Selective Service Appeal

Federal law requires US citizens and immigrants assigned male at birth and are 18 through 25 years old, to register with Selective Service. While registration is no longer required for Federal Student Aid, registration is still required to receive Virginia state financial aid.

If you are 26 years old or older and were required to register, you may submit a Selective Service Appeal to the Financial Aid Office regarding your eligibility for Virginia state aid if your failure to register with the Selective Service was not knowing and willful. To do this, provide:

• A Status Information Letter from the Selective Service System (https://www.sss.gov/verify/sil/), and
• a signed statement clearly indicating the reason(s) that you did not register with the Selective Service between the ages of 18 through 25. You should provide a complete description and as much detail as possible regarding your situation. For example, some suggestions include:
  • how and when you first became aware of the requirement to register for the Selective Service;
  • any attempts to register with the Selective Service, including when and where (attach supporting documentation);
  • where you were living from age 18 through 25 and your citizenship status during this period;
  • any attempts to enlist in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces – what branch, when, why you were rejected, and how you were notified (attach supporting documentation);
  • incarceration and/or institutionalization during that period with documentation on official letterhead;
  • any information/documentation that supports your claim.
     

If you are submitting a Selective Service Appeal, the Financial Aid Office, not the Selective Service System, will make a final determination of whether you have shown that your failure to register was not knowing and willful.

Before you submit an appeal, we encourage you to discuss your situation with a Financial Aid Advisor to learn more about the options that may be available for you.