All students who were assigned the sex of male at birth and are aged 18-25 are required to register with the Selective Service System (SSS). This requirement covers males residing in the U.S. who are U.S. citizens or noncitizens, except a male who is in the U.S. as a lawful nonimmigrant isn’t required to register as long as he maintains that status.
You can register online at www.sss.gov if you are between the ages of 18-25. If you are not yet 18, the easiest way to resolve this issue is to answer ‘yes’ to the ‘Register Me’ question on the FAFSA after you report your gender. Students who have questions about Selective Service registration may contact the Selective Service at 1-847-688-6888 or use the website listed above.
Males exempted from the requirement to register include:
- 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) - must submit a current DD214 from the military;
- Males who are not yet 18 at the time that they complete their applications (an update is not required during the year, even if a student turns 18 after completing the application) — select ‘Register Me’ on the FAFSA;
- Males born before 1960;
- Citizens of the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Federated States of Micronesia (A citizen or national of the Republic of the Marshall Islands or the Federated States of Micronesia who lives in the United States for more than one year for any reason except as a student or employee of the government of his homeland must register) — submit documentation as proof;
- Noncitizens who first entered the U.S. after they turned 26 — submit documentation as proof;
- 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 — submit documentation as proof.
- Transgender males who were assigned the sex of female at birth — submit birth certificate as proof.
There are certain less common situations in which registration isn’t necessary. Students who weren’t required to register prior to meeting one of these criteria and who meet a criterion for the entire time through the age of 25 qualify for the waiver if:
- They are unable to register due to being hospitalized, incarcerated, or institutionalized — submit documentation as proof;
- They are 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 — submit documentation as proof; or
- They are commissioned Public Health Service officers on active duty or members of the Reserve of the Public Health Service on specified active duty — submit documentation as proof.
Some students have been denied aid because they failed to register with the Selective Service before their 26th birthday. The Selective Service will register only males aged 18 – 25, leaving older students with no way to remedy their situation if they failed to register. However, the student may still be eligible to receive aid if he can demonstrate that he did not knowingly and willfully fail to register.
If you did not register, are past the age to register, and did not meet one of the exemptions above or did not have the documentation required to proof you met one of the exemptions above, you will be required to write to the Selective Service to get a status information letter addressing your failure to register. You may download a request form from the www.sss.gov to print out, complete, and mail. &mbsp; The letter response from the Selective Service must be submitted to the UACCM Financial Aid Office. You may be required to submit an additional letter to the Financial Aid Office if the Selective Service does not provide an exemption for your lack of registration. &mbsp; At this point the school will make a decision if you knowingly and willfully failed to register based on the information provided. The school’s decision in this case is final and cannot be appealed to the Department.