Department of Education – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Secretary announces the annual updates to the ICR plan formula for 2015, as required by 34 CFR 685.209(b)(1)(ii)(A), to give notice to Direct Loan borrowers and the public regarding how monthly ICR payment amounts will be calculated for the 2015-2016 year.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a new information collection.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (Privacy Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a, the Chief Operating Officer for Federal Student Aid (FSA) of the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) publishes this notice of an altered system of records entitled ``Person Authentication Service (PAS)'' (18-11-12). PAS contains records about former, current, and prospective students, and their parents and endorsers, who apply for a user ID and password (FSA ID). The PAS system will be used to generate authentication and log-on credentials for those individuals wishing to access various student financial assistance systems, online applications, Web sites, and services to obtain information about their personal records. PAS will replace the current Department of Education (ED) Personal Identification Number (PIN) Registration System, and the ED PIN Registration System will be retired. The system of records notice for the ED PIN Registration System is 18-11-12; it was published in the Federal Register on December 27, 1999 (64 FR 72400-72402). PAS will be used to access a variety of Departmental systems and Web sites, including, but not limited to:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a reinstatement of a previously approved information collection.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (Privacy Act), the Department of Education (Department) publishes this notice of a new system of records entitled ``Impact Evaluation of Support for Principals'' (18-13-37). The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance at the Department's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) awarded a contract in June 2014 to Mathematica Policy Research to provide evidence on principal professional development effectiveness.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.

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.

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.

The Secretary announces deadline dates for the receipt of documents and other information from applicants and institutions participating in certain Federal student aid programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), for the 2015-2016 award year. The Federal student aid programs covered by this deadline date notice are the Pell Grant, Direct Loan, TEACH Grant, and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant programs. These programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Education (Department), provide financial assistance to students attending eligible postsecondary educational institutions to help them pay their educational costs. Deadline and Submission Dates: See Tables A and B at the end of this notice. Table ADeadline Dates by Which a Student Must Submit the FAFSA, by Which the Institution Must Receive the Student's Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) or Student Aid Report (SAR), and by Which the Institution Must Submit Verification Outcomes for Certain Students for the 2015-2016 Award Year. Table A provides information and deadline dates for receipt of the FAFSA, corrections to and signatures for the FAFSA, ISIRs, and SARs, and verification documents. The deadline date for the receipt of a FAFSA by the Department's Central Processing System is June 30, 2016, regardless of the method that the applicant uses to submit the FAFSA. The deadline date for the receipt of a signature page for the FAFSA (if required), correction, notice of change of address or school, or request for a duplicate SAR is September 17, 2016. For all Federal student aid programs, an ISIR or SAR for the student must be received by the institution no later than the student's last date of enrollment for the 2015-2016 award year or September 26, 2016, whichever is earlier. As a reminder, a FAFSA must be submitted for the dependent student for whom a parent is applying for a Direct PLUS Loan. Verification documents must be received by the institution no later than 120 days after the student's last date of enrollment for the 2015- 2016 award year or September 26, 2016, whichever is earlier. For all Federal student aid programs except for (1) Direct PLUS Loans that will be made to parent borrowers, and (2) Direct Unsubsidized Loans that will be made to dependent students who have been determined by the institution, pursuant to section 479A(a) of the HEA, to be eligible for such a loan without providing parental information on the FAFSA, the ISIR or SAR must have an official expected family contribution (EFC) and must be received by the institution no later than the earlier of the student's last date of enrollment for the 2015-2016 award year or September 26, 2016. For a student who is requesting aid through the Pell Grant, FSEOG, FWS, and Federal Perkins Loan programs or for a student requesting Direct Subsidized Loans, who does not meet the conditions for a late disbursement under 34 CFR 668.164(g), a valid ISIR or valid SAR must be received no later than the student's last date of enrollment for the 2015-2016 award year or September 26, 2016, whichever is earlier. In accordance with 34 CFR 668.164(g)(4)(i), an institution may not make a late disbursement of title IV student assistance funds later than 180 days after the date of the institution's determination that the student was no longer enrolled. Table A provides that, to make a late disbursement of title IV student assistance funds, an institution must receive a valid ISIR or valid SAR no later than 180 days after its determination that the student was no longer enrolled, but not later than September 26, 2016. Table BPell Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, Direct Loan, and TEACH Grant Programs' Deadline Dates for Disbursement Information by Institutions for the 2015-2016 Award Year or Processing Year. Table B provides the earliest dates for institutions to submit Pell Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, Direct Loan, and TEACH Grant disbursement records to the Department's Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System and deadline dates for an institution's request for administrative relief if it cannot meet the established deadline for specified reasons. An institution must submit Pell Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant, Direct Loan, and TEACH Grant disbursement records, as applicable, no later than 15 days after making the disbursement or becoming aware of the need to adjust a student's previously reported disbursement. In accordance with 34 CFR 668.164(a), title IV funds are disbursed on the date that the institution: (a) Credits those funds to a student's account in the institution's general ledger or any subledger of the general ledger; or (b) pays those funds to a student directly. Title IV funds are disbursed even if an institution uses its own funds in advance of receiving program funds from the Secretary. An institution's failure to submit disbursement records within the required timeframe may result in the Secretary rejecting all or part of the reported disbursement. Such failure may also result in an audit or program review finding or the initiation of an adverse action, such as a fine or other penalty for such failure, in accordance with subpart G of the General Provisions regulations in 34 CFR part 668.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing a new information collection.

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.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.

On February 23, 2015 the U.S. Department of Education published a 30-day comment period notice in the Federal Register Pages 9447, Column 3; Page 9448, Column 1 and 2 seeking public comment for an information collection entitled, ``Personal Authentication Service (PAS) for FSA ID''. ED is requesting a correction to the agency contact information, total estimated number of annual responses, total estimated number of annual burden hours and the abstract. The For Further Information Contact section should read as: For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Beth Grebeldinger, 202-377-4018. The total estimated number of annual responses should read as 55,300,000. The total estimated number of annual burden hours should read as 7,370,000. The abstract should read as Federal Student Aid (FSA) is replacing the current PIN system with the Personal Authentication Service (PAS) which will employ an FSA ID, a standard user name and password solution. In order to create an FSA ID to gain access to certain FSA systems (FAFSA on the Web, NSLDS, StudentLoans.gov, etc.) a user must register on-line for an FSA ID account. The FSA ID will allow the customer to have a single identity, even if there is a name change or change to other personally identifiable information. The information collected to create the FSA ID enables electronic authentication and authorization of users for FSA web-based applications and information and protects users from unauthorized access to user accounts on all protected FSA sites. The Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Privacy, Information and Records Management Services, Office of Management, hereby issues a correction notice as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

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.

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.

This notice sets forth the schedule for the March 23, 2015, virtual meeting of NACIQI, and provides information to members of the public on registering for the meeting, and for submitting written comments and requests to make oral comments. The notice of this virtual meeting is required under Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and Section 114(d)(2)(B) of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended, 20 U.S.C. 1011c.

The Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education proposes priorities, requirements, a selection criterion, and definitions under the First in the World (FITW) Program. The Assistant Secretary may use these priorities, requirements, selection criterion, and definitions for FITW competitions in fiscal year (FY) 2015 and later years. These priorities, requirements, selection criterion, and definitions would enable the Department to focus the FITW program on identified barriers to student success in postsecondary education and advance the program's purpose to build evidence for what works in postsecondary education through development, evaluation, and dissemination of innovative strategies to support students who are at risk of failure in persisting in and completing their postsecondary programs of study.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), ED is proposing an extension of an existing information collection.