2015-27727. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16) Full Scale Student Data Collection

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

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.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 30, 2015.

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-2015-ICCD-0126. 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 2E105, Washington, DC 20202-4537.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Kashka Kubzdela at [phone] or by email [e-mail].

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: 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16) Full Scale Student Data Collection

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: 86,000.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 75,811.

Abstract: The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), a nationally representative study of how students and their families finance postsecondary education, was first implemented by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1987 and has been fielded every 3 to 4 years since. The next major data collection will occur in 2016 following a field test collection in 2015. This submission is for the ninth cycle in the series, NPSAS:16, which will also serve as the base year study for the 2016 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B) which provides data on the various paths of recent college graduates into employment and additional education. The NPSAS:16 sample will include about 2,000 institutions and about 128,000 students. Institution contacting began in October 2015 and student data collection will be conducted from January through September 2016. The NPSAS:16 full scale institution contacting and enrollment list collection was approved in July 2015 (OMB# 1850-0666 v.15-16). This submission covers NPSAS:16 full scale materials and procedures required for student record abstractions, student surveying, and matching data to administrative files. Because the institution contacting and enrollment list collection will still be ongoing at the time this request is approved, the burden and materials from the NPSAS:16 Full Scale Institution Contacting And Enrollment List Collection request (OMB# 1850-0666 v.15-16) are being carried over in this submission.

Dated: October 27, 2015.

Stephanie Valentine,

Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management.