Selective Service & Drug Penalties for Aid Canceled

The FAFSA Simplification Act  was enacted on December 27, 2020, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The Act made many important changes to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

While the Act (as amended) directed most changes to happen for the 2024-25 academic year, the U.S. Department of Education was authorized to implement changes earlier when possible. Required notification was made to eliminate two requirements for aid eligibility beginning with 2021-22.

Previously, males 18 years of age had to register with Selective Service as a requirement for receiving federal aid resources. Students who completed the FAFSA were also checked against the Selective Service database to ensure compliance with this requirement.

With this portion of the Higher Education Act now rescinded as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act, the Department of Education decided to implement this change early beginning with 2021-22

Male U.S. citizens are still required to register for Selective Service upon reaching the age of 18. In Ohio, Selective Service registration remains a requirement to receive in-state tuition at public universities. However, Selective Service registration requirements are no longer required for eligibility for Title IV (federal aid) funds.

The FAFSA Simplification Act similarly eliminated the ineligibility for Title IV funds due to drug convictions.

Previously, a federal or state drug conviction could disqualify a student from federal student aid funds. Convictions only counted if they were for an offense that occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Title IV aid. Also, a conviction that was reversed, set aside, or removed from the student’s record did not count nor did one received when he/she was a juvenile, unless the student was tried as an adult.

Students with a conviction could have their eligibility for aid curtailed previously based on the following chart:

With this portion of the Higher Education Act now rescinded as part of the FAFSA Simplification Act, the Department of Education implemented this change in the 2021-22 academic year.

Drug convictions are serious offenses and can have lasting consequences for students and in future employment. Students should consider their actions carefully. At the same time, drug convictions no longer affect federal aid eligibility directly.

While there was a change in eligibility based on early implementation of the Selective Service and drug conviction requirements being dropped, the FAFSA for 2021-22 and 2022-23 were either in production or nearing production at the time of these changes. 

The FAFSAs for these academic years still asked students about their Selective Service registration status and drug convictions. However, students were not be penalized by losing federal aid eligibility for these academic years on these matters.

The FAFSA for 2023-24 and beyond saw elimination of these questions.