View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package
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Please note that the OMB number and expiration date may not have been determined when this Information Collection Request and associated Information Collection forms were submitted to OMB. The approved OMB number and expiration date may be found by clicking on the Notice of Action link below.
View ICR - OIRA Conclusion
OMB Control No:
1845-0001
ICR Reference No:
202507-1845-005
Status:
Active
Previous ICR Reference No:
202501-1845-004
Agency/Subagency:
ED/FSA
Agency Tracking No:
ED-2025-SCC-0218
Title:
2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Type of Information Collection:
Revision of a currently approved collection
Common Form ICR:
No
Type of Review Request:
Emergency
Approval Requested By:
08/03/2025
OIRA Conclusion Action:
Approved without change
Conclusion Date:
07/30/2025
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)
Date Received in OIRA:
07/30/2025
Terms of Clearance:
To be followed by a full revision clearance.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
Expiration Date
01/31/2026
6 Months From Approved
07/31/2026
Responses
31,791,647
0
31,791,647
Time Burden (Hours)
20,412,753
0
20,412,753
Cost Burden (Dollars)
0
0
0
Abstract:
Section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), mandates that the Secretary of Education “…shall produce, distribute, and process free of charge common financial reporting forms as described in this subsection to be used for application and reapplication to determine the need and eligibility of a student for financial assistance...”. The determination of need and eligibility are for the following Title IV, HEA, federal student financial assistance programs: the Federal Pell Grant Program; the Campus-Based programs (Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) and Federal Work-Study (FWS)); the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program; the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant; and the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship. Federal Student Aid (FSA), an office of the U.S. Department of Education (the Department), subsequently developed an application process to collect and process the data necessary to determine a student’s eligibility to receive Title IV, HEA program assistance. The application process involves an applicant’s submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). After submission and processing of the FAFSA form, an applicant receives a FAFSA Submission Summary, which is a summary of the processed data they submitted on the FAFSA form. The applicant reviews the summary, and, if necessary, will make corrections or updates to their submitted FAFSA data. Institutions of higher education listed by the applicant on the FAFSA form also receive a summary of processed data submitted on the FAFSA form, which is called the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR). The specific questions that applicants are asked to answer in the application process are described separately in the Data Elements and Justification document. The document identifies the data elements associated with each FAFSA question and provides the justification for including each question on the FAFSA form. In addition to the calculation of financial need for the various Title IV programs, the FAFSA form also collects data that allows for a determination of an applicant’s eligibility for state and institutional financial aid programs. If these data elements were not collected, the Department and institutions of higher education would be unable to make a determination of financial need and subsequently would be unable to award any Title IV, HEA program assistance, as mandated by the HEA. Many states would also be greatly hindered in their calculation of state aid to applicants. This is a request for revisions of a current information collection, and important changes to the FAFSA form are described separately in the 2026-27 Summary of Enhancements document.
Emergency Justfication:
The OBBBA was signed into law on July 4, 2025. The Act made changes to the FAFSA for the 2026-27 award year. The Department would not have been able to make these changes prior to the enactment of the OBBBA. Because of this, obtaining full OMB clearance to use the most accurate version of the FAFSA prior to FAFSA beta testing and FAFSA launch would not be possible. The FAFSA form is scheduled to be launched by October 1,2025 for the 2026-2027 award year. Without emergency review of an updated FAFSA form, beta testing and the launch of the FAFSA would be delayed. This means that students would not be able to complete a FAFSA form to determine eligibility for federal student aid. Institutions of higher education would not be able to package aid for their students until their students’ FAFSA forms have been processed. These delays would cause the FAFSA form to not be available to the public on time. Applicants and schools rely on the on-time launch of the FAFSA form each year. Delays could impact institutional enrollment projections, student enrollment, and student decisions to apply for federal student aid.
Authorizing Statute(s):
US Code:
20 USC 1090
Name of Law: Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
Citations for New Statutory Requirements:
None
Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:
Stage of Rulemaking:
Federal Register Citation:
Date:
Not associated with rulemaking
Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:
Federal Register Citation:
Citation Date:
90 FR 35676
07/29/2025
30-day Notice:
Federal Register Citation:
Citation Date:
90 FR 35676
07/29/2025
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR?
No
Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR:
1
IC Title
Form No.
Form Name
2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
NA, NA, NA, NA, NA, NA
FAFSA Submission Summary 26-27 Incarc Eng Output Manual
,
FAFSA 2026-2027 Incarcerated English
,
FAFSA 2026-2027 Regular English
,
FAFSA Submission Summary 26-27 Reg en 2025-01-24 Output Transferred
,
FAFSA Submission Summary 26-27 Reg en 2025-01-24 No Output Manual
,
FAFSA Submission Summary 26-27 Regular Eng Output Manual
ICR Summary of Burden
Total Approved
Previously Approved
Change Due to New Statute
Change Due to Agency Discretion
Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses
31,791,647
31,791,647
0
0
0
0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)
20,412,753
20,412,753
0
0
0
0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)
0
0
0
0
0
0
Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion:
No
Burden Increase Due to:
Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion:
No
Burden Reduction Due to:
Short Statement:
Annual Cost to Federal Government:
$38,706,260
Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods?
No
Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see
OMB Circular No. A-130
for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.
Yes
Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see
5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3)
)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.
Yes
Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]?
No
Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]?
No
Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)?
No
Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response?
No
Agency Contact:
Carolyn Rose 202 803-1502
Common Form ICR:
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:
(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;
(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;
(c) It reduces burden on small entities;
(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;
(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;
(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;
(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:
(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;
(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.
(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and
(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.
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.
Certification Date:
07/30/2025
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