[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 218 (Friday, November 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67345-67348]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27449]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED-2012-ICCD-0050]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; 2013-2014 Federal Student Aid Application
AGENCY: Department of Education (ED), Federal Student Aid (FSA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a revision of an existing
information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
December 10, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in response to this notice should be
submitted electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
http://www.regulations.gov by selecting Docket ID number ED-2012-ICCD-
0050 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. Please
note that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after
the comment period will not be accepted. Written requests for
information or comments submitted by postal mail or delivery should be
addressed to the Director of the Information Collection Clearance
Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ,
Room 2E117, Washington, DC 20202-4537.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Electronically mail
[email protected]. Please do not send comments here.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Education (ED), in
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with
an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in
the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed
information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The
Department of Education is especially interested in public comment
addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to
the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be
processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden
accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the
Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents,
including through the use of information technology. Please note that
written comments received in response to this notice will be considered
public records.
Title of Collection: 2013-2014 Federal Student Aid Application.
OMB Control Number: 1845-0001.
Type of Review: Revision of an existing information collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or households.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 46,099,008.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 25,959,853.
Abstract: Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended (HEA), mandates that the Secretary of Education ``* * *shall
produce, distribute, and process free of charge common financial
reporting forms as described in this subsection to be used for
application and reapplication to determine the need and eligibility of
a student for financial assistance* * *''.
The determination of need and eligibility are for the following
Title IV,
[[Page 67346]]
HEA, federal student financial assistance programs: The Federal Pell
Grant Program; the Campus-Based programs (Federal Supplemental
Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), and
the Federal Perkins Loan Program); the William D. Ford Federal Direct
Loan Program; the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher
Education (TEACH) Grant; and the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.
Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education
(hereafter ``the Department''), subsequently developed an application
process to collect and process the data necessary to determine a
student's eligibility to receive Title IV, HEA program assistance. The
application process involves an applicant's submission of the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). After submission of the
FAFSA, an applicant receives a Student Aid Report (SAR), which is a
summary of the data they submitted on the FAFSA. The applicant reviews
the SAR, and, if necessary, will make corrections or updates to their
submitted FAFSA.
The Department seeks OMB approval of all application components as
a single ``collection of information''. The aggregate burden will be
accounted for under OMB Control Number 1845-0001. The specific
application components, descriptions and submission methods for each
are listed in Table 1.
Table 1--Federal Student Aid Application Components
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Component Description Submission method
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Initial Submission of FAFSA
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FAFSA on the Web (FOTW).............. Online FAFSA that offers applicants a customized Submitted by the
experience.. applicant via
www.fafsa.gov.
FOTW--Renewal........................ Online FAFSA for applicants who have previously
completed the FAFSA.
FOTW--EZ............................. Online FAFSA for applicants who qualify for the
Simplified Needs Test (SNT) or Automatic Zero
(Auto Zero) needs analysis formulas.
FOTW--EZ Renewal..................... Online FAFSA for applicants who have previously
completed the FAFSA and who qualify for the SNT
or Auto Zero needs analysis formulas.
FAFSA on the Phone (FOTP)............ The Federal Student Aid Information Center Submitted through
(FSAIC) representatives assist applicants by www.fafsa.gov for
filing the FAFSA on their behalf through FOTW. applicants who call 1-
800-4-FED-AID.
FOTP--EZ............................. FSAIC representatives assist applicants who
qualify for the SNT or Auto Zero needs analysis
formulas by filing the FAFSA on their behalf
through FOTW.
FAA Access........................... Online tool that a financial aid administrator Submitted through
(FAA) utilizes to submit a FAFSA. www.faaacess.ed.gov by
a FAA on behalf of an
applicant.
FAA Access--Renewal.................. Online tool that a FAA can utilize to submit a
Renewal FAFSA..
FAA Access--EZ....................... Online tool that a FAA can utilize to submit a
FAFSA for applicants who qualify for the SNT or
Auto Zero needs analysis formulas.
FAA Access--EZ Renewal............... Online tool that a FAA can utilize to submit a
FAFSA for applicants who have previously
completed the FAFSA and who qualify for the SNT
or Auto Zero needs analysis formulas.
Electronic Other..................... This is a submission done by a FAA, on behalf of The FAA may be using
the applicant, using the Electronic Data their mainframe
Exchange (EDE). computer or software
to facilitate the EDE
process.
PDF FAFSA or Paper FAFSA............. The paper version of the FAFSA printed by the Mailed by the
Department for applicants who are unable to applicant.
access the Internet or the online PDF FAFSA for
applicants who can access the Internet but are
unable to complete the form using FOTW.
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Correcting Submitted FAFSA Information and Reviewing FAFSA Information
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FOTW--Corrections.................... Any applicant who has a Federal Student Aid PIN Submitted by the
(FSA PIN)--regardless of how they originally applicant via
applied--may make corrections using FOTW www.fafsa.gov.
Corrections.
Electronic Other--Corrections........ With the applicant's permission, corrections can The FAA may be using
be made by a FAA using the EDE. their mainframe
computer or software
to facilitate the EDE
process.
Paper SAR--This is a SAR and an The full paper summary that is mailed to paper Mailed by the
option for corrections. applicants who did not provide an e-mail applicant.
address and to applicants whose records were
rejected due to critical errors during
processing. Applicants can write corrections
directly on the paper SAR and mail for
processing.
FAA Access--Corrections.............. An institution can use FAA Access to correct the Submitted through
FAFSA. www.faaacess.ed.gov by
a FAA on behalf of an
applicant.
Internal Department Corrections...... The Department will submit an applicant's record There is no burden to
for system-generated corrections. the applicants under
this correction type
as these are system-
based corrections.
FSAIC Corrections.................... Any applicant, with their Data Release Number These changes are made
(DRN), can change the postsecondary directly in the CPS
institutions listed on their FAFSA or change system by a FSAIC
their address by calling FSAIC. representative.
[[Page 67347]]
SAR Electronic (eSAR)................ The eSAR is an online version of the SAR that is Cannot be submitted for
available on FOTW to all applicants with a PIN. processing.
Notifications for the eSAR are sent to students
who applied electronically or by paper and
provided an e-mail address. These notifications
are sent by e-mail and include a secure
hyperlink that takes the user to the FOTW site.
SAR Acknowledgment................... This is the condensed paper SAR that is mailed
to applicants who applied electronically but
did not provide an e-mail address and do not
meet the criteria for a full paper SAR.
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This information collection also documents an estimate of the
annual public burden as it relates to the application process for
federal student aid. The Applicant Burden Model (ABM), measures
applicant burden through an assessment of the activities each applicant
conducts in conjunction with other applicant characteristics and in
terms of burden, the average applicant's experience. Key determinants
of the ABM include:
[ssquf] The total number of applicants that will potentially apply
for federal student aid;
[ssquf] How the applicant chooses to complete and submit the FAFSA
(e.g., by paper or electronically via FOTW);
[ssquf] How the applicant chooses to submit any corrections and/or
updates (e.g., the paper SAR or electronically via FOTW Corrections);
[ssquf] The type of SAR document the applicant receives (eSAR, SAR
acknowledgment, or paper SAR);
[ssquf] The formula applied to determine the applicant's expected
family contribution (EFC) (full need analysis formula, Simplified Needs
Test or Automatic Zero); and
[ssquf] The average amount of time involved in preparing to
complete the application.
The ABM is largely driven by the number of potential applicants for
the application cycle. The total application projection for 2013-2014
is based upon two factors--estimates of the total enrollment in all
degree-granting institutions and the percentage change in FAFSA
submissions for the last completed or almost completed application
cycle. The ABM is also based on the application options available to
students and parents. The Department accounts for each application
component based on web trending tools, survey information, and other
Department data sources.
For 2013-2014, the Department is reporting a net burden reduction
of 3,398,000 hours. The reduction is a reflection of the effects of
simplifying FAFSA on the Web, which is utilized by the majority of
applicants who apply for aid. Simplification of the application is
demonstrated by (1) the average completion times for initial
submissions and; (2) fewer corrections being made to the application.
The projected average completion times for initial submissions has
decreased by 11 minutes for 2013-14. In data reported in the 2012-2013
supporting statement, first-time filers using FOTW would take
approximately 1.30 hours (78 minutes) to submit an application. The
data from 2011-12 indicate that the same user would be able to submit
their application in 1.12 hours (67 minutes), reducing their burden by
.18 hours (11 minutes).
Corrections are also projected to decrease by 760,696 responses for
2013-14. Fewer corrections mean that more comprehensive and accurate
data was captured in the initial submission of the application. Updated
completion times were calculated for each component and have been used
to estimate the burden, excluding the change in the applicant volume.
The results demonstrate that the burden for all applicants would have
decreased by almost 13 percent or 3,758,702 hours, if the application
volume had remained constant.
If the Department had not simplified the application process, thus
reducing the time required to complete the FAFSA, the new burden
estimates would only need to account for the change in applicants. The
1.43% increase in applicants would result in an increase in burden of
347,945 hours.
Accounting for both the increase in total applicants and the
decrease in individual applicant burden, the net change is an overall
decrease of almost 12 percent or 3,398,000 hours. The following Table
shows the net burden change and total cost for applicants. The change
in total annual responses is also listed in the Table. Total annual
responses include the original FAFSA submission and corrections.
Table 2--Net Burden Change
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Burden
2012-2013 2013-2014 Change % Change disposition
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.............. Accounting for change in applicant burden and change in
applicants.
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Total Applicants.............. 24,705,864 25,053,809 +347,945 +1.41 Net decrease in
burden.
Total Applicant Burden........ 29,357,853 25,959,853 -3,398,000 -11.6 The 1.41%
increase in
applicants is
offset by the
results of the
simplification
changes
implemented by
the Department.
This has
resulted in an
overall
decrease in
burden of
11.57% or
3,397,545
hours.
Total Annual Responses........ 46,447,024 46,099,007 -348,017 -.75
Cost for All Applicants....... $234,804.24 $190,224.76 $44,579.48 -18.99
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The Department takes pride in the continued efforts to simplify the
FAFSA submission process and the continued decrease in burden
associated with the application process, even as the Department serves
more students each year. The results confirm the significant
improvements that have been made to the application process. The
Department
[[Page 67348]]
believes that these changes will lead to more students completing the
FAFSA and will assist more students with their pursuit of postsecondary
education through access to Title IV, HEA program assistance.
Dated: November 5, 2012.
Darrin A. King,
Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy,
Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2012-27449 Filed 11-8-12; 8:45 am]
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