[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 49 (Friday, March 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11846-11847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5586]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

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 2005-2006 award 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

[[Page 11847]]

the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, (Title IV, HEA Programs). 
The Secretary also requests comments on changes under consideration for 
the 2005-2006 award year FAFSA.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 11, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for copies of the proposed 
information collection requests should be addressed to Joseph Schubart, 
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4050, 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 2005-2006 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 Web site: http://www.adobe.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Schubart (202) 708-9266. 
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.

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 2005-2006 FAFSA (posted to the IFAP Web site) 
incorporates four new data elements in preparation for a potential 
match with IRS data. These new data elements are on page 3 of the form, 
questions 18-21. To allow room for these new data elements we are 
recommending the number of schools an applicant lists on the FAFSA be 
reduced from six to four. This recommendation is based on comments 
received during the previous clearance cycle. Other suggestions to fit 
these additional questions included removing some of the instructions 
on the form. The Secretary requests comments on ways to further 
simplify the application for students, parents, and schools, as well as 
suggestions for incorporating these new data elements.
    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: March 8, 2004.
Angela C. Arrington,
Leader, Regulatory Information Management Group, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.

Federal Student Aid

    Type of Review: Revision.
    Title: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: Individuals or household.
    Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
Responses: 14,762,847.
Burden Hours: 7,624,153.
    Abstract: The FAFSA collects identifying and financial information 
about a student applying for Title IV, 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 for determining a student's eligibility 
for State and institutional financial aid programs.
    Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request 
may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse 
Pending Collections'' link and by clicking on link number 2465. When 
you access the information collection, click on ``Download 
attachments'' to view. 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 electronically mailed to the Internet address [email protected] 
or faxed to (202) 708-9346. Please specify the complete title of the 
information collection when making your request.

[FR Doc. 04-5586 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am]
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