[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 44 (Thursday, March 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10709-10710]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-5207]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education requests comments on the Free 
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes 
to use for the 2004-2005 year. The FAFSA is completed by students and 
their families and the information submitted on the form is used to 
determine the students' eligibility and financial need for financial 
aid under the student financial assistance programs authorized under 
title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (title IV, 
HEA Programs). The Secretary also requests comments on changes under 
consideration for the 2004-2005 FAFSA.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 5, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for copies of the proposed 
information collection requests should be addressed to Joseph Schubart, 
Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 5624, 
Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651.
    In addition, interested persons can access this document on the 
Internet:

(1) Go to IFAP at http://ifap.ed.gov;
(2) Scroll down to ``Publications'';
(3) Click on ``FAFSAs and Renewal FAFSAs'';
(4) Click on ``By 2004-2005 Award Year'';
(5) Click on ``Draft FAFSA Form/Instructions''.

    Please note that the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software, version 
4.0 or greater, is necessary to view this file. This software can be 
downloaded for free from Adobe's website: http://www.adobe.com.

[[Page 10710]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 
1965, as amended (HEA), requires the Secretary, ``in cooperation with 
agencies and organizations involved in providing student financial 
assistance,'' to ``produce, distribute and process free of charge a 
common financial reporting form to be used to determine the need and 
eligibility of a student under'' the title IV, HEA Programs. This form 
is the FAFSA. In addition, section 483 authorizes the Secretary to 
include non-financial data items that assist States in awarding State 
student financial assistance.
    The draft 2004-2005 FAFSA (posted to the IFAP website) incorporates 
suggestions from the community to simplify the FAFSA form, reducing the 
number of questions from 104 to 97. These suggestions included: 
Reducing the five enrollment status questions to one question; 
combining the two questions regarding the highest school the 
applicant's parents completed into one question, and removing the two 
questions asking if the applicant is interested in loans or work-study. 
The Secretary requests comments on ways to further simplify the 
application for students, parents, and schools.
    In particular, the Secretary seeks comments on simplifying the 
FAFSA through use of the FAFSA on the Web product. The Secretary is 
considering adding capability to FAFSA on the Web to permit applicants 
to skip questions not required by their state of residence or for EFC 
determination. For example, if an applicant's state does not require 
question 18, enrollment status, FAFSA on the Web would not present 
question 18 to the applicant. The Secretary is also considering 
removing the early analysis option from the web application.
    The Secretary is publishing this request for comment under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq. Under that Act, ED must obtain the review and approval of the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before it may use a form to 
collect information. However, under procedure for obtaining approval 
from OMB, ED must first obtain public comment of the proposed form, and 
to obtain that comment, ED must publish this notice in the Federal 
Register.
    In addition to comments requested above, to accommodate the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Secretary is 
interested in receiving comments with regard to the following matters: 
(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.

    Dated: February 28, 2003.
John D. Tressler,
Leader, Regulatory Management Group, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer.

Federal Student Aid

    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Title: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) (JS).
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: Individuals or household (primary).
    Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
    Responses: 13,985,297.
    Burden Hours: 7,770,355.
    Abstract: The FAFSA collects identifying and financial 
information about a student applies for title IV, Higher Education 
Act (HEA) Program funds. This information is used to calculate the 
student's expected family contribution, which is used to determine a 
student's financial need. The information is also used to determine 
the student's eligibility for grants and loans under the title IV, 
HEA Programs. It is further used for determining a student's 
eligibility for State and institutional financial aid programs.
    Written requests for information should be addressed to Vivian 
Reese, Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4050, 
Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651 or to the e-
mail address [email protected]. Requests may also be faxed to 202-
708-9346. Please specify the complete title of the information 
collection when making your request.
    Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity 
requirements should be directed to Joseph Schubart at his e-mail 
address [email protected]. Individuals who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

[FR Doc. 03-5207 Filed 3-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U