[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 41 (Thursday, March 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12662-12663]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04485]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Reopening; Application Period for Certain Applicants Under the 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need 
Program Competition

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) reopens the 
competition for FY 2021, for certain eligible applicants described 
elsewhere in this notice, under the Graduate Assistance in Areas of 
National Need program, Assistance Listing Number 84.200A. The 
Department takes this action to allow more time for the preparation and 
submission of applications by eligible applicants affected by the 
severe winter weather in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, where the 
President has issued a disaster declaration. The reopening of the 
application deadline date for this competition is intended to help 
affected eligible applicants compete fairly with other eligible 
applicants under this competition.

DATES: 
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications for Applicants Meeting the 
Eligibility Criteria in this Notice: March 15, 2021.
    Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 25, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Ell, U.S Department of 
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, 2B214, Washington, DC 20202-4260. 
Telephone: (202) 453-6348. Email: [email protected].
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text

[[Page 12663]]

telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-
800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 15, 2021, we published the notice 
inviting applications (NIA) for new awards for the FY 2021 Graduate 
Assistance in Areas of National Need competition in the Federal 
Register (86 FR 4024). Under the NIA, applications were due on March 1, 
2021.
    We are reopening this competition for eligible applicants in 
Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, for which the President has issued a 
disaster declaration, to allow those applicants more time to prepare 
and submit applications. For applicants that meet the eligibility 
criteria in this notice, we are reopening the competition until March 
15, 2021. We are also extending the intergovernmental review deadline 
until May 25, 2021.
    Eligibility: The reopening of the competition in this notice 
applies to eligible applicants under the Graduate Assistance in Areas 
of National Need program, Assistance Listing Number 84.200A, that are 
located in an area for which the President has issued an emergency 
declaration (see www.fema.gov/disasters/), in Louisiana (FEMA Disaster 
designation 3556), Oklahoma (FEMA Disaster designation 3555), and Texas 
(FEMA Disaster designation 3554).
    In accordance with the NIA, eligible applicants for this 
competition are:
    (a) Any academic department of an institution of higher education 
(IHE) that provides a course of study that--
    (i) Leads to a graduate degree in an area of national need; and
    (ii) Has been in existence for at least four years at the time of 
an application for a grant under this competition; or
    (b) An academic department of an IHE that--
    (i) Satisfies the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section; 
and
    (ii) Submits a joint application with one or more eligible non-
degree-granting institutions that have formal arrangements for the 
support of doctoral dissertation research with one or more degree-
granting institutions.
    Note: All information in the NIA for this competition remains the 
same, except for, with respect to eligible applicants, the deadline for 
the transmittal of applications and the deadline for intergovernmental 
review.
    Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135-1135e.
    Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, individuals with disabilities 
can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an 
accessible format. The Department will provide the requestor with an 
accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text 
format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print, 
audiotape, or compact disc, or other accessible format.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may 
access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of 
Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this 
document, as well as all other documents of this Department published 
in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To 
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at 
the site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

Tiwanda Burse,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management & Planning, Office of 
Postsecondary Education, Delegated authority to perform functions and 
duties of the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Postsecondary 
Education.
[FR Doc. 2021-04485 Filed 3-3-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P