[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 123 (Friday, June 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34854-34857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17125]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education
[CFDA No.: 84.063]


Federal Pell Grant Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of deadline dates for receipt of applications, reports, 
and other documents for the 1998-99 award year.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary announces the deadline dates for receiving 
documents from persons applying for grants under, and from institutions 
participating in, the Federal Pell Grant Program in the 1998-99 award 
year.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Pell Grant Program, administered 
by the U.S. Department of Education (Department), provides grants to 
students attending eligible institutions of higher education to help 
them pay for their educational costs. The program supports priority 
three of the Department's Seven Priorities, which states that all 
students should be prepared for and able to afford at least two years 
of college by age 18, and be able to pursue lifelong learning as 
adults. Authority for the Federal Pell Grant Program is contained in 
section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 
1070a.

DEADLINE DATES: The following tables provide the deadline dates for the 
Federal Pell Grant Program for the 1998-99 award year. Please note that 
the Department may impose an adverse action, such as a fine or other 
penalty, for an institution's failure to report Federal Pell Grant 
payment data within the required 30-day timeframe as outlined in Table 
B. Also, failing to report within the required 30-day

[[Page 34855]]

timeframe may result in a program review or audit finding for an 
institution.

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                                                                                           What is the deadline 
            Who  submits?                 What is submitted?     Where is it submitted?     date for receipt?   
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 A. Deadline Dates for Application Processing and Receipt of Student Aid Reports (SARs) or Institutional Student
                                           Information Records (ISIRs)                                          
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Student..............................  A paper original Free    The address indicated    June 30, 1999.         
                                        Application for          on the FAFSA, Renewal                          
                                        Federal Student Aid      FAFSA, or envelope                             
                                        (FAFSA) or renewal       provided with the form.                        
                                        application (Renewal                                                    
                                        FAFSA).                                                                 
Student..............................  Free Application for     The address indicated    June 30, 1999.         
                                        Federal Student Aid      on the FAFSA.pdf.                              
                                        (FAFSA) in pdf                                                          
                                        obtained from http://
www.fafsa.ed.gov.                                                       
Student..............................  FAFSA Express            Electronically to the    June 30, 1999.\1\      
                                        electronic application.  Central Processing                             
                                                                 System using the FAFSA                         
                                                                 Express software and a                         
                                                                 modem.                                         
                                       Signature Page.........  The address printed on   August 16, 1999.       
                                                                 the signature page.                            
Student..............................  Free Application for     Electronically to the    June 30, 1999.\1\      
                                        Federal Student Aid      Central Processing                             
                                        (FAFSA) on the Web or    System using the                               
                                        Renewal FAFSA on the     Internet http://
 Web.                     www.fafsa.ed.gov.                              
                                       Signature Page (if       The address printed on   August 16, 1999.       
                                        required).               the signature page.                            
Student through institution..........  An electronic original   Electronically to the    June 30, 1999.\1\      
                                        or renewal application   Central Processing                             
                                        through EDExpress.       System through Title                           
                                                                 IV Wide Area Network.                          
Student..............................  SAR corrections and      The address indicated    August 16, 1999.       
                                        duplicate requests.      on the SAR.                                    
Student through institution..........  Electronic corrections   Electronically to the    August 25, 1999.\1\    
                                        and duplicate requests.  Central Processing                             
                                                                 System through Title                           
                                                                 IV Wide Area Network.                          
Student..............................  Change of address or     The address indicated    August 16, 1999.       
                                        change of institutions.  on the SAR; or.                                
                                                                The Federal Student Aid  August 25, 1999.       
                                                                 Information Center by                          
                                                                 calling (319) 337-5665.                        
Student..............................  Valid SAR..............  Institution............  The earlier of:        
                                                                                         --the student's last   
                                                                                          date of enrollment; or
                                                                                         --August 31, 1999.     
Student through Central Processing     Valid ISIR.............  Institution............  The earlier of:        
 System.                                                                                 --the student's last   
                                                                                          date of enrollment; or
                                                                                         --August 31, 1999.     
Student..............................  Verification documents.  Institution............  The earlier of: \2\    
                                                                                         --90 days after the    
                                                                                          student's last date of
                                                                                          enrollment; or        
                                                                                         --August 31, 1999.     
Student..............................  Verified SAR...........  Institution............  The earlier of: \3\    
                                                                                         --90 days after the    
                                                                                          student's last date of
                                                                                          enrollment; or        
                                                                                         --August 31, 1999.     
Student through Central Processing     Verified ISIR..........  Institution............  The earlier of: \3\    
 System.                                                                                 --90 days after the    
                                                                                          student's last date of
                                                                                          enrollment; or        
                                                                                         --August 31, 1999.     
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[[Page 34856]]

                                                                                                                
                         B. Deadline Dates for Reporting Federal Pell Grant Payment Data                        
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Institution..........................  At least one acceptable  1. Institutions          An institution is      
                                        student Payment Data     transmitting student     required to submit    
                                        record must be           Payment Data using       student Payment Data  
                                        submitted for each       Recipient Data           not later than the    
                                        Federal Pell Grant       Exchange or Floppy       earlier of:           
                                        recipient at the         Disk Data Exchange      (a) 30 calendar days   
                                        institution by:          submit through:          after the institution 
                                        Recipient Data           Regular Mail: U.S.      --makes a payment; or  
                                        Exchange; or Floppy      Department of           --becomes aware of the 
                                        Disk Data Exchange;      Education, Student Aid   need to make an       
                                        \4\ or Electronic Data   Origination Team, PSS,   adjustment to         
                                        Exchange (EDE) \5\.      P.O. Box 6565,           previously reported   
                                                                 Rockville, Maryland      student Payment Data  
                                                                 20850-6565 or            or expected student   
                                                                 Commercial Couriers or   Payment Data; or      
                                                                 Hand Deliveries to:     (b) September 30, 1999.
                                                                 U.S. Department of      An institution may     
                                                                 Education, Student Aid   submit student Payment
                                                                 Origination Team, PSS,   Data after September  
                                                                 c/o Computer Data        30, 1999 only if there
                                                                 Systems, Inc., RFMS,     is:                   
                                                                 Federal Pell Grant      --a downward adjustment
                                                                 Program, Mail Stop       of a previously       
                                                                 3200, One Curie Court,   reported award; or    
                                                                 Rockville, Maryland     --an initial audit or  
                                                                 20850-4389.              program review finding
                                                                                          per 34 CFR Part       
                                                                                          690.83.               
                                                                2. Institutions                                 
                                                                 transmitting student                           
                                                                 Payment Data using                             
                                                                 Electronic Data                                
                                                                 Exchange submit                                
                                                                 through: Title IV Wide                         
                                                                 Area Network.                                  
                                       Requests for year-to-    Pell Grant User Support  August 16, 1999.\6\    
                                        date Processed Payment   Hotline and the                                
                                        Data.                    Institutional Access                           
                                                                 System#: (800) 474-                            
                                                                 7268 (Requests also                            
                                                                 may be made using the                          
                                                                 information provided                           
                                                                 in items #1 and #2                             
                                                                 above).                                        
                                       Requests for Student                                                     
                                        Payment Summary (SPS)                                                   
                                        Data                                                                    
                                       Request for              U.S. Department of       February 1, 2000.      
                                        administrative relief    Education,                                     
                                        based on an              Institutional                                  
                                        administrative error     Financial Management,                          
                                        by the Department or     Division, AFMS, P.O.                           
                                        departmental             Box 23791, Washington,                         
                                        contractors.             DC 20026-0791.                                 
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\1\ The deadline for submitting electronic transactions is prior to 7:00 pm (Central Time) on the deadline date.
  Transmissions must be completed and accepted by 7:00 pm to meet the deadline. If transmissions are started    
  before 7:00 pm but are not completed until after 7:00 pm, those transmissions will not meet the deadline. In  
  addition, any transmission picked up on the deadline date that gets rejected may not be able to be reprocessed
  because the deadline will have passed by the time the user gets the information notifying him or her of the   
  rejected transmission.                                                                                        
\2\ Although the Department has set this deadline date for the submission of verification documents, if         
  corrections to the SAR or ISIR are required, the above deadline dates for submission of paper or electronic   
  corrections still must be met.                                                                                
\3\ For those students completing verification while no longer enrolled, the institution must have already      
  received a SAR or ISIR with an eligible Expected Family Contribution (EFC) while the student was enrolled and 
  eligible for payment. These students will be paid based on the higher of the two EFCs.                        
\4\ The 1998-99 award year is the last year the Department will accept Disk Operating System (DOS) floppy       
  diskette or DOS electronic submissions.                                                                       
\5\ An institution that transmits its student Payment Data information must ensure that its transmission is     
  completed before midnight (local time at the institution's EDE destination point) on September 30, 1999.      
\6\ Year-to-date or SPS data files may be requested after this date. However, there may not be sufficient time  
  for institutions to receive the file, create a payment data batch, and submit it to the Department by the     
  September 30, 1999 deadline date for receipt of all 1998-99 requests for payment.                             

Proof of Delivery for Federal Pell Grant Payment Documents

    If the documents were submitted by mail or by non-U.S. Postal 
Service courier, the Department accepts as proof of delivery one of the 
following:
    (1) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the 
U.S. Postal Service.
    (2) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.

    Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated 
postmark. Before relying on this method of proof of mailing, an 
institution should check with the post office at which it mails its 
submission. An institution is strongly encouraged to use First Class 
Mail.

    (3) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial 
courier.
    (4) Other proof of mailing or delivery acceptable to the Secretary.
    The Department accepts commercial couriers or hand deliveries 
between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday 
except Federal holidays.

Other Sources for Detailed Information on the Application and 
Automated Processes

    A more detailed discussion of the student application process for 
the Federal Pell Grant Program is contained in the 1998-99 Student 
Guide, Funding Your Education, the 1998-99 Counselor's Handbook for 
High Schools, the 1998-99 Counselor's Handbook for Postsecondary 
Schools, A Guide to 1998-99 SARs and ISIRs, and the 1998-99 Federal 
Student Financial Aid Handbook. A more detailed discussion of the 
institutional reporting requirement for student Payment Data for the 
Federal Pell Grant Program is also contained in the Federal Student 
Financial Aid Handbook.

Applicable Regulations

    The following regulations apply:
    (1) Federal Pell Grant Program, 34 CFR Part 690.
    (2) Student Assistance General Provisions, 34 CFR Part 668.

[[Page 34857]]

    (3) Institutional Eligibility Under the Higher Education Act of 
1965, as amended, 34 CFR Part 600.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacquelyn C. Butler, Program 
Specialist, Student Financial Assistance Programs, U.S. Department of 
Education, 600 Independence Avenue, S.W. (Room 3045, ROB-3), 
Washington, DC 20202-5447. Telephone: (202) 708-8242. Individuals who 
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer 
diskette) on request to Vicki Wilson, U.S. Department of Education, 600 
Independence Avenue, S.W. (Room 3030, ROB-3), Washington, D.C. 20202-
5352. Telephone: (202) 708-8619.

Electronic Access to This Document

    Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or 
portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the 
following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with 
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you 
have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing 
Office toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
    Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an 
electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 
or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option 
G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a)

    Dated: June 19, 1998.
David A. Longanecker,
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 98-17125 Filed 6-25-98; 8:45 am]
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