[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17452-17455]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07013]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED-2016-ICCD-0036]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 2017-
2018 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).
[[Page 17453]]
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
May 31, 2016.
ADDRESSES: To access and review all of the documents related to the
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2016-ICCD-
0036. 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 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 2E-105,
Washington, DC 20202-4537.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to
collection activities, please contact the Applicant Products Team at
[email protected].
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 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: 2017-2018 Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA).
OMB Control Number: 1845-0001.
Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 38,669,924.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 20,036,012.
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 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 1.
Table 1--Federal Student Aid Application Components
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Submission
Component Description method
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Initial Submission of FAFSA
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FAFSA on the Web (FOTW)....... Online FAFSA that Submitted by the
offers applicants a applicant via
customized experience. 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 Submitted
Aid Information through
Center (FSAIC) fafsa.gov for
representatives applicants who
assist applicants by call 1-800-4-
filing the FAFSA on FED-AID.
their behalf through
FOTW.
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.
[[Page 17454]]
FAA Access.................... Online tool that a Submitted
financial aid through
administrator (FAA) faaacess.ed.gov
utilizes to submit a by an FAA on
FAFSA. behalf of an
applicant.
FAA Access--Renewal........... Online tool that an
FAA can utilize to
submit a Renewal
FAFSA.
FAA Access--EZ................ Online tool that an
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 an
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 The FAA may be
done by an FAA, on using their
behalf of the mainframe
applicant, using the computer or
Electronic Data software to
Exchange (EDE). facilitate the
EDE process.
Printed FAFSA................. The printed version of Mailed by the
the PDF FAFSA for applicant.
applicants who are
unable to access the
Internet or 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 Submitted by the
a Federal Student Aid applicant via
ID (FSA ID)-- fafsa.gov.
regardless of how
they originally
applied--may make
corrections using
FOTW Corrections.
Electronic Other--Corrections. With the applicant's The FAA may be
permission, using their
corrections can be mainframe
made by an FAA using computer or
the EDE. software to
facilitate the
EDE process.
Paper SAR--This is a SAR and The full paper summary Mailed by the
an option for corrections. that is mailed to applicant.
paper applicants who
did not provide an e-
mail 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 Submitted
FAA Access to correct through
the FAFSA. faaacess.ed.gov
by an FAA on
behalf of an
applicant.
Internal Department The Department will There is no
Corrections. submit an applicant's burden to the
record for system- applicants
generated corrections. under this
correction type
as these are
system-based
corrections.
FSAIC Corrections............. Any applicant, with These changes
their Data Release are made
Number (DRN), can directly in the
change the CPS system by a
postsecondary FSAIC
institutions listed representative.
on their FAFSA or
change their address
by calling FSAIC.
SAR Electronic (eSAR)......... The eSAR is an online Cannot be
version of the SAR submitted for
that is available on processing.
FOTW to all
applicants with an
FSA ID. 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 and/or
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 2017-2018
is based upon two factors--estimating the growth rate of the total
enrollment into post-secondary education and applying the growth rate
to the FAFSA submissions. 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 this 2017-2018 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
collection, the Department is reporting a net burden decrease of -
524,469 hours.
The reporting hour burden calculations in this notice reflect the
Department's best estimates using data from the 2015-16 FAFSA
application cycle in which Federal Student Aid traditionally has
estimated reporting burden. However, in order to reflect a change in
which prior tax year's information will be utilized in the application,
a conservative estimate has been reflected as part of the reporting
hour burden calculation. As such, we will continuously monitor and
capture statistical information in order to reflect more accurate
calculations in future cycles.
[[Page 17455]]
Dated: March 24, 2016.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-07013 Filed 3-28-16; 8:45 am]
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