SSS Version 2.13 – Released April 6, 2010
Browser Compatibility
The Recruitment & Admission Online website has been tested to work successfully with Internet Explorer version 8.0 and Mozilla Firefox 2.0.
Student Opt-Out/No Response Email Campaign
Confirmation emails are now sent after each data load to students who opted-out or did not respond to the question regarding participation in Student Search Service. The purpose of this campaign is to confirm and verify student email addresses contained in our SSS database so that more accurate data is provided to our end users.
Student Search Service Data Usage Agreement
In order to conform and be consistent with College Board policies among various programs, the Data Usage Agreement non-discrimination clause has changed as follows (changes highlighted in bold):
It is agreed that my organization will not use names provided by the Student Search Service (SSS) to discriminate against potential applicants on the basis of race, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, veteran status, or a disabling condition, provided, however, that nothing in this agreement shall prevent my organization from using names provided by the SSS in connection with a legally valid program that takes such characteristics into account in furtherance of attaining a diverse student body.
General Enhancements and Fixes
Enhancements:
- To increase performance response time, the Calculate button functionality has been redesigned. When Calculate is clicked within the Order Form, a message is now displayed (“Calculating….”) to indicate that the system is working to create a volume.
Fixes:
- State Map: The State map can now be saved (“Save & Exit”) without generating an error message.
SSS Version 2.12 – Released November 5, 2009
General Enhancements and Fixes
Enhancements:
- In response to demand, the Intended Majors section is now larger to aid in the selection of intended majors.
- On the Dashboard page, if both state(s) and zip code(s) are selected in one order, zip codes will be displayed as expected, but the zip codes for each selected state will be displayed as well.
Fixes:
- Search By Proximity: Search by Proximity now correctly takes into consideration ZIP Code selections (if used).
- Subscription overage warning message: An order may now be submitted regardless of any subscription overage warning message.
SSS Version 2.11 – released August 6, 2009
Consultant/Vendor Orders Transfer Capability
In response to demand and to further increase security (no need to share log-in information), new functionality is available that provides users the ability to “assign” a consultant/vendor to their institution. The consultant/vendor is then able to access your order history, create and copy orders, and calculate volume. While the consultant/vendor is not able to submit the order on your behalf, they are able to set-up orders for you, then all you have to do is log-in, review and submit.
To designate a consultant/vendor for your account, simply go to the Maintain Account link from the My Orders page in Student Search Service. Scroll to the bottom on the page until you see a section called, “Authorize Consultant/Vendor.” Type in the name of the consultant (this can either be the actual name of the person with whom you are working, or the company name) and the email address. Please note the warning message about removal of the consultant/vendor. Click on the Confirm button and you will be returned to the My Orders page.
If you have questions about this process, please contact Search Customer Service.
Consortia De-Duping
For users that are also consortia members, new functionality has been added that allows de-duping between the consortia and member schools. This capability is only available by selecting the ALL Students data source. Conversely, if your school belongs to more than one consortium, you will be given the opportunity to choose against which consortia you wish for your order to be de-duped.
To de-dupe against consortia orders, select New Prospects within the ALL Students data source. If you are a consortium member, you will see a list of the consortia to which you belong. Select the appropriate consortium and your order will be de-duped against any lists previously purchased by the consortium lead.
New Majors Hierarchy
For your convenience, a new hierarchical display is included in the Intended Majors section. You are now able to expand and collapse major groups for ease in filtering your Search. Use the checkboxes to select Majors and/or Major Groups. Click (+) to show Majors within a Major Group. Click (-) to collapse back to the Major Group level. You can also select all and deselect all by using the radio buttons at the bottom of the Majors display table.
SSS Version 2.10 – released January 8, 2009
ZIP Loader Tool Now Available!
The ZIP Loader tool allows you to upload a .txt or .xls file of up to 10,000 ZIP codes. This new functionality increases your capability to search for student prospects in multiple ZIP codes without being limited to the Order Form’s 256 ZIP code maximum. The maximum limit is 10,000 ZIP codes and only one uploaded file per order.
Learn more about using the ZIP Loader tool here: Geographic Origin
“Order is Ready” Notifications
In response to customer demand, we will be sending email notifications to Order and Secondary IDS points of contact on the actual day an order is ready to download. Please look for these emails, automatically generated, from sender: The College Board SSS/EPS.
Student E-Mail Address Verification
In an effort to provide high quality student prospect information, we are now validating student email addresses. This validation will occur as part of the data load process. Email addresses that cannot be validated will be removed from the student’s record.
My Orders Page Display
You may notice a slight change to the My Orders page. We added columns which now display the Estimate and Actual volumes for each order. This allows you to quickly glance at your list of orders and determine if you need to tweak the order or leave it as is.
Religion/Sports Selections
For your convenience, additional functionality has been added to the Religious Preference and High School Sports sections. You are now able to Select All or Deselect ALL for ease in filtering your Search. Keep in mind that such information is not included in your output; you still need to create separate, unique orders if you wish to identify student prospects by these parameters.
SSS Version 2.9 – released September 4, 2008
Annual Update
Effective the first Thursday in September (this year the date is September 4), the SSS website undergoes an annual update. This includes the following:
- Revising the dates of the available student cohorts (freshmen through seniors and one year out of high school, 2008 through 2011)
- Pricing update (see below)
- Purging any orders (not submitted) that reflect a “N”ew or “C”omplete status
- Stopping all ALL Students standing orders regardless whether the maximum volume has been met
- Updating the Search year reflected on the My Orders page to display “2009” for the new academic year (2008-2009)
- Address other issues brought to our attention by SSS users
New Pricing
Effective September 4, 2008, SSS user fees will be $0.32 per name—no matter which or how many search criteria you include. Remember there is no longer an order form fee. Email addresses, Internet Delivery Service (IDS) and unlimited list usage are automatically included.
Search by Map for States
Additional functionality has been added to the US States & Territories sub-section within Geographic Origin. You now have the capability to select individual states by highlighting them with your mouse on a map of the
Learn more about selecting states by map here: Geographic Origin
SSS Version 2.8 – released June 12, 2008
Consolidated Order Form
The Consolidated Order Form takes all the SSS order forms (PSAT, Winter SAT Cycle, Summer SAT Cycle, AP, and ALL Students) and merges them into a single form. You are no longer required to pick a data source (PSAT, SAT Cycle, AP, or ALL Students) prior to entering your order criteria and parameters. Now, you can choose and even change your data source from within the order form itself – in real time!
By consolidating the data sources into a single form, you are presented with more flexibility. Here are some examples:
- You may choose a single data source or multiple data sources. In other words, you can now order single SAT administrations instead of just depending on Winter or Summer Cycles.
- You may wish to search PSAT and May SAT test-takers at the same time, whereas before you were forced to choose traditional test cycles to capture your student prospects.
- If one of your data sources occurs in the future, for instance an SAT administration, all of the data that is currently available can be downloaded 7 days from submit date, while data source(s) not currently in our database will be considered a standing order and will be sent to you once it has been loaded into our database. This is similar to how the ALL Students standing order functionality works.
- You are also now able to order both current and previous years’ data, which the previous order forms did not allow. For example, you can search both this year AND last year’s PSAT test-takers in the same order.
If you wish to stay with more familiar ordering strategies, such as placing separate PSAT and SAT Cycle orders, you can select a single data source for each order (e.g. Winter SAT Cycle).
Learn more about the Consolidated Order Form here: Consolidated Order Form
Search by Proximity
Search by Proximity allows you to search for students by defining your own geographic area. This capability allows you to select any circular area without being limited by state, county, or zip code boundaries for your geography filtering. You may enter a specific address, or click on a map, then define a radius between 20 and 500 miles for your search area. Search by Proximity allows you to select up to ten areas to be used in your order.
Learn more about Search by Proximity here: Geographic Origin
SSS/EPS Integration
Users of SSS and Enrollment Planning Service (EPS) are now able to create an order in SSS, and then analyze the order as an interactive report in EPS. Subsequently, you can also create an interactive report in EPS and submit your query to SSS for ordering purposes! You may switch between the two programs multiple times to further refine or analyze your order. Please note that this capability is only available if you have EPS Premium service (able to create interactive reports) and via the ALL Students data source.
Learn more about SSS/EPS Integration here: SSS/EPS Integration
Country Names
In order to align SSS with EPS and the functionality between the two programs, we have aligned the country selections. Canadian provinces are no longer included in the State/Province section of the SSS order form; they are now listed as part of Canada in the International Region section. You will also see a two-letter code before each country in the International Region list, which identifies the geomarket code of that country. US Territories are now part of the US States & Territories section. This alignment is key to integrating SSS and EPS and makes Country selections in SSS easier.
Learn more about Country Names here: Geographic Origin
Browser Compatibility
The Recruitment & Admission Online website has been tested to work successfully with Internet Explorer version 7.0 and Mozilla’s Firefox.
Learn more about Browser Compatibility here: Technical Requirements
IDS Account Request
In order to further safeguard student information and comply with the College Board’s security policy, we are instituting new validation procedures when a secondary Internet Delivery Service (IDS) point of contact is designated. When you designate a secondary IDS contact in an order, they will receive a notice to formally request an SSS account. Once the account request is completed and submitted, an email notification will be sent to you (the order’s point of contact). IMPORTANT: you must review and approve the account request in order for the IDS contact to be given access to the order output. This process is only required once.
Learn more about IDS Account Request here: Output Options