Selective Service Requirement
In order to receive financial aid all male citizens and eligible male non-citizens between the ages of 18-25 must register for selective service.
Ways to register:
If you are between the ages of 18-25 you can register online at www.sss.gov. Please notify our office after you have registered. For more information about Selective Service, visit www.sss.gov online.
Exemptions:
Men are exempted from the requirement to register if they meet one of the following conditions:
- males currently in the armed services and on active duty (this exception does not apply to members of the Reserve and National Guard who are not on active duty);
- males who served active duty in the armed services - Must provide DD 214: Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty showing military service in the armed forces - other than the reserve forces, the Delayed Entry Pool and the National Guard.
- males who are not yet 18 at the time that they complete their financial aid application;
- males born before 1960;
- citizens of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia*;
- noncitizens who first entered the U.S. after they turned 26;
- noncitizens who entered the U.S. as lawful nonimmigrants on a valid visa and remained in the U.S. on the terms of that visa until after they turned 26.
- unable to register due to being hospitalized, incarcerated, or institutionalized;
- enrolled in any officer procurement program at The Citadel, North Georgia College and State University, Norwich University, Virginia Military Institute, Texas A&M University, or Virginia Polytechnic and State University; or
- commissioned Public Health Service officers on active duty or members of the Reserve of the Public Health Service on specified active duty.
If you feel that you are exempt from this requirement, download this form and return it to our office. You must explain your situation and provide supporting documentation.
Failure to Register for Selective Service:
The Selective Service will only register males age 18 through 25. However, you may still be eligible to receive aid if you can demonstrate that you did not knowingly and willfully fail to register.
You must first contact the Selective Service to get a "Status Information Letter addressing your failure to register. You can download a request form from the Selective Service website (www.sss.gov) to print out, complete, and mail.
After you receive a "Status Information Letter" from Selective Service, you must provide a copy to the financial aid office, with a complete description about your situation including:
- where you were living during the period when you should have registered,
- whether you were incarcerated or institutionalized,
- your citizenship status during the period, if applicable, and so on.
You must also address:
- Whether you thought you were registered.
- Why you were not aware of the widely publicized requirement to register when you were 18 through 25.
Download this form to document why you failed to register for selective service. Students without military service who knew of the registration requirement but chose not to register are considered to have knowingly and willfully failed to register and are therefore ineligible for Financial Aid funds.