§ 668.37 Selective Service registration.

(a)

(1) To be eligible to receive title IV, HEA program funds, a male student who is subject to registration with the Selective Service must register with the Selective Service.

(2) A male student does not have to register with the Selective Service if the student—

(i) Is below the age of 18, or was born before January 1, 1960;

(ii) Is enrolled in an officer procurement program the curriculum of which has been approved by the Secretary of Defense at the following institutions:

(A) The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina;

(B) North Georgia College, Dahlonega, Georgia;

(C) Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont; or

(D) Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia; or

(iii) Is a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service or a member of the Reserve of the Public Health Service who is on active duty as provided in section 6(a)(2) of the Military Selective Service Act.

(b)

(1) When the Secretary processes a male student's FAFSA, the Secretary determines whether the student is registered with the Selective Service under a data match with the Selective Service.

(2) Under the data match, Selective Service reports to the Secretary whether its records indicate that the student is registered, and the Secretary reports the results of the data match to the student and the institution the student is attending.

(c)

(1) If the Selective Service does not confirm through the data match, that the student is registered, the student can establish that he—

(i) Is registered;

(ii) Is not, or was not required to be, registered;

(iii) Has registered since the submission of the FAFSA; or

(iv) Meets the conditions of paragraph (d) of this section.

(2) An institution must give a student at least 30 days, or until the end of the award year, whichever is later, to provide evidence to establish the condition described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.

(d) An institution may determine that a student, who was required to, but did not register with the Selective Service, is not ineligible to receive title IV, HEA assistance for that reason, if the student can demonstrate by submitting clear and unambiguous evidence to the institution that—

(1) He was unable to present himself for registration for reasons beyond his control such as hospitalization, incarceration, or institutionalization; or

(2) He is over 26 and when he was between 18 and 26 and required to register—

(i) He did not knowingly and willfully fail to register with the Selective Service; or

(ii) He served as a member of one of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty and received a DD Form 214, “Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty,” showing military service with other than the reserve forces and National Guard.

(e) For purposes of paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section, an institution may consider that a student did not knowingly and willfully fail to register with the Selective Service only if—

(1) The student submits to the institution an advisory opinion from the Selective Service System that does not dispute the student's claim that he did not knowingly and willfully fail to register; and

(2) The institution does not have uncontroverted evidence that the student knowingly and willfully failed to register.

(f)

(1) A student who is required to register with the Selective Service and has been denied title IV, HEA program assistance because he has not proven to the institution that he has registered with Selective Service may seek a hearing from the Secretary by filing a request in writing with the Secretary. The student must submit with that request—

(i) A statement that he is in compliance with registration requirements;

(ii) A concise statement of the reasons why he has not been able to prove that he is in compliance with those requirements; and

(iii) Copies of all material that he has already supplied to the institution to verify his compliance.

(2) The Secretary provides an opportunity for a hearing to a student who—

(i) Asserts that he is in compliance with registration requirements; and

(ii) Files a written request for a hearing in accordance with paragraph (f)(1) of this section within the award year for which he was denied title IV, HEA program assistance or within 30 days following the end of the payment period, whichever is later.

(3) An official designated by the Secretary shall conduct any hearing held under paragraph (f)(2) of this section. The sole purpose of this hearing is the determination of compliance with registration requirements. At this hearing, the student retains the burden of proving compliance, by credible evidence, with the requirements of the Military Selective Service Act. The designated official shall not consider challenges based on constitutional or other grounds to the requirements that a student state and verify, if required, compliance with registration requirements, or to those registration requirements themselves.

(g) Any determination of compliance made under this section is final unless reopened by the Secretary and revised on the basis of additional evidence.

(h) Any determination of compliance made under this section is binding only for purposes of determining eligibility for title IV, HEA program assistance.

[60 FR 61812, Dec. 1, 1995, as amended at 61 FR 3776, Feb. 1, 1996]