Approved as
amended by ED's memoranda to OMB of 7/21/97 and subsequent
materials. In addition, ED has agreed to meet the following
conditions: 1) ED shall consider all public comments received on
the FAFSA under this clearance action as part of the redesign
project for the 1999-2000 FAFSA. ED will work with OMB on a
prototype for the redesign that will be beta-tested, put out for
comment by November 1, 1997, and submitted to OMB for clearance by
January 1, 1998 so that action can be taken in time to meet ED's
production deadline of March 1, 1998. ED will also update OMB on
the status of negotiations with State agencies as they develop. 2)
ED will reevaluate the security issues surrounding the current Web
FAFSA after data become available about browser types and
assumptions are developed on connect time. This reevaluation will
be made in the context of the clearance of the 1999-2000 FAFSA, and
will balance the continued need for secure data, ease of use, and
the state of the software industry with regard to encryption
capacity (i.e., 128 v. 56-bit). As the browser data become
available in the next 6 weeks, ED will provide OMB with updates on
the types of browsers used to access the Web FAFSA to determine
which are immediately compatible and what percentage require
downloading; these data will be used to make assumptions on how
much to adjust the burden estimates to account for downloading
time, which shall be done as soon as possible. ED agrees that the
goal for the Web FAFSA is to maximize ease of use for students
while providing appropriate security safeguards, and the
reevaluation will examine options to best achieve this goal. 3) As
part of the next clearance and the redesign process, ED shall
develop a short summary document that provides basic information on
student aid to be included with the FAFSA 4) The redesign will
examine how best to present the opening page of general
information, and ED will use OMB's 7/11 suggested revision as one
model for that presentation. 5) The redesign will assess options
for removing the requirement that students include school street
address where Title IV school codes are not available, as city and
State are sufficient for the vast majority of schools. 6) The
redesign will examine ways to streamline and combine the various
questions asking about information release. 7) ED has agreed to
make the following changes to the 1998-99 FAFSA: a) add a heading
"How to complete this form" (or similar language) at the top of the
text on p. 1 of the instructions; b) revise the "What you will need
to complete the FAFSA" section to include alien registration number
for non-citizens and tax returns for spouse and parent, if
applicable; and c) add an "or" between Title IV school code and the
school name and address for questions 90-101, with accompanying
changes to the instructions.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
06/30/1999
06/30/1999
06/30/1998
9,831,756
0
9,831,756
7,625,993
0
8,502,819
0
0
0
Collects identifying and financial
information from students applying for Federal student aid for
postsecondary education. Used to calculate expected family
contribution and determine eligibility for grants and loans under
title IV of the HEA.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)