[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70191-70192]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28839]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2015-ICCD-0085]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and approval; Comment 
Request; Recent Graduates Employment and Earnings Survey (RGEES) 
Standards and Survey Form

AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. chapter 3501 et se.), ED is proposing a new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
December 14, 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-0085 
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 Beth Grebeldinger, 202-377-4018.

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: Recent Graduates Employment and Earnings 
Survey (RGEES) Standards and Survey Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-NEW.
    Type of Review: A new information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households.

[[Page 70192]]

    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 22,123.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 7,374.
    Abstract: The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of 
the U.S. Department of Education (Department) is required by regulation 
to develop an earnings survey to support gainful employment (GE) 
program evaluations. The regulations specify that the Secretary of 
Education will publish in the Federal Register the survey and the 
standards required for its administration. NCES has developed the 
Recent Graduates Employment and Earnings Survey (RGEES) Standards and 
Survey Form. The RGEES can be used in a debt-to-earnings (D/E) ratio 
appeal under the GE regulations as an alternative to the Social 
Security administration earnings data.
    Institutions that choose to submit alternate earnings appeal 
information will survey all Title IV funded students who graduated from 
GE programs during the same period that the Department used to 
calculate the D/E ratios, or a comparable period as defined in 
668.406(b)(3) of the regulations. The survey will provide an additional 
source of earnings data for the Department to consider before 
determining final D/E ratios for programs subject to the gainful 
employment regulations. Programs with final D/E ratios that fail to 
meet the minimum threshold may face sanctions, including the possible 
loss of Title IV federal student financial aid program funds.

    Dated: November 9, 2015.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-28839 Filed 11-10-15; 11:15 am]
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