[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 60 (Tuesday, March 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17452-17455]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07013]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2016-ICCD-0036]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 2017-
2018 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

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

[[Page 17453]]


ACTION: Notice.

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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 
May 31, 2016.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all of the documents related to the 
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2016-ICCD-
0036. Comments submitted in response to this notice should be submitted 
electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov by selecting 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 2E-105, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact the Applicant Products Team at 
[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 ED assess the impact of its 
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting 
burden. It also helps the public understand ED'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. ED is especially interested in public 
comments addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection 
necessary to the proper functions of ED; (2) will this information be 
processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden 
accurate; (4) how might ED enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (5) how might ED 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: 2017-2018 Free Application for Federal Student 
Aid (FAFSA).
    OMB Control Number: 1845-0001.
    Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 38,669,924.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 20,036,012.
    Abstract: Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 
amended (HEA), mandates that the Secretary of Education `` . . . shall 
produce, distribute, and process free of charge common financial 
reporting forms as described in this subsection to be used for 
application and reapplication to determine the need and eligibility of 
a student for financial assistance . . .''.
    The determination of need and eligibility are for the following 
title IV, HEA, federal student financial assistance programs: The 
Federal Pell Grant Program; the Campus-Based programs (Federal 
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study 
(FWS), and the Federal Perkins Loan Program); the William D. Ford 
Federal Direct Loan Program; the Teacher Education Assistance for 
College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant; and the Iraq and 
Afghanistan Service Grant.
    Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education 
(hereafter ``the Department''), subsequently developed an application 
process to collect and process the data necessary to determine a 
student's eligibility to receive title IV, HEA program assistance. The 
application process involves an applicant's submission of the Free 
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA[supreg]). After submission 
of the FAFSA, an applicant receives a Student Aid Report (SAR), which 
is a summary of the data they submitted on the FAFSA. The applicant 
reviews the SAR, and, if necessary, will make corrections or updates to 
their submitted FAFSA data. Institutions of higher education listed by 
the applicant on the FAFSA also receive a summary of processed data 
submitted on the FAFSA which is called the Institutional Student 
Information Record (ISIR).
    The Department seeks OMB approval of all application components as 
a single ``collection of information''. The aggregate burden will be 
accounted for under OMB Control Number 1845-0001. The specific 
application components, descriptions and submission methods for each 
are listed in Table 1.

           Table 1--Federal Student Aid Application Components
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Submission
           Component                  Description            method
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       Initial Submission of FAFSA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAFSA on the Web (FOTW).......  Online FAFSA that       Submitted by the
                                 offers applicants a     applicant via
                                 customized experience.  fafsa.gov.
FOTW--Renewal.................  Online FAFSA for
                                 applicants who have
                                 previously completed
                                 the FAFSA.
FOTW--EZ......................  Online FAFSA for
                                 applicants who
                                 qualify for the
                                 Simplified Needs Test
                                 (SNT) or Automatic
                                 Zero (Auto Zero)
                                 needs analysis
                                 formulas.
FOTW--EZ Renewal..............  Online FAFSA for
                                 applicants who have
                                 previously completed
                                 the FAFSA and who
                                 qualify for the SNT
                                 or Auto Zero needs
                                 analysis formulas.
FAFSA on the Phone (FOTP).....  The Federal Student     Submitted
                                 Aid Information         through
                                 Center (FSAIC)          fafsa.gov for
                                 representatives         applicants who
                                 assist applicants by    call 1-800-4-
                                 filing the FAFSA on     FED-AID.
                                 their behalf through
                                 FOTW.
FOTP--EZ......................  FSAIC representatives
                                 assist applicants who
                                 qualify for the SNT
                                 or Auto Zero needs
                                 analysis formulas by
                                 filing the FAFSA on
                                 their behalf through
                                 FOTW.

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FAA Access....................  Online tool that a      Submitted
                                 financial aid           through
                                 administrator (FAA)     faaacess.ed.gov
                                 utilizes to submit a    by an FAA on
                                 FAFSA.                  behalf of an
                                                         applicant.
FAA Access--Renewal...........  Online tool that an
                                 FAA can utilize to
                                 submit a Renewal
                                 FAFSA.
FAA Access--EZ................  Online tool that an
                                 FAA can utilize to
                                 submit a FAFSA for
                                 applicants who
                                 qualify for the SNT
                                 or Auto Zero needs
                                 analysis formulas.
FAA Access--EZ Renewal........  Online tool that an
                                 FAA can utilize to
                                 submit a FAFSA for
                                 applicants who have
                                 previously completed
                                 the FAFSA and who
                                 qualify for the SNT
                                 or Auto Zero needs
                                 analysis formulas.
Electronic Other..............  This is a submission    The FAA may be
                                 done by an FAA, on      using their
                                 behalf of the           mainframe
                                 applicant, using the    computer or
                                 Electronic Data         software to
                                 Exchange (EDE).         facilitate the
                                                         EDE process.
Printed FAFSA.................  The printed version of  Mailed by the
                                 the PDF FAFSA for       applicant.
                                 applicants who are
                                 unable to access the
                                 Internet or complete
                                 the form using FOTW.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Correcting Submitted FAFSA Information and Reviewing FAFSA Information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOTW--Corrections.............  Any applicant who has   Submitted by the
                                 a Federal Student Aid   applicant via
                                 ID (FSA ID)--           fafsa.gov.
                                 regardless of how
                                 they originally
                                 applied--may make
                                 corrections using
                                 FOTW Corrections.
Electronic Other--Corrections.  With the applicant's    The FAA may be
                                 permission,             using their
                                 corrections can be      mainframe
                                 made by an FAA using    computer or
                                 the EDE.                software to
                                                         facilitate the
                                                         EDE process.
Paper SAR--This is a SAR and    The full paper summary  Mailed by the
 an option for corrections.      that is mailed to       applicant.
                                 paper applicants who
                                 did not provide an e-
                                 mail address and to
                                 applicants whose
                                 records were rejected
                                 due to critical
                                 errors during
                                 processing.
                                 Applicants can write
                                 corrections directly
                                 on the paper SAR and
                                 mail for processing.
FAA Access--Corrections.......  An institution can use  Submitted
                                 FAA Access to correct   through
                                 the FAFSA.              faaacess.ed.gov
                                                         by an FAA on
                                                         behalf of an
                                                         applicant.
Internal Department             The Department will     There is no
 Corrections.                    submit an applicant's   burden to the
                                 record for system-      applicants
                                 generated corrections.  under this
                                                         correction type
                                                         as these are
                                                         system-based
                                                         corrections.
FSAIC Corrections.............  Any applicant, with     These changes
                                 their Data Release      are made
                                 Number (DRN), can       directly in the
                                 change the              CPS system by a
                                 postsecondary           FSAIC
                                 institutions listed     representative.
                                 on their FAFSA or
                                 change their address
                                 by calling FSAIC.
SAR Electronic (eSAR).........  The eSAR is an online   Cannot be
                                 version of the SAR      submitted for
                                 that is available on    processing.
                                 FOTW to all
                                 applicants with an
                                 FSA ID. Notifications
                                 for the eSAR are sent
                                 to students who
                                 applied
                                 electronically or by
                                 paper and provided an
                                 e-mail address. These
                                 notifications are
                                 sent by e-mail and
                                 include a secure
                                 hyperlink that takes
                                 the user to the FOTW
                                 site.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    This information collection also documents an estimate of the 
annual public burden as it relates to the application process for 
federal student aid. The Applicant Burden Model (ABM) measures 
applicant burden through an assessment of the activities each applicant 
conducts in conjunction with other applicant characteristics and in 
terms of burden, the average applicant's experience. Key determinants 
of the ABM include:
    [ballot] The total number of applicants that will potentially apply 
for federal student aid;
    [ballot] How the applicant chooses to complete and submit the FAFSA 
(e.g., by paper or electronically via FOTW[supreg]);
    [ballot] How the applicant chooses to submit any corrections and/or 
updates (e.g., the paper SAR or electronically via FOTW Corrections);
    [ballot] The type of SAR document the applicant receives (eSAR, SAR 
acknowledgment, or paper SAR);
    [ballot] The formula applied to determine the applicant's expected 
family contribution (EFC) (full need analysis formula, Simplified Needs 
Test or Automatic Zero); and
    [ballot] The average amount of time involved in preparing to 
complete the application.
    The ABM is largely driven by the number of potential applicants for 
the application cycle. The total application projection for 2017-2018 
is based upon two factors--estimating the growth rate of the total 
enrollment into post-secondary education and applying the growth rate 
to the FAFSA submissions. The ABM is also based on the application 
options available to students and parents. The Department accounts for 
each application component based on web trending tools, survey 
information, and other Department data sources.
    For this 2017-2018 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 
collection, the Department is reporting a net burden decrease of -
524,469 hours.
    The reporting hour burden calculations in this notice reflect the 
Department's best estimates using data from the 2015-16 FAFSA 
application cycle in which Federal Student Aid traditionally has 
estimated reporting burden. However, in order to reflect a change in 
which prior tax year's information will be utilized in the application, 
a conservative estimate has been reflected as part of the reporting 
hour burden calculation. As such, we will continuously monitor and 
capture statistical information in order to reflect more accurate 
calculations in future cycles.


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    Dated: March 24, 2016.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-07013 Filed 3-28-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P