Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

The Secretary of Education requests comments on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes to use for the 2000-2001 year. The FAFSA is completed by students and their families and the information submitted on the for

Attachments:
PublicationDate: 11/30/98
FRPart:
RegPartsAffected:
PageNumbers: 65764-65765
Summary: The Secretary of Education requests comments on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes to use for the 2000-2001 year. The FAFSA is completed by students and their families and the information submitted on the form is used to determine the students' eligibility and financial need for financial aid under the student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Title IV, HEA Programs). The Secretary also requests comments on changes under consideration for the 2001-2002 FAFSA.
CommentDueDate: 1/22/99

  
[[This file contains this Federal Register in Portable Document Format (PDF). It can be viewed with version 3.0 or greater of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software. Scroll down to see a text version of this document.]]


[


[Federal Register: November 30, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 229)]
[Notices]
[Page 65764-65765]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30no98-59]

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

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education requests comments on the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes
to use for the 2000-2001 year. The FAFSA is completed by students and
their families and the information submitted on the form is used to
determine the students' eligibility and financial need for financial
aid under the student financial assistance programs authorized under
Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Title IV, HEA
Programs). The Secretary also requests comments on changes under
consideration for the 2001-2002 FAFSA. This notice provides additional
information not provided in an earlier notice published on November 23,
1998.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
January 22, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for copies of the proposed
information collection requests should be addressed to Patrick J.
Sherrill, Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW, Room
5624, Regional Office Building 3, Washington, DC 20202-4651. In
addition, interested persons can access this document on the Internet:

(1) Go to IFAP at http://ifap.ed.gov
(2) Click on the ``Bookshelf''
(3) Scroll down and click on ``FAFSA and Renewal FAFSA Forms and
Instructions''
(4) Click on ``By 2000-2001 Award Year''
(5) Click on ``FAFSA Instructions''
(6) Click on the red icon to open the file.

Please note that the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software, version
3.0 or greater, is necessary to view this file. This software can be
downloaded for free from Adobe's website: http://www.adobe.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick J. Sherrill (202) 708-8196.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of
1965, as amended (HEA), requires the Secretary, ``in cooperation with
agencies and organizations involved in providing student financial
assistance,'' to ``produce, distribute and process free of charge a
common financial reporting form to be used to determine the need and
eligibility of a student under'' the Title IV, HEA Programs. This form
is the FAFSA. In addition, Section 483 authorizes the Secretary to
include non-financial data items that assist States in awarding State
student financial assistance.

In consultation with the financial aid community, State agencies
administering student financial aid, and the public, the FAFSA was
substantially redesigned for the 1999-2000 year. Therefore the proposed
2000-2001 FAFSA was intentionally designed to be a ``rollover,''
containing minimal change from the redesigned 1999-2000 application.

[[Page 65765]]

In addition to comments on the proposed 2000-2001 FAFSA, the
Secretary also requests comments on the following changes under
consideration to the 2001-2002 FAFSA. References to the current FAFSA
are to the 1999-2000 FAFSA.

Addition of Parent Identifying Information

The Secretary is considering collecting the following parental
data: names, Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, citizenship, and
Alien Registration Number. Also under consideration are parents'
driver's license number and state, and permanent phone number. The
purpose of adding this information is to facilitate using the FAFSA as
a Plus loan application or an IRS match, as described below.

The FAFSA as PLUS Loan Application

One possible use of parent identifying information (described
above) is to make the FAFSA the PLUS loan application. The Secretary is
considering implementing this in 2001-2002.

IRS Match

Another possible use of parent identifying information (described
above) is to conduct a computer match to confirm student and parent
income information with the IRS. The Secretary is considering
implementing this in 2001-2002.

Reduction of Number of Schools on the FAFSA

The current FAFSA allows students to select up to six schools to
receive their application information. Applicant data show, however,
that the vast majority of students list only three or fewer schools. In
addition, improved information technology has made it easier for
students to add more schools after submitting their initial
application. As such, the Secretary is considering reducing the number
of schools students can list on the FAFSA.

Elimination of FAFSA Express

The success of FAFSA on the Web and the increasing availability of
Internet access lead the Secretary to consider consolidating student
electronic application options by eliminating the PC software program
FAFSA Express in the 2001-2002 award year.

Addition of E-mail Address

E-mail is becoming an increasingly viable means of communication
between students and various agencies and organizations that administer
student financial aid. As such, the Secretary is considering collecting
student (and parent) e-mail addresses on the 2001-2002 paper FAFSA. In
addition, the Secretary is considering adding student e-mail address to
FAFSA on the Web for 2000-2001 for the purpose of an e-mail
notification to the student that his or her application has been
processed.

The Secretary is publishing this request for comment under the
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et
seq. Under that Act, ED must obtain the review and approval of the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) before it may use a form to
collect information. However, under procedure for obtaining approval
from OMB, ED must first obtain public comment of the proposed form, and
to obtain that comment, ED must publish this notice in the Federal
Register.

In addition to comments requested above, to accommodate the
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Secretary is
interested in receiving comments with regard to the following matters:
(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.

Dated: November 23, 1998.
Kent H. Hannaman,
Leader, Information Management Group, Office of the Chief Financial and
Chief Information Officer.

Office of Postsecondary Education

Type of Review: Revision.
Title: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: Individuals and families.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:

Responses: 10,254,697
Burden Hours: 6,589,649

Abstract: The FAFSA collects identifying and financial information
about a student who applies for Title IV, Higher Education Act (HEA)
Program funds. This information is used to calculate the student's
expected family contribution, which is used to determine a student's
financial need. The information is also used to determine the student's
eligibility for grants and loans under the Title IV, HEA Programs. It
is further used for determining a student's eligibility for State and
institutional financial aid programs.

[FR Doc. 98-31720 Filed 11-27-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P




]