FR Doc 03-30432
[Federal Register: December 9, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 236)]
[Notices]
[Page 68614-68617]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09de03-71]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[CFDA NO. 84.031H]
Office of Postsecondary Education; Strengthening Institutions
(SIP), American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities
(TCCU), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH)
and Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Programs; Notice
Inviting Applications for Designation as Eligible Institutions for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2004
Purpose of Programs: Under the SIP, TCCU, and ANNH Programs,
authorized under Part A of Title III of the Higher Education Act of
1965, as amended (HEA), institutions of higher education are eligible
to apply for grants if they meet specific statutory and regulatory
eligibility requirements. Similarly, institutions of higher education
are eligible to apply for grants under the HSI Program, authorized
under Title V of the HEA, if they meet specific statutory and
regulatory requirements. In addition, an institution that is designated
as an eligible institution under those programs may also receive a
waiver of certain non-Federal share requirements under the Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), the Federal Work
Study (FWS), the Student Support Services (SSS) and the Undergraduate
International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) Programs. The FSEOG,
FWS and SSS Programs are authorized under Title IV of the HEA; the
UISFL Program is authorized under Title VI of the HEA.
Qualified institutions may receive these waivers even if they are
not recipients of grant funds under the Title III Part A Programs or
Title V Program.
Special Note: To become eligible, your institution must satisfy
several criteria, including one related to needy student enrollment and
one related to average Educational and General (E&G) expenditures for a
particular base year. Because we changed the collection processes for
determining the thresholds for these two criteria, we do not have base
year data beyond 2000-2001. In order to award FY 2004 grants in a
timely manner, we will use threshold data from the base year 2000-2001
rather than a later base year. In completing your eligibility
application, please use data from the base year 2000-2001.
Eligible Applicants: To qualify as an eligible institution under
the Title III, Part A Programs or the Title V Program, an accredited
institution must, among other requirements, have an enrollment of needy
students, and its average E&G expenditures per full-time equivalent
(FTE) undergraduate student must be low in comparison with the average
E&G expenditures per FTE undergraduate student of institutions that
offer similar instruction. To be an eligible Hispanic-Serving
Institution, an institution must--
(1) Be accredited or preaccredited by a nationally recognized
accrediting agency or association that the Secretary has determined to
be a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training
offered;
(2) Be legally authorized by the State in which it is located to be
a junior college or to provide an educational program for which it
awards a bachelor's degree;
[[Page 68615]]
(3) Have an enrollment of needy students as described in the
Enrollment of Needy Students section of this notice;
(4) Have low average educational and general expenditures per full-
time equivalent undergraduate student as described in the Educational
and General Expenditures per Full-Time Equivalent Student section of
this notice and the application booklet;
(5) Have, at the time of application, an enrollment of
undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent
Hispanic students; and
(6) Provide assurances that not less than 50 percent of its
Hispanic students are low-income individuals.
Note: Numbers five and six above are required at the time of
submission of the grant application.
The complete eligibility requirements for the Title III, Part A
Programs are found in 34 CFR 607.2 through 607.5; the complete
eligibility for the HSI Programs are found in 34 CFR 606.2 through 34
CFR 606.5. These regulations may also be accessed by visiting the
following Department of Education Web site:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/1999-4/121599a.html
.
Enrollment of Needy Students: Under 34 CFR 606.3(a) and 607.3(a),
an institution is considered to have an enrollment of needy students
if: (1) At least 50 percent of its degree students received financial
assistance under one or more of the following programs: Federal Pell
Grant, FSEOG, FWS, and Federal Perkins Loan Programs; or (2) the
percentage of its undergraduate degree students who were enrolled on at
least a half-time basis and received Federal Pell Grants exceeded the
median percentage of undergraduate degree students who were enrolled on
at least a half-time basis and received Federal Pell Grants at
comparable institutions that offered similar instruction.
To qualify under this latter criterion, an institution's Federal
Pell Grant percentage for base year 2000-2001 must be more than the
median for its category of comparable institutions provided in the
table in this notice.
Educational and General Expenditures per Full-Time Equivalent
Student: An institution should compare its 2000-2001 average E&G
expenditures per FTE student to the average E&G expenditure per FTE
student for its category of comparable institutions contained in the
table in this notice. If the institution's average E&G expenditures for
the 2000-2001 base year are less than the average for its category of
comparable institutions, it meets this eligibility requirement.
An institution's average E&G expenditures are the total amount it
expended during the base year for instruction, research, public
service, academic support, student services, institutional support
including library expenditures, operation and maintenance, scholarships
and fellowships, and mandatory transfers.
The following table identifies the relevant median Federal Pell
Grant percentages and the relevant average E&G expenditures per FTE
student for the base year 2000-2001 for the four categories of
comparable institutions:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Median Pell Grant
Type of Institution (percentage) Average E&G per FTE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-year public institutions.................................... 19.6 $8,668
2-year non-profit private institutions........................ 32.7 20,483
4-year public institutions.................................... 23.5 20,789
4-year non-profit private institutions........................ 23.2 31,579
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Waiver Information: Institutions of higher education that are
unable to meet the needy student enrollment requirement or the average
E&G expenditures requirement may apply to the Secretary for waivers of
these requirements, as described in 34 CFR 606.3(b), 606.4(c) and (d),
607.3(b) and 607.4(c) and (d). Institutions requesting a waiver of the
needy student enrollment requirement or the average E&G expenditures
requirement must include in their application detailed information
supporting the waiver request, as described in the instructions for
completing the application.
With respect to the needy student requirement waiver, 34 CFR
606.3(b)(2) and (3) and 607.3(b)(2) and (3) refer to ``low-income''
students and families. The regulations define ``low-income'' as an
amount which does not exceed 150 percent of the amount equal to the
poverty level in the 2000-2001 base year as established by the U.S.
Bureau of the Census, 34 CFR 606.3(c) and 607.3(c).
For the purposes of this waiver provision, the following table sets
forth the low-income levels for the various sizes of families:
2000 Annual Low-Income Levels
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contiguous 48 States,
Size of family unit the District of Alaska Hawaii
Columbia and outlying
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.................................... $12,525 $15,645 $14,385
2.................................... 16,875 21,090 19,395
3.................................... 21,225 26,535 24,405
4.................................... 25,575 31,980 29,415
5.................................... 29,925 37,425 34,425
6.................................... 34,275 42,870 39,435
7.................................... 38,625 48,315 44,445
8.................................... 42,975 53,760 49,455
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For family units with more than eight members, applicants
requesting a waiver should add the following amount for each additional
family member: $4,350 for the contiguous 48 states, the District of
Columbia and outlying jurisdictions; $5,445 for Alaska; and $5,010 for
Hawaii.
The figures shown as low-income levels represent amounts equal to
150 percent of the family income levels established by the U.S. Bureau
of the
[[Page 68616]]
Census for determining poverty status. The Census levels were published
by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Federal
Register on February 15, 2000 (65 FR 7555-7557).
The information about ``metropolitan statistical areas'' referenced
in 34 CFR 606.3(b)(4) and 607.3(b)(4) may be obtained by requesting the
Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 1999, order number PB99-501538, from
the National Technical Information Service, Document Sales, 5285 Port
Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161, telephone number 1-800-553-
6847. There is a charge for this publication.
Applications Available: December 5, 2003.
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 20, 2004 for an
applicant institution that wishes to apply for a FY 2004 new grant
under the Title III, Part A Programs or the Title V Program; May 28,
2004 for an institution that wishes to apply only for cost-sharing
waivers under the FSEOG, FWS, SSS or UISFL Programs; and, January 20,
2004 for an institution that wishes to apply for both a grant under the
Title III, Part A Programs or the Title V Program and a waiver of the
Non-Federal share requirement.
Electronic Submission of Applications: The Government Paperwork
Elimination Act (GPEA) of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-277) and the Federal
Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 106-
107) encourage us to undertake initiatives to improve our grant
processes. Enhancing the ability of individuals and entities to conduct
business with us electronically is a major part of our response to
these Acts. Therefore, we are taking steps to adopt the Internet as our
chief means of conducting transactions in order to improve services to
our customers and to simplify and expedite our business processes.
Some of the procedures in these instructions for transmitting
applications differ from those in the Education Department General
Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75.102). Under the
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553) the Department generally
offers interested parties the opportunity to comment on proposed
regulations. However, these amendments make procedural changes only and
do not establish new substantive policy. Therefore, under 5 U.S.C.
553(b)(A), the Secretary has determined that proposed rulemaking is not
required.
We are requiring that applications for institutional eligibility
for FY 2004 under Request for Designation as an Eligible Institution be
submitted electronically at the following Web site:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://webprod.cbmiweb.com/Title3and5/index.html.
If you are unable to submit an application electronically you may
submit a written request for a waiver of the electronic submission
requirement. In the request, you should explain the reason or reasons
that prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application.
The request should be addressed to: Mr. Louis Venuto, U.S. Department
of Education, 1990 K Street, room 6071, Washington, DC 20202-8513.
Please submit your request no later than two weeks before the
application deadline date.
If, within two weeks of the application deadline date, you are
unable to submit an application electronically, you must submit a paper
application by the application deadline date in accordance with the
transmittal instructions in the application package. The paper
application must include a written request for a waiver documenting the
reasons that prevented the applicant from using the Internet to submit
the application.
To enter the Web site, you must use your institution's unique 8-
digit identifier, i.e., your Office of Postsecondary Education
Identification Number (OPE ID number). If you receive a hard copy of
the eligibility application and instructions from us in the mail, look
for the OPE ID number on the address label. Otherwise, your business
office or student financial aid office should have the OPE ID number.
If your business office or student financial aid office does not have
the OPE ID number, contact the Department, using the e-mail addresses
of the contact persons listed in this notice under FOR APPLICATIONS AND
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
You will find detailed instructions for completing the application
form electronically under the ``eligibility 2004'' link at either of
the following Web sites:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ed.gov/programs/iduestitle3a.index.html or http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www
.ed.gov/hsi.
For institutions of higher education that are unable to meet the
needy student enrollment requirement or the average E&G expenditure
requirement and wish to request a waiver of one or both of those
requirements, you must complete your designation application form
electronically and transmit your waiver request narrative document from
the following Web site:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://webprod.cbmiweb.com/Title3and5/index.html.
If your institution is unable to electronically submit your
narrative waiver request, print the electronic application form and
mail it along with the waiver request narrative to Mr. Louis Venuto,
Team Leader, Institutional Development and Undergraduate Education
Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, Room 6071,
Request for Eligibility Designation, Washington, DC 20202-8513.
Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General
Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 85, 86,
97, 98, and 99. (b) The regulations for the Title III, Part A Programs
in 34 CFR part 607, and for the Title V Program in 34 CFR part 606.
FOR APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen M. Sealey,
Carlos Reeder or Delores Anistead, Institutional Development and
Undergraduate Education Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K
Street, Room 6049, Request for Eligibility Designation, Washington, DC
20202-8513. Ms. Sealey's telephone number is (202) 502-7580. Mr.
Reeder's telephone number is (202) 502-7592. Mrs. Anistead's telephone
number is (202) 219-7060. Ms. Sealey, Mr. Reeder and Mrs. Anistead may be reached via e-mail at the following addresses: ellen.sealey@ed.gov, carlos.reeder@ed.gov, and delores.anistead@ed.gov.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact persons listed under FOR
APPLICATIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the application
package in an alternative format by contacting those persons. However,
the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative format the
standard forms included in the application package.
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other documents of this
Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using the PDF, call the
U.S. Government
[[Page 68617]]
Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the
Washington, DC area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057-1059d, 1101-1103g.
Sally L. Stroup,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education.
[FR Doc. 03-30432 Filed 12-4-03; 11:19 am]
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