[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 210 (Friday, October 30, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 66893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-27727]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2015-ICCD-0126]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16) 
Full Scale Student Data Collection

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 
November 30, 2015.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2015-ICCD-
0126. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting the 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 2E105, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Kashka Kubzdela at (202) 502-7411 
or by email [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 the Department assess the impact 
of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department'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. The 
Department of Education is especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (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. Please note that 
written comments received in response to this notice will be considered 
public records.
    Title of Collection: 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid 
Study (NPSAS:16) Full Scale Student Data Collection
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0666.
    Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 86,000.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 75,811.
    Abstract: The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), a 
nationally representative study of how students and their families 
finance postsecondary education, was first implemented by the National 
Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1987 and has been fielded 
every 3 to 4 years since. The next major data collection will occur in 
2016 following a field test collection in 2015. This submission is for 
the ninth cycle in the series, NPSAS:16, which will also serve as the 
base year study for the 2016 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal 
Study (B&B) which provides data on the various paths of recent college 
graduates into employment and additional education. The NPSAS:16 sample 
will include about 2,000 institutions and about 128,000 students. 
Institution contacting began in October 2015 and student data 
collection will be conducted from January through September 2016. The 
NPSAS:16 full scale institution contacting and enrollment list 
collection was approved in July 2015 (OMB# 1850-0666 v.15-16). This 
submission covers NPSAS:16 full scale materials and procedures required 
for student record abstractions, student surveying, and matching data 
to administrative files. Because the institution contacting and 
enrollment list collection will still be ongoing at the time this 
request is approved, the burden and materials from the NPSAS:16 Full 
Scale Institution Contacting And Enrollment List Collection request 
(OMB# 1850-0666 v.15-16) are being carried over in this submission.

    Dated: October 27, 2015.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-27727 Filed 10-29-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P