Registration with the United States Selective Service is required of all male citizens and permanent residents within 30 days of turning eighteen. You need to register even if you are gay, bi, or trans.

Failure to register with the Selective Service before the age of twenty-six will result in a permanent loss of eligibility for all federal Title IV education financial aid including Pell Grants, federal campus based aid programs, and the federal student loan program. Federal financial aid accounts for over 90% of the money available for education beyond high school, both for college and vocational training.

When you apply for federal financial aid, your social security number is matched against the Selective Service database. If you are under the age of twenty-six, you may register at the time you apply by checking the appropriate box on the federal application form. If you are not registered, a flag will be placed on your record and the financial aid office at the school you are attending will be required to verify your registration with the Selective Service.

If the school determines that you "willingly and knowingly" failed to register, by law, you may not be awarded federal financial aid. If you are over the age of twenty-six, it is no longer possible to register and the loss of eligibility will be permanent.

As the average age of first time college students is increasing, financial aid offices across the country are reporting a rise in students who are ineligible to participate in federal financial aid programs because of failure to register with the Selective Service. Some common reasons for failing to register include: physical disability, prior enlistment in the armed forces, immigration during the late teens or early twenties, and coming out in the late teens. Ability to serve is not an issue when registering for the Selective Service.

The final decision on determining eligibility for aid based on Selective Service registration currently rests with the financial aid office at the school. While many financial aid professional organizations have lesbian/gay issues groups who are working to educate the profession about the particular needs of out students, the ultimate decision concerning eligibility of unregistered men rests with an individual in the school's financial aid office.

For more information, contact the Selective Service Information Hotline at 703-605-4100 or visit the Selective Service web site at www.sss.gov. Don't jeopardize your eligibility for financial aid. Remember to register with the Selective Service when you turn eighteen.