[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 168 (Thursday, August 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50785-50786]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-19918]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests
AGENCY: Department of Education.
SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education requests comments on the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes
to use for the 2009-2010 award 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 Department acknowledges the recent passage of the Higher
Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 and its instruction to the
Department to simplify the Federal Student Aid application process, to
reduce the number of questions on the FAFSA form, to create a FAFSA-EZ
form, and to revise the form so that it contains consumer friendly
language as well as take other measures to streamline the process of
applying for federal student aid. The Department is committed to
improving the federal student aid application process for individuals
completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). We
were challenged to incorporate each of the changes required to satisfy
the intent of Congress in implementing the College Cost Reduction and
Access Act (CCRAA) and the recently passed post 9/11 legislative
changes while not losing focus on our customers' need for a simple,
straightforward application.
Because 99 percent of student applicants opt to apply
electronically, much of the Department's recent improvements have
focused on the FAFSA suite of products. The most heavily used
application, FAFSA on the Web, maximizes the use of `skip logic' and
previously submitted FAFSA data, to dramatically reduce the time-to-
complete benchmark for returning customers. New customers have the
benefit of answering specific questions up front that determine if, for
example, the student needs to provide additional asset or parental
information. Students that are eligible to skip asset and/or parental
questions complete a shorter, more streamlined FAFSA. During 2007-2008,
the Department launched the use of a `real-time' PIN that enables every
applicant to electronically sign their FAFSAs during their on-line
session; eliminating the time consuming process of separately
requesting, and waiting for the delivery of, a PIN. For the one percent
of FAFSA applicants that complete the paper FAFSA, the Department has
simplified the application process by grouping like questions together,
incorporating previously supplemental worksheets into the application;
improving the layout of the form; and clearly delineating between
student and parental questions. For those students that prefer to
submit a paper FAFSA but don't have access to a pre-printed FAFSA form,
the Department has created a FAFSA PDF that can be downloaded from the
Internet and completed, either on a PC or by hand, and mailed to the
Department. In addition, the Department has created numerous on-line
and paper sources to assist students with the FAFSA process. The Web
site Student Aid on the Web (http://www.studentaid.ed.gov) provides a
vast array of student-centric information on researching colleges,
finding scholarships, preparing academically, and applying for federal
student assistance. The FAFSA4caster Web site (http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov) enables students to obtain an early estimate
of their eligibility for federal student aid while increasing their
knowledge of the financial aid process. FAFSA4caster users that opt to
provide demographic information about themselves can later `pre-
populate' a FAFSA, thereby shortening the application completion time.
Working with customers, stakeholders, partners and Congress, the
Department will continue its commitment to further streamline the
experience for FAFSA applicants into the future.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
October 27, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted electronically through e-mail to
FAFSA. [email protected]. Interested persons can access this document on
the Internet:
(1) Go to IFAP at http://ifap.ed.gov.
(2) Scroll down to ``Publications''.
(3) Click on ``FAFSAs and Renewal FAFSAs''.
(4) Click on ``By 2009-2010 Award Year''.
(5) Click on ``Draft FAFSA Form/Instructions''.
Please note that the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software, version
4.0 or greater, is necessary to view this file. This software can be
downloaded for free from Adobe's Web site: http://www.adobe.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 on 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
[[Page 50786]]
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: August 22, 2008.
Angela C. Arrington,
IC Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services,
Office of Management.
Office of Postsecondary Education
Type of Review: Revision.
Title: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: Individuals.
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
Responses: 17,123,392. Burden Hours: 8,341,867.
Abstract: 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 for financial assistance * * *'' 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.
Requests for copies of the proposed information collection request
may be accessed from http://edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ``Browse
Pending Collections'' link and clicking on link number 3804. Written
requests for information should be addressed to U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4537.
Requests may also be electronically mailed to [email protected] or
faxed to (202) 401-0920. Please specify the complete title of the
information collection when making your request.
Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity
requirements should be directed to the e-mail address
[email protected]. 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.
[FR Doc. E8-19918 Filed 8-27-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P