Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
| Published date | 03 July 2019 |
| Citation | 84 FR 31862 |
| Record Number | 2019-14262 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Education Department |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31862-31864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14262]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No. ED-2019-ICCD-0039]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; 2020-2021 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
AGENCY: Federal Student Aid (FSA), Department of Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is
proposing a revision of an existing information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
August 2, 2019.
ADDRESSES: To access and review all the documents related to the
information collection listed in this notice, please use http://www.regulations.gov by searching the Docket ID number ED-2019-ICCD-
0039. 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. If the regulations.gov
site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily
accept comments at [email protected]. Please include the docket ID
number and the title of the information collection request when
requesting documents or submitting comments. 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, 550 12th Street, SW, PCP, Room 9086,
Washington, DC 20202-0023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to
collection activities, please contact the Applicant Products Team at
[email protected].
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: 2020-2021 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: 40,987,637.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 26,311,037.
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) and Federal Work-
Study (FWS)); the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan)
Program; the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher
Education (TEACH) Grant; the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship; and
the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.
Federal Student Aid (FSA), an office of the U.S. Department of
Education, 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 and processing of the
FAFSA form, an applicant receives a Student Aid Report (SAR), which is
a summary of the processed data they submitted on the FAFSA form. 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 form also receive a summary of
processed data submitted on the FAFSA form which is called the
Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR).
ED and FSA seek 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 1.
Table 1--Federal Student Aid Application Components
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Component Description Submission method
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initial Submission of FAFSA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAFSA.............................. The electronic version of the FAFSA form Submitted by the applicant
FAFSA-- Renewal.................... completed by applicants. via fafsa.gov or the
The electronic version of the FAFSA form myStudentAid mobile app.
completed by applicants who have previously
completed the FAFSA form..
[[Page 31863]]
FAFSA-EZ........................... The electronic version of the FAFSA form for
applicants who qualify for the Automatic Zero
(Auto Zero) needs analysis formula and the
applicant's State of Legal Residence is one
that allows for the skipping of questions not
used in the EFC calculation.
FAFSA--EZ Renewal.................. The electronic version of the FAFSA form for
applicants who have previously completed the
FAFSA form and who qualify for the Automatic
Zero (Auto Zero) needs analysis formula and
the applicant's State of Legal Residence is
one that allows for the skipping of questions
not used in the EFC calculation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAA Access......................... Online tool that a financial aid administrator Submitted through
FAA Access--Renewal................ (FAA) utilizes to submit a FAFSA form. faaaccess.ed.gov by an
Online tool that an FAA can utilize to submit a FAA on behalf of an
Renewal FAFSA form.. applicant.
FAA Access--EZ..................... Online tool that an FAA can utilize to submit a
FAFSA form for applicants who qualify for the
Auto Zero needs analysis formula and the
applicant's State of Legal Residence is one
that allows for the skipping of questions not
used in the EFC calculation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAA Access--EZ Renewal............. Online tool that an FAA can utilize to submit a
FAFSA form for applicants who have previously
completed the FAFSA form and who qualify for
the Auto Zero needs analysis formula and the
applicant's State of Legal Residence is one
that allows for the skipping of questions not
used in the EFC calculation.
Electronic Other................... This is a submission done by an FAA, on behalf The FAA may be using their
of the applicant, using the Electronic Data mainframe computer or
Exchange (EDE). software to facilitate
the EDE process.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Printed FAFSA...................... The printed version of the PDF FAFSA for Mailed by the applicant.
applicants who are unable to access the
Internet or complete the form using fafsa.gov
or the myStudentAid mobile app.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Correcting Submitted FAFSA Information and Reviewing FAFSA Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
fafsa.gov- Corrections............. Any applicant who has a Federal Student Aid ID Submitted by the applicant
(FSA ID)--regardless of how they originally via fafsa.gov.
applied--may make corrections.
Electronic Other--Corrections...... With the applicant's permission, corrections The FAA may be using their
can be made by an FAA using the EDE. mainframe computer or
software to facilitate
the EDE process.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper SAR--This is a SAR and an The full paper summary that is mailed to paper Mailed by the applicant.
option for corrections. 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 use FAA Access to correct Submitted through
the FAFSA form. faaaccess.ed.gov by an
FAA on behalf of an
applicant.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internal Department Corrections.... The Department will submit an applicant's These corrections are
record for system-generated corrections to the system- generated.
Central Processing System. There is no burden
to the applicants under this correction type
as these are system-based corrections.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Student Aid Information Any applicant, with their Data Release Number These changes are made
Center (FSAIC) Corrections. (DRN), can change the postsecondary directly in the CPS by an
institutions listed on their FAFSA form or FSAIC representative.
change their address by calling FSAIC.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAR Electronic (eSAR).............. The eSAR is an online version of the SAR that Cannot be submitted for
is available on fafsa.gov to all applicants processing.
with an FSA ID. Notification for the eSAR is
sent to students who applied electronically or
by paper and provided a valid e-mail address.
These notifications are sent by e-mail and
include a hyperlink that takes the user to the
fafsa.gov site.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAR Acknowledgement................ The SAR Acknowledgement is a condensed paper Cannot be submitted for
SAR that is mailed to applicants who applied processing.
electronically but did not provide a valid e-
mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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:
The total number of applicants that will potentially apply
for federal student aid;
How the applicant chooses to complete and submit the FAFSA
form (e.g., by paper or electronically);
How the applicant chooses to submit any corrections and/or
updates (e.g., the paper SAR or electronically);
The type of SAR document the applicant receives (eSAR, SAR
acknowledgment, or paper SAR);
The formula applied to determine the applicant's expected
family contribution (EFC) (full need analysis formula or Automatic
Zero); and
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 2020-21 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. ED accounts for each
application component based on analytical tools, survey information and
other ED data sources.
For 2020-21, ED is reporting a net burden increase of 2,358,697
hours.
[[Page 31864]]
Dated: June 28, 2019.
Kate Mullan,
PRA Coordinator, Information Collection Clearance Program, Information
Management Branch, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-14262 Filed 7-2-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
