82 FR 32350 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC)

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 133 (July 13, 2017)

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is proposing a revision of an existing information collection.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 133 (Thursday, July 13, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32350-32351]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14678]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED-2017-ICCD-0102]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 2017-
18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study Administrative Collection 
(NPSAS:18-AC)

AGENCY: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Department of 
Education (ED).

ACTION: Notice.

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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 
September 11, 2017.

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-2017-ICCD-
0102. 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. 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, 400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room 224-84, 
Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact NCES Information Collections 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: 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid 
Study Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC).
    OMB Control Number: 1850-0666.
    Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 10,804.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 63,335.
    Abstract: This request is to conduct the 2017-18 National 
Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-
AC). This study is being conducted by the National Center for Education 
Statistics (NCES). NPSAS is a nationally representative study of how 
students and their families finance education beyond high school. The 
first NPSAS was implemented by NCES during the 1986-87 academic year to 
meet the need for national data about significant financial aid issues. 
Since 1987, NPSAS has been fielded every 3 to 4 years, most recently 
during the 2015-16 academic year (NPSAS:16). This submission is for 
NPSAS:18-AC, which departs from the design of previous NPSAS studies in 
three respects: It is anticipated to include state-representative 
estimates for undergraduate students overall and in public 2-year and 
public 4-year institutions; it will provide financial aid estimates 2-
years earlier than how the

[[Page 32351]]

studies were previously scheduled; and it will be the first NPSAS study 
without a student interview component. Future NPSAS collections will 
continue to include a student interview every four years (NPSAS:16, 
NPSAS:20, NPSAS:24) to yield nationally representative data. In 
alternating cycles, an Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC, 
NPSAS:22-AC, and NPSAS:26-AC) will be conducted in which only 
administrative data from the Department's data systems and 
institutional student records will be compiled to yield state 
representative data. This submission covers materials and procedures 
related to enrollment list collection, student record abstractions, and 
matching to administrative data files as part of the NPSAS:18-AC data 
collection.

    Dated: July 10, 2017.
Kate Mullan,
Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of 
the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.
[FR Doc. 2017-14678 Filed 7-12-17; 8:45 am]
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