[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 166 (Wednesday, August 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51144-51146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-20275]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED-2014-ICCD-0125]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 2015-
2016 Federal Student Aid Application
AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act 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
October 27, 2014.
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-2014-ICCD-
0125 or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. If the
regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED
will temporarily accept comments at [email protected]. Please note
that comments submitted by fax or email and those submitted after the
comment period will not be accepted; ED will ONLY accept comments
during the comment period in this mailbox when the regulations.gov site
is not available. 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, Mailstop L-OM-2-
2E319, Room 2E115, Washington, DC 20202.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to
collection activities, please contact Douglas Pineda Robles (202) 377-
4578.
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 ED assess the impact of its
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting
burden. It also helps the public understand the ED'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. ED is especially
interested in public comments addressing the following issues: (1) Is
this collection necessary to the proper functions of ED; (2) will this
information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the
estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might ED enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how
might ED 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: 2015-2016 Federal Student Aid Application.
OMB Control Number: 1845-0001.
Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.
RespondentsAffected Public: Individuals.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 44,992,857.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 24,083,155.
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, 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[supreg]). 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 data. Institutions of higher education listed by
the applicant on the FAFSA
[[Page 51145]]
also receive a summary of processed data submitted on the FAFSA which
is called the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR).
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 one.
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 version of
the 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.
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.
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[[Page 51146]]
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:
[ballot] The total number of applicants that will potentially apply
for federal student aid;
[ballot] How the applicant chooses to complete and submit the FAFSA
(e.g., by paper or electronically via FOTW[supreg]);
[ballot] How the applicant chooses to submit any corrections andor
updates (e.g., the paper SAR or electronically via FOTW Corrections);
[ballot] The type of SAR document the applicant receives (eSAR, SAR
acknowledgment, or paper SAR);
[ballot] The formula applied to determine the applicant's expected
family contribution (EFC) (full need analysis formula, Simplified Needs
Test or Automatic Zero); and
[ballot] 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 2015-2016
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 2015-2016, the Department is reporting a net burden decrease of
2,081,212 hours.
Dated: August 21, 2014.
Tomakie Washington,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy,
Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2014-20275 Filed 8-26-14; 8:45 am]
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