[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 42 (Friday, March 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 12929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04504]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2020-SCC-0185]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; College Affordability and Transparency Explanation Form 
(CATEF) 2021-2023

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is 
proposing a revision of a currently approved collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
April 5, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed 
information collection requests should be sent within 30 days of 
publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find 
this information collection request by selecting ``Department of 
Education'' under ``Currently Under Review,'' then check ``Only Show 
ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox. Comments may also be sent to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Freddie Cross, 202-453-7224.

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: College Affordability and Transparency 
Explanation Form (CATEF) 2021-2023.
    OMB Control Number: 1840-0822.
    Type of Review: A revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State, Local, and Tribal Governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 544.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,251.
    Abstract: The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) is seeking a 
renewed three-year clearance for the College Affordability and 
Transparency Explanation Form (CATEF) data collection. OPE has 
collected this information since 2011-12 and the collection of 
information through CATEF is required by Sec.  132 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 as amended (HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1015a with the goal 
of increasing the transparency of college tuition prices for consumers. 
This submission is for the 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 collection 
years. CATEF collects follow-up information from institutions that 
appear on the tuition and fees and/or net price increase College 
Affordability and Transparency Center (CATC) Lists for being in the 
five percent of institutions in their institutional sector that have 
the highest increases, expressed as a percentage change, over the 
three-year time period for which the most recent data are available. 
The information collected through CATEF is used to write a summary 
report for Congress which is also posted on the CATC website 
(accessible through the College Navigator).
    Minor changes are being requested to the data collection 
instruments that were approved in November 2012 (OMB# 1840-0822 v.2). 
We will continue to use two CATEF forms: (1) Net Price and (2) Tuition 
and Fees. Analysis of past open-ended data questions in both surveys 
revealed that the open-ended items could be replaced with multi-choice 
items, resulting in burden reduction of 812 hours.

    Dated: March 1, 2021.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and Clearance, Governance and 
Strategy Division, Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, 
Evaluation and Policy Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-04504 Filed 3-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P