[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 137 (Monday, July 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46659-46661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16930]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; 2017-2018 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

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

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 
August 17, 2016.

ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the 
information

[[Page 46660]]

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 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 2E-343, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Misty Parkinson, 202-377-3749.

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: 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 or Households.
    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 one.

           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
                                    offers applicants a   the applicant
                                    customized            via fafsa.gov.
                                    experience.
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     call 1-800-4-
                                    by filing the FAFSA   FED-AID.
                                    on 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.
FAA Access.......................  Online tool that a    Submitted
                                    financial aid         through
                                    administrator (FAA)   faaaccess.ed.g
                                    utilizes to submit    ov by an FAA
                                    a FAFSA.              on 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.

[[Page 46661]]

 
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      computer or
                                    the Electronic Data   software to
                                    Exchange (EDE).       facilitate the
                                                          EDE process.
Printed FAFSA....................  The printed version   Mailed by the
                                    of the PDF FAFSA      applicant.
                                    for 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     Submitted by
                                    has a Federal         the applicant
                                    Student Aid ID (FSA   via fafsa.gov.
                                    ID)--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        computer or
                                    using the EDE.        software to
                                                          facilitate the
                                                          EDE process.
Paper SAR--This is a SAR and an    The full paper        Mailed by the
 option for corrections..           summary that is       applicant.
                                    mailed to 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    Submitted
                                    use FAA Access to     through
                                    correct the FAFSA.    faaaccess.ed.gov ov by an FAA
                                                          on behalf of
                                                          an applicant.
Internal Department Corrections..  The Department will   There is no
                                    submit an             burden to the
                                    applicant's record    applicants
                                    for system-           under this
                                    generated             correction
                                    corrections.          type as these
                                                          are system-
                                                          based
                                                          corrections.
FSAIC Corrections................  Any applicant, with   These changes
                                    their Data Release    are made
                                    Number (DRN), can     directly in
                                    change the            the CPS system
                                    postsecondary         by a FSAIC
                                    institutions listed   representative
                                    on their FAFSA or     .
                                    change their
                                    address by calling
                                    FSAIC.
SAR Electronic (eSAR)............  The eSAR is an        Cannot be
                                    online version of     submitted for
                                    the SAR that is       processing.
                                    available on 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.

    Dated: July 13, 2016.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-16930 Filed 7-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P