Do You Need To Register For Selective Service For Fafsa

Do you have to register for the draft to get financial aid? Learn about changes regarding Selective Service and FAFSA eligibility.

The Free Application for Federal Student Help (FAFSA) has alot of questions. Many are near your personal and financial information, but others may not seem to make much sense.

Case in indicate: Question 22 on the FAFSA asks yous about your registration status with Selective Service.

Below, we'll talk more well-nigh the Selective Service System, why we have it, if (and how) yous have to sign upwardly, and the potential penalties for non registering—both in general and for your financial aid.

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What is Selective Service?

The US regime established the Selective Service Arrangement in instance information technology felt the need to typhoon citizens into the war machine for war.

Selective Service

All males between ages 18–25 (except for people meeting certain exemptions that we lay out later) must register with Selective Service or risk legal consequences.

According to the Selective Service Arrangement, this ensures fair and equitable drafting if the government, well, institutes a draft.

But the question is, why do we accept a draft system if at that place hasn't been a typhoon in decades?

A short history lesson reveals the answer:

Why do we take Selective Service?

After years of avoiding information technology, the United states of america officially joined WWI in 1917 when it declared war on Frg.

However, not enough men volunteered for the armed forces to brand the U.s.a. war machine a strong fighting force in Europe.

Then, Congress passed the Selective Service Human action in 1917. This gave the president—Woodrow Wilson at the time—the power to draft soldiers.

After WW1, Selective Service drafting continued in small amounts. Information technology ramped up again for the Korean War, although it exempted men who served in WWII.

And so, drafting ramped up notwithstanding once again for the Vietnam State of war—perhaps the virtually well-known U.s.a. military machine disharmonize when it comes to issues surrounding the draft.

The Selective Service registration requirement paused after the Vietnam State of war concluded in 1972. However, President Jimmy Carter reinstated it in 1980 in response to the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan.

It has remained generally the aforementioned e'er since.

The US military has been a 100% volunteer force since 1973—there hasn't been an actual draft since the Vietnam State of war.

Some discussed reviving the draft for the Republic of iraq War, simply most public opinion was against it.

Today, Selective Service registration isn't enforced too strongly, but there are still severe legal and other consequences for failing to register.

Regardless of arguments for and against it, the system remains in place in case the US needs to expand military machine numbers.

Who has to sign upward for the draft?

In general, about men ages 18–25 in the United states of america take to sign up.

This includes male person citizens and non-denizen male immigrants. Transgender individuals assigned male person at nascency simply have since changed their gender to female must also register.

Equally for the timetable, eligible United states citizens have 30 days from their 18th altogether to sign upwards. Immigrants must sign up within 30 days of entering the US.

Selective Service registration requirements

Even if you don't like the draft, you lot still take to register. However, you can file a claim for exemption if a draft is really instituted.

Dual nationals must also annals for the draft, whether or not they live in the U.s.a..

All of this assumes these people don't fall into any of the exempted categories beneath.

Exempt groups include:

Women
Active duty male United states military members—if out before age 26, they must register within twenty days after leaving
Armed services officer procurement students at approved institutions—if out before age 26, they must register within 20 days after leaving
Cadets and midshipmen in the Declension Guard or approved service academies
Physically or mentally handicapped individuals who are bars to a dwelling house, hospital, or institution—if released before age 26, they must register within xx days post-obit release
Patients hospitalized or institutionalized for medical reasons—if released before age 26, they must register within 20 days
Legal nonimmigrants who concur electric current nonimmigrant visas
Seasonal agricultural laborers
Incarcerated individuals—if released before age 26, they must annals within 20 days following release
Transgender individuals assigned female at birth that accept changed their gender to male person

All that said, women may be required to annals in the futurity.

In 2020, a congressional panel recommended expanding the draft to include women who are 18–25 that don't autumn into other categories listed above (such every bit having a concrete or mental handicap).

Lastly, men over age 25 don't have to register. Even so, if they weren't registered previously, they must provide documentation regarding why they were never registered. For example, if they moved to the US at age 26, they'd demand to provide paperwork proving that.

How do I register with Selective Service?

For aid years 2021–2022 and 2022–2023, you lot can register with Selective Service on the FAFSA. However, as we'll become into below, that option will before long disappear.

Aside from the FAFSA, you lot tin can register online, by mail, or in person.

To register online, you'll head to the Select Service System'south website and fill out a short registration grade past providing your basic personal data. This includes things similar your name, address, gender, date of birth, and Social Security number.

That website has a printable registration course with the same general data.

Yous can also option up one of these forms at your local postal service office—if yous don't have a Social Security number, this is the method you lot should apply. You can then fill out the course and drop information technology off or mail it in.

You should receive an acknowledgment letter of the alphabet and registration card in the postal service within 90 days of registering with Selective Service. This is your proof of Selective Service registration, and so don't lose it!

Do I accept to register with Selective Service to receive fiscal assist?

For most of Selective Service's history, yous needed to register to be eligible to receive federal fiscal assistance.

If you lot failed to register by historic period 26 and you weren't exempt, the Section of Education disqualified you from most forms of federal aid. That includes certain student loans, grants, and work-study programs.

Parents, all the same, have never needed to meet this requirement to have out Parent PLUS loans. If they aren't registered, but you are, your aid eligibility is yet safe.

For this reason, Question 22 on FAFSA asks you if you're already registered.

If not, it lets y'all automatically register for the draft while filling out the FAFSA, although you can still turn down their offer and register separately online if you'd similar.

Yet, this is presently going away.

FAFSA Question 22

In 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act as part of the larger Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

This new law ditches the requirement for males to annals with Selective Service to qualify for Title 4 assist—aka federal assist.

It besides gets rid of the restriction on assistance for students with drug convictions, which is covered in Question 23 on FAFSA.

The requirement and FAFSA question are being phased out over several years:

2021-2022 award year: Questions 22 and 23 remain on the FAFSA, but Selective Service registration is no longer required for aid eligibility.

2022-2023 laurels twelvemonth: This is the same as the 2021–2022 award yr, and it adds some linguistic communication stating further action from the school and aid applicants isn't necessary.

2023-2024 award yr: Questions 22 and 23 are removed entirely from the FAFSA, and you're no longer able to register with Selective Service this way. All linguistic communication discussing these matters is also removed.

Still, some states may require Selective Service registration for state-based financial aid.

In some states, eligible students must exist registered with Selective Service to attend public colleges and universities as well.

Beyond federal assistance, though, you lot yet must register with Selective Service if you lot're non in an exempt group listed before. Otherwise, every bit we're well-nigh to see, y'all could face severe legal consequences.

Too financial assist, what happens if I don't register for the draft if I'm not exempt?

Declining to sign up for the draft if you aren't exempt carries some harsh punishments.

Anyone who fails to registeror "who knowingly counsels, aids, or abets another to neglect to comply with the registration requirement" faces felony charges—with fines of up to $250,000 and a prison term of upwards to 5 years.

Penalties aren't ofttimes prosecuted present. In April 2019, U.s. Today stated that only 20 men have ever been criminally charged for failing to register since President Carter's 1980 reinstatement.

Of those twenty, 14 were convicted. The last indictment—which happened in 1986—was dismissed before information technology could make information technology to trial.

None of this is to say you should avoid registering, though. Information technology'due south the law.

Plus, failing to register tin can have other consequences, whether or not yous're punished through the legal organization.

For one, registration is mandatory to exist eligible for federal government jobs and some state government roles. Plus, diverse state benefits and privileges—such equally driver's licenses—might require draft registration.

How exercise I request a Selective Service waiver?

If you believe you should exist exempt from registration, you'll need to prove that to the regime by filling out a waiver.

Selective Service waiver

To practise so, y'all'll demand to request a Status Data Letter using the SIL grade on this folio of the Selective Service website. You'll have to provide detailed information on why you're ineligible, along with copies of supporting documentation (not the originals).

If approved, you'll get your SIL, which indicates why y'all weren't required to register.

Keep the original version of this somewhere safe. Then, y'all can make copies of information technology whenever an system—such as a authorities employer—needs to know why you never registered.

Equally for if a draft is really instituted, Selective Service says that men can file claims for exemptions, postponements, or deferments.

They don't provide much information on what that looks similar, merely they would most probable create (or possibly already have created) online and printable forms.

You would submit the claim itself without bear witness—Selective Service would then go back to you with farther instructions on what info they demand, when they need information technology, and where to send it to.

If your exemption is denied and you lot're still selected for service, you can appeal that to a Selective Service Appeal Board.

Selective Service: It'south the constabulary, but fiscal assist rules are easing

Although there hasn't been a draft since the Vietnam War, Selective Service registration remains a legal requirement if y'all're not in an exempt category.

If you lot're required to register, it's a expert idea to exercise so, even if yous disagree with the system. They may not enforce the penalties often, but they still could at any time.

However, at the very to the lowest degree, failing to register won't take a chance your college financial assistance in the future.

For more answers to your financial aid questions, check out our fiscal aid FAQs.