[Federal Register: December 30, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 250)] [Notices] [Page 73527-73529] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr30de99-63] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA NO.: 84.031H] Notice Inviting Applications for Designation as Eligible Institutions for fiscal year (FY) 2000 for the Strengthening Institutions, American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions and Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Programs Purpose of These Programs: Under the Strengthening Institutions, American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions 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, Hispanic-Serving Institutions are eligible to apply for grants under the HSI Program, now 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), Federal Work Study (FWS), and Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Programs (UISFLP). These first two programs are student financial assistance programs authorized under Title IV of the HEA; the third 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 or Title V programs. Special Note: Two of the criteria that each eligible institution must satisfy relate to enrollment of needy students and Education and General (E&G) expenditures. However, we changed the collection processes for determining the thresholds for these criteria, and as a result, base year data beyond 1996-1997 is currently unavailable. In order to award FY 2000 grants in a timely manner, we will use 1996-1997 base year data to determine eligibility. Moreover, for FY 2000, we will extend the eligibility status an additional year for all institutions designated as eligible in FY 1999, with one exception-- Title III and Title V institutions whose grant expired on September 30, 1999. These institutions must apply for FY 2000 eligibility using 1996- 1997 base year data. Of course, institutions that were not designated as eligible institutions in fiscal year 1999 must apply under this notice for that designation for fiscal year 2000. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications:February 4, 2000 for applicant institutions that wish to apply for fiscal year 2000 grants under the Strengthening Institutions, American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, and HSI Programs. May 26, 2000 for applicant institutions that wish to apply only for waivers under the FSEOG, FWS, or UISFLP Programs. Thus, if an applicant institution wishes to apply for a grant and a waiver, the deadline date is February 4, 2000. Electronic Submission of applications: For FY 2000, we are offering applicant institutions the option of submitting their Designation of Eligibility applications electronically. Moreover, institutions that are unable to meet the needy student enrollment or the E&:G expenditure requirement may also submit their waiver requests electronically. Eligibility Applications Available: January 5, 2000. Eligibility Information: To qualify as an eligible institution under any of the programs included in this notice, an accredited institution must, among other things, have a high enrollment of needy students, and its education and general (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. The complete eligibility requirements for HSI Program institutions are found in the 34 CFR 606.2-606.5, which was published in the Federal Register of December 15, 1999, 64 FR 70146-70153. The complete eligibility requirements for the remaining programs are found in 34 CFR 607.2-607.5, a portion of which was also amended in the Federal [[Page 73528]] Register of December 15, 1999, 64 FR 70146, 70153-70155. The regulations may also be accessed by visiting the following Department of Education web site on the World Wide Web: http://www.ed.gov/offices/ OPE/OHEP Enrollment of Needy Students: Under 34 CFR 606.3(a) and 607.3(a), an institution is considered to have a high 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 (award) year 1996-1997 must be more than the median for its category of comparable institutions provided in the table set forth below in this notice. Educational and General Expenditures per Full-Time Equivalent Student: An institution should compare its 1996-1997 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 set forth below in this notice. If the institution's E&G expenditure for the 1996-1997 base year are less than the average for its category of comparable institutions, it meets this eligibility requirement. An institution's E&G expenditures are the total amount it expended during the base year for instruction, research, public service, academic support, student services, institutional support, 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 for the four categories of comparable institutions: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Median Pell Student Grant Average E & percentage G FTE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-year Public Institutions.................... 26.9 $8,132 2-year Non-Profit Private Institutions........ 39.1 12,322 4-year Public Institutions.................... 28.7 17,067 4-year Non-Profit Private Institutions........ 27.1 24,756 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Waiver Information: Institutions of higher education that are unable to meet the needy student enrollment requirement or the E&G expenditure 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 requirement must include the detailed information as set forth in the instructions for completing the application. The waiver authority provided in 34 CFR 606.3(b)(2) and (3) and 607.3(b)(2) and (3) refers to ``low-income'' students and families. The regulations define ``low-income'' as an amount that does not exceed 150 percent of the amount equal to the poverty level in the 1996-97 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: FY 1996-97 Annual Low-Income Levels ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contiguous 48 States, the District of Size of family unit Columbia and Alaska Hawaii outlying jurisdictions ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.............................. $11,610 $14,490 $13,365 2.............................. 15,540 19,410 17,880 3.............................. 19,470 24,330 22,395 4.............................. 23,400 29,250 26,910 5.............................. 27,330 34,170 31,425 6.............................. 31,260 39,090 35,940 7.............................. 35,190 44,010 40,455 8.............................. 39,120 48,930 44,970 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For family units with more than eight members, add the following amount for each additional family member: $3,930 for the contiguous 48 states, the District of Columbia and outlying jurisdictions; $4,920 for Alaska; and $4,515 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 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 March 18, 1999 (64 FR 13428-13430). In reference to the waiver option specified in 606.3(b)(4) and 607.3(b)(4) of the regulations, information about ``metropolitan statistical areas'' may be obtained by requesting the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 1999, order number PB99-501538, from the National Technical Information Services, Document Sales, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161, telephone number 1-800-553-6847. There is a charge for this publication. Applicable Regulations: Regulations applicable to the eligibility process include the Strengthening Institutions Program Regulations in 34 CFR part 607, HSI Program regulations in 34 CFR part 606, and the Education Department General Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98 and 99. For Applications or Information Contact: Ellen M. Sealey, Margaret A. Wheeler or Anne S. Young, Institutional Development and Undergraduate Education Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, N.W., 6th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006-8513. Telephone (202) 502-7777. Individuals [[Page 73529]] who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio tape, or computer diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding paragraph. Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternate format by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternate format the standard forms included in the application package. Electronic Access to This Document You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the following sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg/htm http://www.ed.gov/news.html To use the PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at (202) 572-1530. Note: The official version of a 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://www.access.gpo.gov/ nara/index/html. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1057, 1059c and 1065a. Dated: December 23, 1999. Claudio R. Prieto, Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. [FR Doc. 99-33959 Filed 12-29-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-P