Notice2026-16223
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Shaping the Future of Loan Repayment
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 10, 2026
Issuing agencies
Education Department
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing a new information collection request (ICR).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 152 (Monday, August 10, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 152 (Monday, August 10, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 51472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-16223]
[[Page 51472]]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED-2026-SCC-0562]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Shaping the Future of Loan Repayment
AGENCY: Institute of Education Sciences (IES), Department of Education
(ED).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995,
the Department is proposing a new information collection request (ICR).
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
September 9, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for proposed
information collection requests should be submitted within 30 days of
publication of this notice. Click on this link <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a> to access the site. Find this information collection request
(ICR) by selecting ``Department of Education'' under ``Currently Under
Review,'' then check the ``Only Show ICR for Public Comment'' checkbox.
<a href="http://Reginfo.gov">Reginfo.gov</a> provides two links to view documents related to this
information collection request. Information collection forms and
instructions may be found by clicking on the ``View Information
Collection (IC) List'' link. Supporting statements and other supporting
documentation may be found by clicking on the ``View Supporting
Statement and Other Documents'' link.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to
collection activities, please contact Matt Soldner, 202-453-7441.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department 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: Shaping the Future of Loan Repayment.
OMB Control Number: 1850-NEW.
Type of Review: A new ICR.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals and Households Total
Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 60.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 30.
Abstract: The National Center for Education Evaluation (NCEE) at
the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of
Education (ED) requests clearance from the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to conduct new data collection activities for the Shaping
the Future of Loan Repayment: Participation and Repayment Progress in
Federal Student Loan Plans study.
Little information exists on what borrowers understand about how
repayment plan features such as longer repayment period, forgiveness, a
payment cap, an interest subsidy, or income-driven monthly payment,
affect aspects of repayment and how borrowers may prioritize these
different plan features. Improving the borrower repayment experience
requires understanding how borrowers choose repayment plans, including
their understanding of available options, comprehension of plan
features and how those features affect their ability to pay back their
loans, and the priorities that guide their decisions. In this study, ED
seeks to understand which borrowers do and do not enroll in IDR plans,
why they do so, how long they stay in their plans, their repayment
behaviors, and other household finance and life course outcomes, as
feasible.
The 60-day Federal Register notice was published on March 19, 2026,
Vol. 91., No. 53 page 13297. Four comments were received on the study's
recruitment and proposed data collection plan. No comments expressed
opposition to or concerns about the proposed data collection. Broadly,
commenters emphasized the importance of acknowledging broader factors
in the framing for the study and highlighted the need to account for
the diversity of borrowers and their complex repayment experiences in
sampling, recruitment, and interview methods. After reviewing the
public comments, the study team revised selected measures of household
financial circumstances in the interview protocol. No changes are
recommended to the IDR sampling plan, recruitment strategy, data
collection plan, or the analytic focus.
This request covers telephone/virtual interviews with federal
student loan borrowers in repayment. This is the first and only request
for the collection of data for this study.
Ross Santy,
Chief Data Officer, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy
Development.
[FR Doc. 2026-16223 Filed 8-7-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 10, 2026.
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