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Subject: 2014-2015 FAFSA Clearance Package

Publication Date: October 22, 2013

Posted Date: October 22, 2013

Subject: 2014-2015 FAFSA Clearance Package

FR Type: Notice

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62603-62605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24672]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2013-ICCD-0061]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; 2014-2015 Federal Student Aid Application

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

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
November 21, 2013.

ADDRESSES: 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 ED-2013-ICCD-
0061 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 Acting Director of the Information Collection
Clearance Division, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue
SW., LBJ, Room 2E105, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions related to collection
activities or burden, please call Katrina Ingalls, 703-620-3655 or
electronically mail ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please do not send comments
here.

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

[[Page 62604]]

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: 2014-2015 Federal Student Aid Application.
    OMB Control Number: 1845-0001.
    Type of Review: Revision of an existing collection of information.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 47,401,966.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 26,164,366.
    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). After submission and
processing of the FAFSA, an applicant receives a Student Aid Report
(SAR), which is a summary of the processed 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 the following Table.

*NOTE: CHART OMITTED -- SEE PDF FOR CHART

 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:
    [ssquf] The total number of applicants that will potentially apply
for federal student aid;
    [ssquf] How the applicant chooses to complete and submit the FAFSA
(e.g., by paper or electronically via FOTW);
    [ssquf] How the applicant chooses to submit any corrections and/or
updates (e.g., the paper SAR or electronically via FOTW Corrections);
    [ssquf] The type of SAR document the applicant receives (eSAR, SAR
acknowledgment, or paper SAR);
    [ssquf] The formula applied to determine the applicant's EFC (full
need analysis formula, Simplified Needs Test or Automatic Zero); and
    [ssquf] 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 2014-2015
is based upon two factors--estimates of the total enrollment in all
degree-granting institutions and the percentage change in FAFSA
submissions for the last completed or almost completed application
cycle. 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 2014-2015, the Department is reporting a net burden increase of
204,513 hours attributed to the increase in applicants.
    In response to the 60-day comment period, the Department has made
some changes to the application explained in the Summary of
Enhancements (see Summary of Enhancements to the 2014-2015 Free
Application for Federal Student Aid). We project that these changes
will not substantively impact burden.

    Dated: October 17, 2013.
Stephanie Valentine,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy,
Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2013-24672 Filed 10-21-13; 8:45 am]
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