Q: Do I really need to register for the draft when filling out the FAFSA?
A: On this issue, your options are extremely limited. If you are a male between the ages of 18-25, interested in applying for federal financial aid for college, you are required to register for the Selective Service.* As of now, females are not required to register. Failing to register for the Selective Service if you are 18-25 years old will disqualify you from receiving federal financial aid. There are a very limited number of exemptions: exemptions.
Registration can be completed directly through the Selective Service System (any time after the student is 17 years and 3 months old) at www.sss.gov or by obtaining and filling out a Selective Service Form 1 at any U.S. Post Office and mailing it in. If you haven’t yet registered at the time you are filling out the FAFSA, you must check the option indicating that you would like to register through the FAFSA application to qualify for federal aid. If you have already registered, indicate that on the FAFSA. If the student doesn’t answer the question on the FAFSA, they will have another chance to do so on the Student Aid Report (SAR) that is received once the FAFSA is processed.
Note that males are required to register with the Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. If a male student is not yet 18 at the time they complete the FAFSA, they are not required to register, even if they will turn 18 during the upcoming year (i.e. the FAFSA does not need to be updated for that year.) However, when they reapply for financial aid in subsequent years after turning 18 (you must file a FAFSA each year to receive aid), they will have to indicate that they would like to register on the FAFSA or indicate that they have already registered.
If you have any further questions, contact the Selective Service Registration Information Office at 847-688-6888 or www.sss.gov .
*Failing to register for the Selective Service if you are 18-25 years old is a felony under the Military Selective Service Act. Conviction of a violation can result in imprisonment for up to five years and fines of up to $250,000.