SUPPORTING STATEMENT

FOR PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION

A. Justification 

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. 

Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. 

Attach a hard copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation 

mandating or authorizing the collection of information, or you may provide a valid 

URL link or paste the applicable section1. Specify the review type of the collection 

(new, revision, extension, reinstatement with change, reinstatement without change). 

If revised, briefly specify the changes. If a rulemaking is involved, make note of the 

sections or changed sections, if applicable.

Section 703 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, authorizes the Secretary to 

award fellowships under the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program for graduate study in the 

arts, humanities, and social sciences. The Javits award, a four-year fellowship, supports

graduate students of superior ability selected on the basis of demonstrated achievement, 

exceptional promise and financial need. The U.S. Department of Education has 

administered the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program since 1986.

The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) requires 

grantees to submit performance reports annually [see 34 CFR Part 74.51, 34 CFR Part 75, 

Section 75.118, 75.720(a) and 75.720 (b)]. Currently, the Annual Report of Financial 

Need and Certification for the Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Program is submitted to the 

Program Officer for each budget period of the four-year grant cycle for the Jacob K. 

Javits Fellowship Program by each institution. Renewal for each fellow is dependent on 

continued academic progress as determined by the institution. In addition, the stipend 

portion of the fellowship is determined by the individual’s financial need and must be 

reassessed each year. In order to continue funding for Javits fellows, institutions of 

higher education (IHEs) currently certify the academic progress of each fellow and report 

on the fellow’s financial need.

The Annual Student Activities Report will provide the necessary information to track 

each fellow’s progress toward degree completion. Without such critical data on the 

progress and performance of Javits fellows, it is difficult to measure the success of the 

Program’s long-term goals or to further develop useful technical assistance methods for 

grantees. The information to be requested on the Javits fellows is in response to both 

congressional inquiries and the need for data to be collected for the Program’s 

performance indicators, in compliance with the Government Performance and Results 

Act. Requests for data on Javits fellows have come from IHEs, Javits Coordinators, 

 

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professional associations, Members of Congress as well as The Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB).

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. 

Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the 

information received from the current collection. 

The Annual Student Activities Reports will be reviewed by Program Officers to ensure

compliance with the program requirements and to ensure the completion of grant

funding activities. 

The proposed data to be collected will be used for tracking the programs’ performance 

indicators and efficiency measures: graduation rate, the average time to degree 

completion rate, employment status upon graduation, and the Federal Cost per terminal 

degree (Ph.D./M.F.A.) awarded.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the 

use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 

techniques or forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission 

of responses, and the basis for the decision of adopting this means of collection. Also 

describe any consideration given to using technology to reduce burden. 

In fiscal year 2004, the Javits Program Staff developed and implemented an electronic 

version of the currently approved performance data collection instrument. The electronic 

version of the instrument is identical to the currently approved collection instrument. The 

instrument was electronically submitted to the individual fellows to allow for the option 

of electronic or hardcopy transmission of their responses. Eighty percent of individual 

fellows downloaded the forms for completion and submitted the completed forms to ED 

both electronically and via regular mail. The Javits program currently utilizes an 

electronic version of the currently approved performance data collection instrument, 

which is accessed online by individual fellows. In the future, it is expected that the 

majority of individual fellows will continue to respond in the same manner. The 

currently approved collection instrument may be viewed on the Office of Postsecondary

Education Web site at http://www.ed.gov/programs/jacobjavits/performance.html .

This experience has led Javits Program Staff to conclude that electronic reports are the 

most effective means to collect programmatic data from individual fellows each 

academic year.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar 

information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes 

described in Item 2 above.

The collection and use of this information is not duplicated within the U.S. Department of 

Education or any other government entity. 
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5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, 

describe any methods used to minimize burden. A small entity may be (1) a small 

business which is deemed to be one that is independently owned and operated and 

that is not dominant in its field of operation; (2) a small organization that is any notfor-profit enterprise that is independently owned and operated and is not dominant 

in its field; or (3) a small government jurisdiction, which is a government of a city, 

county, town, township, school district, or special district with a population of less 

than 50,000.

The collection of this information has no impact on small businesses or other small 

entities.

6. Describe the consequences to Federal program or policy activities if the collection

is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal 

obstacles to reducing burden.

As the grants awarded under this Program are awarded on an annual basis, data must be 

collected as requested by OMB as part compliance requirements. If the data requested in 

this Annual Student Activities Report is not collected, program staff will not be able to 

determine whether or not funded projects were completed successfully and in accordance 

with the program statute and regulations. In addition, evaluation of the program based on 

its GPRA performance indicators and efficiency measure, or on other program evaluation 

criteria established by Departmental policies, will not be possible. 

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to 

be conducted in a manner:

 requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than 

quarterly;

 requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of 

information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

 requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any 

document;

 requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, 

government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;

 in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid 

and reliable results than can be generalized to the universe of study;

 requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed 

and approved by OMB;
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 that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority 

established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and 

data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or that 

unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible 

confidential use; or

 requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other 

confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has 

instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the 

extent permitted by law.

There are no circumstances that would cause this information collection to be conducted 

in this manner.

8. As applicable, state that the Department has published the 60 and 30 Federal 

Register notices as required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the 

information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments 

received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in 

response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and 

hour burden.

Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on 

the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instruction and record 

keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be 

recorded, disclosed, or reported.

Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained 

or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years – even if 

the collection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be 

circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These 

circumstances should be explained.

60-day and 30-day Federal Register Notices for public comment will be published as 

required. 

Requests for data on Javits fellows have come from IHEs, Javits Coordinators, 

professional associations, Members of Congress as well as OMB. The collection 

attached reflects the comments and requests of these groups, as well as clarifications 

based on questions to Program Staff. The information to be collected will also provide 

the Program Staff the data necessary to accurately address the Program’s performance 

indicators and efficiency measure, in compliance with the Government Performance and 

Results Act. Data from all of these sources have been used to calculate hour and cost 

burden to respondents.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than 

remuneration of contractors or grantees with meaningful justification.
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No payment or gifts are provided to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis 

for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy. If personally identifiable 

information (PII) is being collected, a Privacy Act statement should be included on 

the instrument. Please provide a citation for the Systems of Record Notice and the 

date a Privacy Impact Assessment was completed as indicated on the IC Data Form. 

A confidentiality statement with a legal citation that authorizes the pledge of 

confidentiality should be provided.2If the collection is subject to the Privacy Act, 

the Privacy Act statement is deemed sufficient with respect to confidentiality. If 

there is no expectation of confidentiality, simply state that the Department makes no 

pledge about the confidentially of the data.

Responses to this data collection will be used only for reporting purposes. The reports 

prepared for this study will summarize findings to be presented to Congress and other 

relevant review parties. Any collected data made public would only be presented in 

aggregate, and would not include personal information.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as 

sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are 

commonly considered private. The justification should include the reasons why the 

agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the 

information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is 

requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

No questions of a sensitive nature are asked in this report.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The 

statement should:

 Indicate the number of respondents by affected public type (federal 

government, individuals or households, private sector – businesses or 

other for-profit, private sector – not-for-profit institutions, farms, state, 

local or tribal governments), frequency of response, annual hour burden, 

and an explanation of how the burden was estimated, including 

identification of burden type: recordkeeping, reporting or third party 

disclosure. All narrative should be included in item 12. Unless directed to 

do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information 

on which to base hour burden estimates. Consultation with a sample 

 

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Requests for this information are in accordance with the following ED and OMB policies: Privacy Act 

of 1974, OMB Circular A-108 – Privacy Act Implementation – Guidelines and Responsibilities, OMB 

Circular A-130 Appendix I – Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records About Individuals, 

OMB M-03-22 – OMB Guidance for Implementing the Privacy Provisions of the E-Government Act of 

2002, OMB M-06-15 – Safeguarding Personally Identifiable Information, OM:6-104 – Privacy Act of 1974 

(Collection, Use and Protection of Personally Identifiable Information)
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(fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desirable. If the hour burden 

on respondents is expected to vary widely because of differences in 

activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, 

and explain the reasons for the variance. Generally, estimates should not 

include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.

 If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate 

hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in 

the ROCIS IC Burden Analysis Table. (The table should at minimum 

include Respondent types, IC activity, Respondent and Responses, 

Hours/Response, and Total Hours)

 Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents of the hour burdens 

for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage 

rate categories. The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for 

information collection activities should not be included here. Instead, this 

cost should be included in Item 14.

Respondent 

Type

Number of 

Respondents

Frequency of 

Response

Hours Total Burden 

Hours

Individual 

Fellow

100 Annual 3 300

Totals 100 Annual 3 300

The burden of individual respondents is estimated at an average of 3 hours for each 

Javits fellow. These estimates are based on input from current respondents.

Estimated total annual cost burden to respondents.

Respondent 

Type

Number of 

Respondents

Frequency 

of Response

Hours Total 

Burden 

Hours

Wage Total 

Cost

Individual 

Fellow

100 Annual 3 300 $30 /hour $9,000.00

TOTALS 100 3 300 $9,000.00

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record 

keepers resulting from the collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any 

hour burden shown in Items 12 and 14.)

 The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and 

start-up cost component (annualized over its expected useful life); and (b) a 

total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component. The 
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estimates should take into account costs associated with generating, 

maintaining, and disclosing or providing the information. Include 

descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors including system 

and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, the 

discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred. 

Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for 

collecting information such as purchasing computers and software; 

monitoring, sampling, drilling and testing equipment; and acquiring and 

maintaining record storage facilities.

 If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges 

of cost burdens and explain the reasons for the variance. The cost of 

contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost 

burden estimate. In developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult 

with a sample of respondents (fewer than 10), utilize the 60-day pre-OMB 

submission public comment process and use existing economic or regulatory 

impact analysis associated with the rulemaking containing the information 

collection, as appropriate.

 Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, 

or portions thereof, made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve 

regulatory compliance with requirements not associated with the information 

collection, (3) for reasons other than to provide information or keep records 

for the government or (4) as part of customary and usual business or private 

practices. Also, these estimates should not include the hourly costs (i.e., the 

monetization of the hours) captured above in Item 12

Total Annualized Capital/Startup Cost : 

Total Annual Costs (O&M) : 

____________________

Total Annualized Costs Requested : 

There are no start-up costs. There are no costs associated with this collection.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Also, provide a 

description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification 

of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support 

staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this 

collection of information. Agencies also may aggregate cost estimates from Items 

12, 13, and 14 in a single table.

Estimated annualized cost to the Federal Government.

Task Cost Hours Number 

of Staff

Hours Total Total Cost 

to USG

Securing OMB approval $45/hr 10 6 60 $2,700.00
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(every 3 years)

Reports Design (every 3

years)

$45/hr 8 2 16 $720.00

Review Of Forms by

Staff

$45/hr 8 2 16 $720.00

Data Entry for Reports

by Staff

$45/hr 8 2 16 $720.00

Annual Monitoring and

Technical Assistance

$45/hr 8 2 16 $720.00

Other Department Staff 

Review

$58/hr 5 5 25 $1,450.00

Totals 149 $7,030.00

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments. Generally, 

adjustments in burden result from re-estimating burden and/or from economic 

phenomenon outside of an agency’s control (e.g., correcting a burden estimate or an 

organic increase in the size of the reporting universe). Program changes result from 

a deliberate action that materially changes a collection of information and generally 

are result of new statute or an agency action (e.g., changing a form, revising 

regulations, redefining the respondent universe, etc.). Burden changes should be 

disaggregated by type of change (i.e., adjustment, program change due to new 

statute, and/or program change due to agency discretion), type of collection (new, 

revision, extension, reinstatement with change, reinstatement without change) and 

include totals for changes in burden hours, responses and costs (if applicable).

A reduction in burden occurred in this information collection as a result of a decrease in 

the number of Javits grantees receiving non-competing continuation institutional awards 

since the collection was last approved in 2011. The last Javits Program fellowship 

competition was held in FY 2011. Therefore, no new institutional awards have been 

made since that time, which decreased the number of continuing grantees and decreased 

the number of continuing fellows required to report annually. As individual Javits 

fellows attending these institutions complete their degree programs and no longer need 

funding, the number of remaining fellows further decreases. Since the last collection was 

approved, the number of respondents decreased from 190 to 100, creating a reduction in 

the Total Burden Hours for Individual Fellows from 570 to 300. However, since the last 

collection was approved, the Estimated Annualized Cost to the Federal Government 

increased from $6,583.00 to $7,030.00 as shown in the Table in item 14. 

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for 

tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be 

used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and 

ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication 

dates, and other actions.
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The U.S. Department of Education does not plan to publish any information from this 

collection.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the 

information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

The U.S. Department of Education will display the expiration date for the OMB approval 

of this data collection.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in the 

Certification of Paperwork Reduction Act.

No exceptions are being requested for this information collection.