This collection is approved with the following terms of clearance:
Upon re-evaluation of the Department's current methodology in assessing burden imposed by the public, the Department acknowledges that the burden estimate as submitted to OMB for the FAFSA application did not include the time required to complete some ancillary processes required in order to accurately complete the application. As required under 5 CFR 1320, agencies are to include in their burden estimates, an estimate for the total annual reporting and recordkeeping burden that will result from the collection of information. As a result, the Department of Education has adjusted its estimate of the burden by including the time devoted to activities such as preparation, submission, and record-keeping.
It is important to note that the higher burden estimate does not reflect an actual increase in burden, but rather a more accurate estimate of the burden associated with the FAFSA application process. It is also important to recognize the Department's tremendous efforts in burden reduction through the use of web enhancements such as skip logic and pre-population of IRS data. These are efforts are reflected in the significant program change reduction due to agency discretion.
Given the plans submitted by the Department to better assess burden in its 2010-2011 FAFSA submission to OMB, FSA must further re-evaluate their burden estimates before seeking OMB approval for the 2011-2012 FAFSA application. In order to do so, FSA will do the following:
 Using the 2010-2011 FOTW application, they will monitor application
completion time. The completion timer will start at the Introduction page
(after successful login) through submission of the application. The time will not include timeouts by applicant and will be rolled back to last completed
action. (FSA)will receive a weekly report of completion average by applicant
type (dependent and independent students) and type of FAFSA completed (FOTW,
FAFSA EZ and pre-filled FOTW).
 In addition to analysis of the 2010-2011, FSA will use existing approved
customer satisfaction survey questions and consider adding additional
questions pertaining to preparation time (gathering documents, reading
instructions, etc)
 FSA will also evaluate whether or not to conduct additional studies (usability
testing and customer satisfaction) to accurately assess estimates of burden.
Options include but not limited to:
o Review of comparative analyses of the methodologies used by other
federal agencies that are similar in complexity and uses.
o Student/applicant focus groups
o Financial aid administrator focus groups
o Usability studies
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
12/31/2010
36 Months From Approved
12/31/2011
21,696,675
0
17,123,392
26,781,074
0
8,341,867
0
0
0
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) collects the data necessary to determine a studentÂs eligibility for participation in the following federal student assistance programs identified in the Higher Education Act (HEA): the Federal Pell Grant Program; the Campus-Based Programs; the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program; the Federal Family Education Loan Program; the Academic Competitiveness Grant; the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant, and the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.
There are both adjustments and program changes to this year's FAFSA as explained briefly here:
There are two Adjustments to the 2010-2011 FAFSA that total 22,560,709 burden hours. The first adjustment is for a revised burden estimate to fully reflect the time required to perform all processes associated with FAFSA completion, including Preparation, Completion, Submission and Recordkeeping. This adjustment totals an estimated burden increase of 20,332,779.
The second adjustment reflects the increased volume projections of 15.5% for a total of 21,696,675 applicants during the 2010-2011 cycle, resulting in an estimated burden adjustment increase of 2,227,930.
There is also a very significant Program Change Burden Decrease of 4,121,500 hours. This decrease results from FSA simplification efforts to streamline the application, thereby reducing electronic format completion times. For example, starting in July 2010, FAFSA applicants can access and download IRS data to significantly reduce preparation time by pre-populating up to 18 financial data elements.
$54,007,277
No
No
Uncollected
Uncollected
No
Uncollected
Shamarli Kollock 2023773483
No
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.
Pre-filled FAFSA Electronic
FAFSA 2010-2011 burden totals.xls
Att_2010-11 Data Elements Justification.doc
Att_Draft 2010-11 FOTW Worksheet.pdf
Pre-filled FAFSA Electronic