2019-22003. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Request for Designation as an Eligible Institution Under Titles III, V, and VII Programs and Waivers of ...

AGENCY:

Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), Department of Education (ED).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

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

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 8, 2019.

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-2019-ICCD-0127. 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. If the regulations.gov site is not available to the public for any reason, ED will temporarily accept comments at [e-mail]. Please include the docket ID number and the title of the information collection request when requesting documents or submitting comments. 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, 550 12th Street SW, PCP, Room 9086, Washington, DC 20202-0023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For specific questions related to collection activities, please contact Jason Cottrell, 202-453-7530.

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: Request for Designation As An Eligible Institution Under Titles III, V, and VII Programs and Waivers of the Non-Federal Cost Share Reimbursement (1894-0001).

OMB Control Number: 1840-0103.

Type of Review: An extension of an existing information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Private Sector; State, Local, and Tribal Governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 200.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,400.

Abstract: This collection of information is necessary in order for the Secretary of Education to designate an institution of higher education eligible to apply for funding under Titles III, V, and VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. An institution must apply to the Secretary to be designated as an eligible institution. The programs authorized include the Strengthening Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Asian-American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Native American Serving Nontribal Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and Articulation), Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans, and Predominantly Black Institutions Programs. These programs award discretionary grants to eligible institutions of higher education so that they might increase their self-sufficiency by improving academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability.

This collection of information is gathered electronically by the Department for the purpose of determining an institution's eligibility to participate in the Titles III, V, and VII grant programs based on its enrollment of needy students and low average Core Expenses per full-time equivalent student. This collection also allows an institution to request a waiver of certain non-Federal cost-share requirements under the Federal Work-Study Program, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Student Support Services Program and the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program.

The collection is paired with a computational exercise that results in the simultaneous publication of an Eligibility Matrix, a listing of postsecondary institutions potentially eligible to apply for grants in Institutional Service. Criteria derived from applicable legislation and regulations are applied to enrollment and financial data from Department sources to determine the eligibility of each institution for each program. Only those institutions that either do not meet the financial criteria or do not appear in the eligibility matrix need to go through the application process.

The results of the application process are a determination of eligibility for grant application and waiver, and updated information on institutional eligibility which is added to the EM.

Dated: October 3, 2019.

Kathy Axt,

PRA Coordinator, Information Collection Clearance Program, Information Management Branch, Office of the Chief Information Officer.